There is a point in a woman¡¯s life ¡ª specifically, mine ¡ª when surprises in movies and in dates are just not all that welcome anymore. Which is why ¡°The Judge¡± is a vehicle to like ¡ª very, very much. Robert Downey Jr. faces off with Robert Duvall in a patriarchal, angst-ridden mystery thriller set in small-town Indiana. There are rewards to be reaped from this story that takes you exactly where you think you¡¯re going, and arrives at the moment you think you¡¯ll get there. So what if there are no detours ¡ª much less, speed bumps ¡ª along the way? Granted there are no surprises, but it¡¯s pretty high on the comfort factor.

¡°The Judge¡± is the kind of movie to be savored while deeply ensconced in an upholstered theater seat, with a flask of whisky ¡ª a scheme that would work better if you¡¯re a well-to-do, over-40 male, but one can¡¯t have everything.

¡°The Judge¡± could be described as the testosterone-heavy version of the 2013 sleeper hit ¡°August: Osage County,¡± which pitted Meryl Streep, as a boozy, cancerous mom, in a hideous cat fight with Julia Roberts, as her type-A daughter. That film was mostly been about (stereotypical) women¡¯s issues such as familial relationships, rivalry and jealousy, but ¡°The Judge¡± is heavily macho, leaning toward issues such as professionalism, upholding male honor and other old-school stuff. That¡¯s OK ¡ª in fact, it¡¯s only to be expected. To the film¡¯s credit, the sole love interest represented by Vera Farmiga isn¡¯t a flimsy, two-dimensional fantasy. Farmiga¡¯s Samantha is an attractive blonde, but she¡¯s a solid presence ¡ª the kind of woman that draws her old high school boyfriend, Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.), to visit her after he arrives back in town.