The Lincoln Lawyer

Along with the DVDs listed below, Insidious also comes out this week.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Matthew McConaughey plays Mick Haller in this drama about an attorney who works out of his towncar defending small-time criminals. When he lands a bigger case defending a charismatic playboy (played by Ryan Phillippe), it goes from straightforward to sketchy, and Haller finds his own life in danger. Though the movie doesn't break any new ground, it still makes for a great popcorn thriller. DVD bonus features include making-of featurettes and deleted scenes.

83%

Arthur

In this remake of the '80s film, Russell Brand stars as Arthur, a hard-drinking, ridiculously rich man whose wealth has allowed him to avoid growing up. When his mother gives him the option to marry a business executive (Jennifer Garner) or be cut off from his fortune, he balks. Once he begrudgingly agrees, he falls for a sweet tour guide (Greta Gerwig). Though Brand and Gerwig don't have a ton of chemistry, his comedic banter with Helen Mirren (who stars as his beloved nanny) makes for plenty of laughs. The film DVD extras include deleted scenes.

27%

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Bradley Cooper and Zack Snyder were no match for a wimpy kid at the box office this weekend, as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules was the top earner with $24.4 million. Snyder's Sucker Punch proved to be all bark and no bite (perhaps due in part to bad reviews), earning $19 million. Last week's champ Limitless dropped to third with $15.2 million, while Matthew McConaughey's The Lincoln Lawyer stayed in fourth with $11 million. Rango rounded out the top five with $9.8 million.

Limitless lived up to its title in its opening weekend by coming in first at the box office. The dizzying drug drama starring Bradley Cooper earned a total of $19 million, besting the rest of the weekend's offerings. In second place was the Johnny Depp-voiced animated film Rango with $15.3 million.

In third place was last weekend's champion, action flick Battle: Los Angeles, with a total of $14.6 million. Unlike Limitless, the other new releases didn't fare so well, but still managed to make it into the top five. The Lincoln Lawyer came in the fourth spot with $13.4 million, and goofball alien comedy Paul was right behind it with $13.2 million.

After films like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Surfer Dude, and Fool's Gold, Matthew McConaughey hasn't exactly had the best track record as of late. So can a movie about a money-grubbing lawyer with a license plate that reads "NTGUILTY" actually be the way to break his pattern of bad movies? The answer is yes: The Lincoln Lawyer is an entertaining thriller that does more than put the actor's charm on display.

Based on the novel by Michael Connelly, the film centers on Mick Haller (McConaughey), a smooth-talking criminal attorney who's a hustler to his core. He represents the underbelly of LA — bikers, prostitutes, druggies — and his methods of doing business are anything but conventional. Instead of an office, Mick prefers to work from his car (a Lincoln town car per the title) where he wheels and deals. As one character remarks, Mick would've done pretty well for himself on the streets; he knows whose palm to grease to get what he wants whether it's a photographer with valuable video or a local cop. That may make Mick sound like a two-dimensional sleazeball and sometimes he is, but there's also more to him than meets the eye.

Find out more about why the film is worth seeing when you read more