First Monday in October

R

Released Aug 21, 2001

1 hr. 40 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

Reviews

45%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

The Supreme Court's first woman (Jill Clayburgh), a conservative, debates and dates her grumpy colleague (Walter Matthau), a liberal.

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Joseph L

Mattau gives a solid performance, but this movie just drifts along with no point.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/16/23

Full Review

steve d

It was undercut by a more interesting true story at the time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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s r

Interesting premise, poor delivery and another lost flixster rating.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Frances H

Intelligent script and clever dialogue seems tailor-made for Matthau and Clayburgh.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/03/15

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Audience Member

(** 1/2): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img]

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"First Monday in October" had all of the makings of a controversial film until the events depicted in the picture happened for real shortly before the film's release. Sandra Day O'Connor's nomination to the Supreme Court really took the wind out of this film's sails at an inopportune time. But even taken as a piece of fiction, which it is, it's a very entertaining film that is a lot less serious and dull than you might expect. This is definitely not a dry political film. The screenplay is light and lively, and the talented performers bring it to life in a fresh and funny way. Jill Clayburgh is perfectly suited for her role, smart and beautiful, and she owns the role from the first moment she appears on the screen. Even better is her veteran co-star Walter Matthau as a seasoned judge and Clayburgh's intellectual equal. His performance here shows why Matthau was widely considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. It's a pleasure watching him work, and every single relationship he has in the picture is a fascinating one. I'm not sure how accurately the film portrays the behind the scenes workings of the Court (I suspect it's not very accurate at all), but it's a very entertaining movie with a lot of sharp dialogue and witty banter. The story of Clayburgh's scandal-in-the-making involving her dead husband is somewhat muddles, but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of watching the two leads square off. It's more than enough to carry this film through its rough spots. "First Monday in October" doesn't work very well as a history lesson, but it is very entertaining nonetheless. Sometimes that's all you can really ask a movie to be, and on that level it works.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Ronald Neame

Director

Walter Matthau

Dan Snow

Jill Clayburgh

Ruth Loomis

Barnard Hughes

Chief Justice James Jefferson Crawford

Jan Sterling

Christine Snow

James Stephens

Mason Woods

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First Monday in October: Official Clip - If We Don't Hear It, Who Will?

1:51

First Monday in October: Official Clip - Extremely Noble, But Wrong

2:06

First Monday in October: Official Clip - Let There Be Light

1:45

First Monday in October: Official Clip - Another Man's Poetry

2:13

First Monday in October: Official Clip - A Snapshot of Our Convictions

1:59

First Monday in October: Official Clip - Censorship Is an Outrage

2:12

First Monday in October: Official Clip - You Don't Have to Agree with a Man in Order to Respect Him

2:12

First Monday in October: Official Clip - A Woman on the Court

2:10

First Monday in October: Official Clip - Nebraska vs. Maloney

2:10

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 2/5

May 7, 2005

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 2, 2005

Full Review

Rebecca Murray

About.com

Rated: 2/5

Nov 18, 2004

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

First Day in October puts up front the precise comic timing of Walter Matthau as an outspoken liberal justice of the Supreme Court.

Jan 31, 2004

Full Review

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Synopsis

The Supreme Court's first woman (Jill Clayburgh), a conservative, debates and dates her grumpy colleague (Walter Matthau), a liberal.

Director: Ronald Neame
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2010

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