7 Famous Movie Courtroom Scenes (And How They Are Wrong In Real Life)

5. Liar Liar (1997) - Pre-Verdict Celebration

A few Good Men
Universal

Basically everything done by Jim Carey's character Fletcher Reede is unrealistic, but most of that can be attributed to the storyline - he is unable to tell a lie or ask a question that he knows is going to illicit a lie as an answer.

But near the end of the film, Fletcher has just shown that his client's prenuptial agreement should be voided because she was a minor when she signed it, and was not old enough to legally enter into a contract. The contract provided her nothing in the event of a divorce if she committed adultery, but if the contract would be voided, then she would be entitled to half of the marital assets.

Once Fletcher has made this point that the contract should be voided, he celebrates saying, "Jordan fades back... Shoots...AND THAT'S THE GAME! No further questions, Your Honor."

So YAY! A win for the good guys, right? Not exactly. While the verdict did indeed come out in Fletcher's client's favor (and that is a fairly realistic portrayal of the relevant law in the State of California), no attorney in their right mind would celebrate like that. For one, it's clearly unprofessional. But more importantly, he hasn't really won. There is most likely another legal fight ahead of him that he would lose (when the husband claims the wife fraudulently entered into the marriage by concealing her age).

He won that battle, but will lose the war. But that didn't stop him from celebrating.

Contributor
Contributor

Jack of all trades, master of none. Husband, attorney, writer, and father-to-be.