I finally did it.

As a self-proclaimed dedicated fan of John Grisham, I've watched every single adaptation of his over the years. Sometimes, multiple rewatches ...save for one, The Rainmaker, which I neither read nor watched the adaptation. I'm not gonna lie and say there's a good reason for that...there's not. What's crazier still is the fact that this is also widely recognized as the best Grisham adaptation. I don't know about that, I love so many of his stories, so I'll take that with a grain of salt.

What we have here is early, early, early Matt Damon. Even today, I see him as a talented actor that can basically do no wrong. He does a great job in this film as well, especially as a rookie lawyer, but I'd be remissed if I failed to point out he's had so many other better movies and roles. There's also great supporting roles by Danny DeVito, Jon Voigt, Claire Danes and a weirdly uncredited role from Danny Glover....even though he was the judge of the case...who was vital.

The story isn't so much legal thriller, as we're used to with Grisham, but rather legal drama, as it deals with corporate fraud. An insurance company is ripping off the meak and dying to make a quick buck, and you have the underdog, David and Goliath storyline of this rookie lawyer on his first case ever...against a corporate giant with a multitude of skeevy lawyers that'll do anything to win their case.

I think this is widely accepted as Grisham's best adaptation because it is the most realistic. It's not an action film, thriller, conspiracy-bound, eye-popping, exciting narrative, but something you could actually believe is real - and the careful steps Coppola took to make sure everything was done appropriately, in legal terms, hasn't gone unnoticed.

I hear Coppola's first cut of the movie was 5 1/2 hours. #ReleaseTheCoppolaCut! Actually, don't, that would be a nightmare. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing!

I was impressed with Coppola's masterful ability to weave all of the stories going on in this film, which would otherwise feel super convoluted. The kid with the leukemia, the girl getting beating up by her husband, the older lady that wants to sign her fortune over to a TV personality, and whatever's going on with Bruiser Stone, the character played by a very unrecognizable Mickey Roarke.

I had a great time with this movie and am glad I finally got the ability to sit down and watch it. I can finally say I've seen all the John Grisham movies at this point!