Mitch McDeere
| Mitch McDeere | |
|---|---|
| 1991 novel, 1993 film & 2012 TV series character | |
| First appearance | The Firm (1991 novel) and The Firm (1993 film adaptation) |
| Created by | John Grisham |
| Portrayed by | Tom Cruise (1993 film) Josh Lucas (2012 TV series) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Family | Ray McDeere (brother) Rusty McDeere (brother deceased) |
| Spouse | Abby McDeere |
| Religion | Methodist |
| alma_mater | Western Kentucky University, Harvard Law School |
Mitch McDeere is a fictional character portrayed by Tom Cruise in Sydney Pollack's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm (1991 novel). The character has been cast with Josh Lucas for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm.[1] McDeere is a Harvard-educated tax lawyer who has a certified public accountant credential.[2]
He is the main protagonist of the highly successful series. He is regarded as "an old-school, self-made hero" by Entertainment Weekly critic Melissa Maerz.[3] The novel sold 7 million copies and the movie starred Tom Cruise.[4] The film grossed over $158 million ($333 in 2011 dollars[5]) domestically and $111 internationally ($270 million worldwide in 1993 dollars).[6][7] Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel.[8]
The television show picks up on the story of McDeere and his family ten years after the fictional setting of the 1991 novel and 1993 film.[9] Both the novel and the film recount the story of an upstart attorney who unknowingly was hired by Bendini, Lambert & Locke, the white-collar crime operation of an organized crime family's enterprise.[10] After graduating third in his Harvard Law School class,[2] he became a whistleblower to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and brought down the corrupt Memphis law firm with Chicago mob ties. The TV series begins as the McDeere family emerges from witness protection to encounter old and new challenges.[11]
His father had been a coal miner and his mother was a waitress.[3] In high school, Mitch had been a star quarterback with several scholarship offers. He injured his knee in his last high school game, and the only school that upheld its scholarship offer was Western Kentucky University. He matriculated and played quarterback as an infrequent starter, while making straight As and earning a degree in accounting. He and his wife Abby were high school sweethearts who got married after they graduated from Western Kentucky. While Mitch was in Law school she taught kindergarten. They are Methodist.[2] In the novel, he had driven a Mazda hatchback prior to being offered a BMW to work at Bendini.[2] In the novel, his remarried mother lived in a trailer park in Panama City Beach, but he had been raised by his brother Ray.[2]
Critical review
Chris Lackner of The Gazette describes Lucas as a "less artificial, more nuanced, more credible version" of McDeere than Cruise.[12]
Notes
- ^ Rice, Lynnette (2011-06-09). "Done deal: Josh Lucas will do 'The Firm' for NBC". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
- ^ a b c d e "The Firm Excerpt". Doubleday, Random House, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ^ a b Maerz, Melissa (2011-12-28). "TV Review: The Firm". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
- ^ Hibberd, James (2011-04-29). "NBC in talks for John Grisham's 'The Firm' TV series". CNN. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Movies: 'The Firm,' with $31.5 million for the weekend, leads the way. Total movie receipts for the four-day holiday are an estimated $120 million". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office : So Far, This Is Summer to Beat". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
- ^ The Firm at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (2011-05-16). "NBC's The Firm To Be Shot In Toronto". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ Hibberd, James (2011-04-29). "NBC in talks for John Grisham's 'The Firm' TV series". CNN. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ Cahill, Sarah (2011-04-29). "John Grisham's Mitch McDeere Is Back On the Run". Random House, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ Lackner, Chris (2012-01-02). "Old Ideas and new pop trends in 2012: Leonard Cohen releases album, Kiefer Sutherland has right Touch and Charlie Sheen takes on Anger Management". The Gazette. Retrieved 2012-01-03.