There are several John Grisham movies and TV series that have been released from the 1990s to the 2000s. A number of them have recorded massive commercial acclaim while others have also won nominations and awards. Some of the best seller author’s films have featured top Hollywood actors such as Tom Crusie, Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Susan Sarandon, and Matt Damon.
Grisham’s films are mostly based on his novels. He featured in others and served as a producer in some. Among the numerous that have been released, there are those considered as greatest for being commercially successful, having originality, great story, excellent interpretation of roles by actors, directing, cinematography, and general production value.
Best of John Grisham’s Films Everyone Should See
1. The Firm (1993)
- Release Date: 30 June 1993
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Executive Producers: Lindsay Doran, Michael Hausman
- Director: Sydney Pollack
- Major Cast: Tom Cruise (Mitch McDeere), Jeanne Tripplehorn (Abby McDeere), Gene Hackman (Avery Tolar), Hal Holbrook (Oliver Lambert), Terry Kinney (Lamar Quinn), Ed Harris (Wayne Tarrance), Holly Hunter (Tammy Hemphill)
The 1991 legal thriller novel by John Grisham, The Firm was adapted into a film of the same title in 1993. It remains one of the writer’s best works based on reviews and at the box office.
It grossed $270.2 million. This makes it Grisham’s highest-grossing film of all time. On the aspect of reviews, it has a 64% of audience score with more than 50,000 ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story rallies around the life of a young lawyer (acted by Tom Cruise) who joins an acclaimed law firm, but then, his life changes when he found out that the firm has its dark side.
2. The Pelican Brief (1993)
- Release Date: 17 December 1993
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Producers: Alan J, Pakula, Pieter Jan Brugge, Bryan D. Gilchrist
- Director: Alan J. Pakula
- Major Cast: Denzel Washington (Gray Grantham), Julia Roberts (Darby Shaw), Sam Shepard (Thomas Callahan), John Heard (Gavin Verheek), Tony Goldwyn (Fletcher Coal), James Sikking (FBI Director Denton), William Atherton (Bob Gminski)
While this film is known for its details, intelligent interpretations of roles by the cast, and the storyline among other fascinating details, it is equally remembered as the last film written and directed by Alan J. Pakula before his death in 1998.
With the effort put into the movie, an adaptation of John’s 1992 novel of the same title, it is no surprise that while it had a budget of $45 million it made $195.3 at the box office. It has also received much critical acclaim, including 6.6/10 stars in about 88,000 ratings on IMDB and a 61% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story is one in which Darby (Julia Roberts) drafted a theory about how 2 supreme court justices were murdered. Her boyfriend, Thomas Callahan (Sam Shepard) shares that theory with Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington) and it turned out that her theory was right after all.
Several other killings take charge to cover the crime but the truth came out later.
3. The Client (1995)
- Release Date: 17 September 1995
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Producers: Arnon Muchan
- Director: Joel Schumacher
- Major Cast: Susan Sarandon (Reggie Love), Brad Renfro (Mark Sway) Tommy Lee Jones (Roy Foltrigg), David Speck (Ricky Sway), Mary-Louise Parker (Dianne Sway)
If you are trying to get one of John Grisham’s movies that serve an excellent story, great interpretation of roles, and top-notch suspense, this 1995 released The Client may give a positive satisfaction.
The film tells a story of an 11-year-old and his little brother Ricky. The boys witnessed a suicide, got a murder story, and got hold of information about where a body was buried. The little boys are keys to a puzzle in solving a crime.
For their roles, Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and an award for BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role while Brad Renfro won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in Motion Picture.
It was distributed by Warner Bros. and doubled its budget of $45 million when it made $117.6 million at the Box Office.
4. A Time to Kill (1996)
- Release Date: 24 July 1996
- Genre: Thriller
- Producers: William M. Elvin (associate producer) John Grisham, Hunt Lowry, Arnon Milchan, Michael G, Nathanson
- Director: Joel Schumacher
- Major Cast: Sandra Bullock (Ellen Roark), Matthew McConaughey (Jake Tyler Brigance), Samuel L Jackson (Carl Lee Hailey), Kevin Spacey (D.A. Rufus Buckley), Oliver Platt (Harry Rex Vonner), Charles S. Dutton (Sheriff Ozzie Walls)
Climax, suspense, characters, and conflict, among other key elements, have been used greatly in Grisham’s 1989 novel, A Time to Kill, which was adapted into a movie released in 1996. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. and recorded a commercial success of $152 million at the worldwide box office.
It focuses on justice and race. In the film, a 10-year-old black girl, Tonya Hailey (was abducted, beaten, and raped by 2 white men. Upon knowing that the men could go home as free men, her father, Carl Lee (Samuel L. Jackson) went to the courthouse and opened fire, thereby killing both men.
5. Runaway Jury (2003)
- Release Date: 17 October 2003
- Genre: legal thriller
- Producers: Gary Fleder Christopher Mankiewicz, Arnon Milchan
- Director: Gary Fleder
- Major Cast: John Cusack (Nicholas Easter), Rachel Weisz (Marlee), Gene Hackman (Rankin Fitch), Dustin Hoffman (Wendell Rohr), Bruce McGill (Judge Harkin), Jeremy Piven (Lawrence Green), Nick Searcy (Doyle)
Runaway Jury was released about 7 years after the novel of the same title was published.
The film which grossed $80.2 million tells the story of an insincere jury consultant who was able to manipulate the jury with a number of people sympathetic to the defense.
Nonetheless, his game changed when a juror, Cusack (Nicholas), and his girlfriend, Weisz (Marlee) are able to say the jury into delivering any verdict they want in a trial against a gun manufacturer that its “negligence” led to the mass shooting and killing of 11 people.
6. The Innocent Man (2018)
- Release Date: 14 December 2018
- Genre: Documentary (6 episodes)
- Executive Producers: John Grisham, Clay Tweel, Ross Dinerstein, David Gernert
- Director: Clay Tweel
- Major Cast: Heather Mc (Peggy Carter), Kyle Williams (Tommy Ward), Maura Antas (Debbie Carter), James Patrick Walsh (young Ron Williamson), Geoffrey Russell (old Ron Williamson)
This docuseries remains one of John Grisham’s well-accepted and acclaimed works.
It is based on his novel of the same title which recounts the true story of Ronald “Ron” Williamson and Dennis Fritz who were falsely convicted for the rape and murder of Debra “Debbie” Sue Carter.
Ron was sentenced to death while Dennis was sentenced to life imprisonment. Having spent 11 years of their lives behind bars, they were later proven not guilty when a DNA test was carried out.
The first non-fiction of Grisham debuted on Netflix in 2018 and has received an average of 74% of the average Tomatometer and a 71% average audience score on the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes.
7. The Rainmaker (1997)
- Release Date: 21 November 1997
- Genre: Legal Thriller
- Producers: Michael Douglas, Fred Fu
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Major Cast: Matt Damon (Rudy Baylor), Danny DeVito (Deck Shifflet), Claire Dames (Kelly Riker), Jon Voight (Leo F. Drummond), Mary Kay Place (Dot Black), Dean Stockwell (Judge Harvey Hale), Teresa Wright (Miss Birdie), Virginia Madsen (Jackie Lemancyzk)
One of the richest American actors, Matt Damon played the character of Rudy Baylor, a lawyer desperate for a job after he finished law school. His career took a new path when he landed a major case against an insurance company that refuses to pay out a claim that could save the life of an elderly couple’s son.
On the aspect of how well the movie has been received, it made $45.9 million at the box office, thereby surpassing its initial budget of $49 million. It has also 7.2/10 stars on IMDB.
8. The Chamber (1996)
- Release Date: 11 October 1996
- Genre: Drama/Thriller
- Producers: John Davis, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
- Director: James Foley
- Major Cast: Chris O’Donnel (Adam Hall), Gene Heckman (Sam Cayhall), Faye Dunaway (Lee Cayhall Bowen), Robert Prosky (E. Garner Goodman), Raymond J. Barry (Rollie Wedge), Bo Jackson (Sgt. Clyde Packer)
Although The Chamber has received several negative reviews and fell short of its $50 million budget when it made $22.5 million at the box office, it has been described as a great story.
The film, an adaption of Grisham’s novel of the same title tells the story of a racist and Ku Klux Klan member, Klansman Sam Cayhall (Gene Hackman). He bombed a Jewish civil rights lawyer’s office ended up killing his twin sons and led to his leg being amputated and he later committed suicide.
9. A Painted House (2003)
- Release Date: 27 April 2003
- Genre: Drama, Family
- Producers: Cameron Johann (associate producer), Brent Shields (co-executive producer), Richard Welsh (executive producer), Gordon Wolf (line producer)
- Director: Alfonso Arau
- Major Cast: Scott Glenn (Eli ‘Pappy’ Chandler), Arija Bareikis (Kathleen Chandler), Robert Sean Leonard (Jesse Chandler), Melinda Dillion (Gran Chandler), Logan Lerman (Luke Chan), Audrey Marie Anderson Tally Spruil), Geoffrey Lewis (Mr. Spruill), Pable Schreiber (Hank Spruill)
A Painted House is originally a novel that was later released as a Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions. It is a story of a young boy, his family, and the migrant workers they hire to work who come face to face with a flood that may consume their farm and home.
The film reached an audience score of 62% from above 1,000 ratings on the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes.
10. Hot Coffee (2011)
- Release Date: 17 June 2011
- Genre: Documentary
- Executive Producers: Sheila Nevins, Carly Hugo, Alan Oxman
- Director: Susa Saladoff
- Major Cast: Chuck Allen, Judy Allen, Jay Angoff, David Arredondo, Tom Baker, Paul Bland, Kenneth Canfield, Joan Claybrook, Ralph Cook, Jennifer Diaz, Oliver Diaz, John Grisham
The documentary which runs for 1 hour and 28 minutes exposes how big businesses use the McDonald’s coffee case to promote tort reform and stop citizens from filing frivolous lawsuits.
It has received positive reviews and received an 86% audience score of more than 500 ratings.
11. Mickey (2004)
- Release Date: 30 April 2004
- Genre: Drama, Sport
- Producers: John Grisham, Mary Kane
- Director: Hugh Wilson
- Major Cast: Harry Connick Jr. (Glen), Shawn Salinas (Mickey), Michelle Johnson (Patty Sinclair), Mike Starr (Tony), Mark Joy (Joy Seeger), Alexander Roos (Pudge), Danny Bell (Griff), Jason Kypros (Pete Bracey)
This is not one of the best films of Grisham as it was not a commercial success. Yet, it is one of the few movies of the writer that focused on sports.
The story centers on baseball, a widowed lawyer, and his excelling son. The widowed lawyer wanted by the IRS takes a different identity and signs his son on Little League. The sport and league drew the media’s attention to the young son as he dominates the sport and headed for a Little League World Series
12. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
- Release Date: 24 November 2004
- Genre: Comedy, Family
- Executive Producer: Bruce A. Block
- Director: Joe Roth
- Major Cast: Tim Allen (Luther Krank), Jamie Lee Curtis (Nora Krankl), Dan Aykroyd (Vic Frohmeyer), M. Emmet Walsh (Walt Scheel), Elizabeth Franz (Bev Scheel), Erik Per Sullivan (Spike Frohmeyer)
A Christmas comedy film based on Grisham’s novel, Skipping Christmas. It is a story about an Illinois couple, Luther and Nora. They decided they would not celebrate the year’s Christmas as their daughter was in Peru for a Peace Corps.
In a twist, their daughter called o Christmas Eve morning to tell them she was coming home with her fiance. Meanwhile, the town had already seen them as pariahs.
Although the film surpassed its budget of $60 million at the Box Office when it made $96.6 million Box Office grossing, it was nominated for Dallas-Forth Film Critics Association Awards for Worst Film while Tim Allen was nominated for Favourite Movie Actor at the Kids’ Choice Awards, USA among others.
