List of movies based on John Grisham books

US novelist (and former politician) John Grisham has had a long and successful career in print. After publishing his first novel, A Time to Kill in 1989, he went on to write a wealth of well-received books, which took the best-sellers’ spot on multiple occasions.

Grisham’s books range from the Camino Island series and the Theodore Boone books, to The Whistler series and the Mitch McDeere novels. He has also penned various standalone titles, including The Rainmaker, The King of Torts, and The Reckoning, amongst others.

And of course, with Grisham being a hit in print, it wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling. It took just four years from the time Grisham published his first novel to the time his first movie adaptation was produced, and he’s had plenty of other film adaptations since.

Want to know what they are? Of course you do!

Below you will find a list of all the movies based on John Grisham books. The majority of the films tend to be legal thrillers/dramas, however, there are a couple of movies which fall into other genres.

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The Firm (1993)

The first John Grisham book to be adapted for film was the 1991 novel, The Firm. This book was transformed into a 1993 legal thriller of the same name from director Sydney Pollack, starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Holly Hunter.

The movie – which runs a sizeable two-hours-and-thirty-four-minutes in length – tells the story of a young lawyer, who joins a prestigious firm, only to discover a sinister side to the practice. (154 mins)

• IMDb rating: 6.9/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%

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The Pelican Brief (1993)

Movie adaptation number two went to another legal thriller, only this time it was director Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief. Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts take the lead in this film, which focuses on a law student who uncovers a conspiracy. (141 mins)

• IMDb rating: 6.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%

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The Client (1994)

Based on Grisham’s 1993 novel of the same name, The Client is yet another legal thriller, this time from director Joel Schumacher. Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, and Brad Renfro star, in a story about a young boy who witnesses the suicide of a mafia lawyer. (119 mins)

• IMDb rating: 6.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

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A Time to Kill (1996)

Joel Schumacher is back in the director’s chair for this next movie, which is the 1996 legal drama, A Time to Kill. The cast includes Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Matthew McConaughey, while the story centres around a black man who killed two white men after they raped his daughter. (149 mins)

• IMDb rating: 7.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

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The Chamber (1996)

In The Chamber, a young lawyer, fresh from law school. attempts to win a reprieve for his racist grandfather who is on death row. James Foley directs, while the cast includes Chris O’Donnell, Gene Hackman, and Faye Dunaway. (113 mins)

• IMDb rating: 6.0/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 13%

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The Rainmaker (1997)

Next up is The Rainmaker – a legal drama directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover. The story follows a lawyer who takes on a fraudulent insurance company in a multi-million dollar lawsuit. (135 mins)

• IMDb rating: 7.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

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The Gingerbread Man (1998)

Movie adaptation number seven goes to The Gingerbread Man – a legal thriller about a lawyer who helps his lover to put her father in jail, only for things to backfire when he escapes. Robert Altman directs, while Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz, and Robert Downey Jr. star. (114 mins)

• IMDb rating: 5.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 60%

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A Painted House (2003)

Next up, and a change from all the legal dramas, is the Hallmark movie, A Painted House. Directed by Alfonso Arau, this film focuses on a young boy and his family, who struggle against the odds on their cotton farm. (97 mins)

• IMDb rating: 6.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: Not scored

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Runaway Jury (2003)

Back to legal stories for this next film, 2003’s Runaway Jury. Directed by Gary Fleder, the movie stars John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Rachel Weisz, and focuses on a lawyer and a very questionable jury. (127 mins)

• IMDb rating: 7.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

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Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

And finally, a complete change of pace for this next entry, the holiday comedy, Christmas with the Kranks. Joe Roth directs, while Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dan Aykroyd star.

Christmas with the Kranks is based on Grisham’s novel, Skipping Christmas. As for the story, it follows a middle-aged couple who decide to forgo their usual Christmas celebrations, only for their daughter to unexpectedly return home for the holidays. (99 mins)

• IMDb rating: 5.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 5%

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Recap

To save you having to scroll back up, should you want a handy list of the John Grisham movie adaptations, then look no further than the list below:

• The Firm (1993)
• The Pelican Brief (1993)
• The Client (1994)
• A Time to Kill (1996)
• The Chamber (1996)
• The Rainmaker (1997)
• The Gingerbread Man (1998)
• A Painted House (2003)
• Runaway Jury (2003)
• Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Please note: In addition to the above films, John Grisham wrote the screenplay for the baseball drama, Mickey (2004), which stars Harry Connick Jr. and Mike Starr. Mickey is not listed above, because it is not a film based on one of Grisham’s novels.

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Editor/Writer/Legal Eagle

Alex Wiggan

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about John Grisham movie adaptations on It’s A Stampede! – I hope it has proved useful. For more useful posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.