Lee Robinson practiced law for over 20 years in Charleston, South Carolina, and was the first female president of the Charleston County Bar. She teaches at the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.Here Robinson dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, Lawyer for the Dog:
There was a movie playing in my head while I wrote this book. (I go to movies all the time. I’m a movie nut. I’ll watch almost anything. If the movie’s really good, I learn something about dialogue, pacing, scene-setting. If it’s really bad, I learn something about what not to do.) Sally Baynard, the main character and narrator of Lawyer for the Dog, is almost-fifty, single, a smart and spunky lawyer. Sandra Bullock has the right combination of emotional depth, tenderness and toughness for this role. And if not Sandra, Julianne Moore. Sally’s mother, Margaret, is near eighty, a southern-belle-wannabe who’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, but she’s still got plenty to teach her daughter. What about Ellen Burstyn, or Sissy Spacek? Margaret’s caregiver, Delores, is “a cross between a saint and a drill sergeant.” Please, could we lure Viola Davis? Sally’s ex-husband Joe, a family court judge who’s disappointed with his life, has a crush on Sally despite having been divorced for 18 years. For this role, Robert Downey, Jr., has the perfect kind of maddening charm. Joe appoints Sally to represent a dog in the middle of a bitter divorce case. Bill Murray would be great as the defendant, Rusty Hart (he even lives in Charleston!) and Sissy Spacek for his wife, Marianne. The dog’s vet, Tony, does his best not to take sides, but he can’t help falling for Sally. No doubt in my mind that George Clooney could be a perfect Tony. But what about the real star of the show, the miniature schnauzer, Sherman? I’m at a loss. This one might require some canine auditions.Visit Lee Robinson's website.
--Marshal Zeringue
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