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A New Mickey : From McConaughey to Garcia-Rulfo

Mickey Haller Is Different From Matthew McConaughey In The Lincoln Lawyer has a number of characteristics that set him apart from the previous live-action version of the character.

Published

8 months ago

July 15, 2024

filmfrontrow.com

8 Ways Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller Is Different From Matthew McConaughey In The Lincoln Lawyer

The version of Mickey Haller featured in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer has a number of characteristics that set him apart from previous live-action versions of the character. Both adaptations of The Lincoln Lawyer are based on Michael Connelly’s book series, which features Mickey Haller, a criminal defense lawyer famous for his work on the Lincoln Town Car. Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer was first adapted into a film in 2011 starring Matthew McConaughey. Although The Lincoln Lawyer did fairly well in 2011, the series remained untouched until the Netflix TV version was released in 2022.

Though they come from the same book series, the adaptations of “The Lincoln Lawyer” are radically different, especially in their portrayal of the main character. Some of the differences between the two versions of Mickey could be because they’re from different books in the series, but other differences go deeper. Here, we break down the biggest differences between Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s version of Mickey Haller and Matthew McConaughey’s Lincoln Attorney.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller Stays True To The Character’s Mexican Roots

One of the most notable differences between Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Matthew McConaughey’s versions of Mickey Haller is the character’s past. In the original Lincoln Lawyer book, Mickey Haller is revealed to be of mixed Mexican ancestry and has a Mexican mother. This aspect of Mickey’s background is integral to Garcia-Rulfo’s portrayal of the character in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, as he makes multiple references to his Mexican culture and even speaks Spanish throughout the series. Emphasizing Mickey’s character not only brings more diversity to the role and to The Lincoln Lawyer as a whole, but also creates a clear contrast between Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey and Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey.

In 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer, there is no mention of Mickey Haller’s Mexican ancestry. Instead, Haller appears to be a white Southerner, matching the background of Texas-born Matthew McConaughey. While this change in Mickey’s environment may be best for McConaughey’s performance, it’s a far cry from Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s version of the character in the film’s transition. Netflix. Compared to Garcia-Rulfo’s decidedly Mexican Mickey Haller, Matthew McConaughey’s Southern Mickey Haller seems almost like a different character.

Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey Haller Has Alcohol Abuse Issues

Another big difference between Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller and Matthew McConaughey’s version of the character is his relationship with alcohol. In the 2011 film The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey is on the verge of becoming an alcoholic due to the amount of alcohol the character drinks in the film. McConaughey’s darker Mickey doesn’t seem to be comfortable with his drink, and Maggie has to drive him home on multiple occasions. At one point, Frank even tells Mickey that he needs to drink more slowly. Meanwhile, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix) doesn’t seem to have a drinking problem.

Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey Haller Only Has One Ex-Wife

One of the creepy differences between the two film adaptations of Mickey Haller is his marital history. In the book The Client, Mickey has two failed marriages, first to Maggie McPherson and then to Lorna Taylor. However, this aspect of Mickey’s storyline was changed in 2011’s The Client, so Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey only appears to be married to Maggie. Lorna still appears in a supporting role, but there is no mention that she and McConaughey’s Mickey have a relationship beyond work.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller Has A Different Musical Obsession

Mickey Haller has an unconventional musical taste, but the characters of lawyer Lincoln, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Matthew McConaughey, have different preferred genres. In the original Lincoln Lawyer book, Mickey was shown to have a penchant for hip-hop music, but in Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s version of the character in the Netflix series, hip-hop was replaced with jazz. This is a positive change in the book of Mickey, the character in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, and is in line with the character’s goal of getting to know his clients better by listening to this genre of music. However, this love of jazz is unique to Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer.

Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey Haller Is More Interested In The Money

A big difference between Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey and Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey is their motivations for working as criminal defense lawyers. In 2011’s The Client, Matthew McConaughey’s dim-witted Mickey Haller seems more interested in the cases he works on. In this version, Mickey sometimes seems more interested in the financial rewards than the moral and ethical aspects of legal practice. It’s not until Mickey begins to draw parallels between the Jesus Menendez case (Martinez in the film) and the Louis Roulet case that he focuses on the moral dilemma of sending an innocent person to prison for a crime he committed without any commitment.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey Haller Relies On Others To Run His Law Firm

While Mickey’s team is important to the success of his case, as in the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey seems to take a more solitary approach to the practice of law. In the Netflix version, Lorna and Cisco typically do a lot of the research and study on Mickey’s cases, while Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey generates their perspective. In comparison, McConaughey’s Mickey seems to do most of his work alone, with only sporadic support from Lorna and Frank. These differences make sense for the different formats of each adaptation, but they paint very different pictures of Mickey’s style of work.

Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey Haller Doesn’t Have A Mentor

In the Netflix series The Client, Mickey, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, sometimes consults a mentor when he’s in trouble, but Matthew McConaughey’s version of The Client has no one to turn to. In The Client, Elliott Gould plays David “Regal” Siegel, a friend of the late Mickey Sr. who supported Mickey both personally and professionally. However, in the 2011 version of The Client, Mickey has no mentor and instead tries to follow the advice of his father. This difference makes McConaughey’s Mickey feel more alone and emphasizes the void left by his father’s death.

Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey Haller Is More Hung Up On Maggie

Both film versions of Mickey have a close relationship with his first wife, Maggie McPherson, but Matthew McConaughey’s character has a different bond with Maggie. In the film, despite their divorce, the door on Mickey and Maggie’s relationship doesn’t seem to be completely closed. Scenes between the characters are filled with romantic tension, and Mickey still has feelings for Maggie. This dynamic is less present in the Netflix version, where Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey and Maggie instead share a close friendship. By giving the former couple a platonic relationship, Netflix’s Lincoln: Attorney could place more emphasis on Mickey’s case and make Mickey primarily Lincoln’s lawyer.