The first trailer for Robert Downey Jr.’s latest film The Judge premiered online this week, described by the actor himself on Twitter as “the kind of movie I grew up wanting to make.” That makes it sounds like a bit of a passion project for him but frankly I’m not too sure what he sees in it. On the surface it appears to be an overly sentimental family drama with only the slightest hint of a mystery. I guess there is an old-fashioned quality to it that may be appealing to some, but it happens to be written by the guy who wrote Gran Torino… go figure.

RDJ plays a big shot lawyer who returns to his hometown when his mother dies. He is forced to reconnect with his estranged family and along the way finds out that his father may have been suspected of murder. The movie is directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) and has a solid supporting cast that includes Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Melissa Leo and Leighton Meester. The Judge hits theatres on Oct. 9th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.