TRIAL AND ERROR
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 5/30/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:42 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Michael Richards, Jeff Daniels, Charlize Theron, Austin Pendleton, Jessica Steen, Rip Torn, Alexandra Wentworth Director: Jonathan Lynn Producers: Jonathan Lynn and Gary Ross Screenplay: Gregory Bernstein, Sara Bernstein, and Cliff Gardner Cinematography: Gabriel Beristain Music: Phil Marshall U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema
Even if you don't like Jeff Daniels, you've got to give him credit for being a good sport. During his career, he has played second fiddle to the likes of huge spiders (ARACHNAPHOBIA), screaming matches between Shirley McLaine and Debra Winger (TERMS OF ENDEARMENT), Jim Carrey's rubber features (DUMB AND DUMBER), Keanu Reeves and a speeding bus (SPEED), and now Michael Richards' antics. If there was a Hollywood award for the quintessential team player, Daniels would be in contention.
TRIAL AND ERROR casts the actor as hot shot lawyer Charlie Tuttle, who has been on the fast track ever since graduating from Yale Law School. He has just been made a partner in a lucrative L.A. law firm, he has a 37th story office with a view, and he's engaged to the boss' beautiful-but-heartless daughter. So, when his future father-in-law tells him to fly to the tiny town of Paradise Bluff, Nevada to request a continuance for a friend of the family, how can he refuse? Unfortunately, the unexpected trip conflicts with his bachelor's party. That's no problem for the ever-resourceful best man, actor Richard Rietti (Michael Richards), who has been Charlie's best friend since he was nine years old. If Charlie can't come to the party, why not bring the party to Charlie?
So, Richard drives out to Paradise Bluff and shows his friend a great time -- too great a time, as it turns out, because Charlie ends up getting punched out by a couple of burly guys at a bar, then overdoses on pain killers. As a result, he's in no shape to appear in court the next day as the representative of Benny Gibbs (Rip Torn), who's being charged with fraud (at $17.99 a pop, Benny's "copper engravings of the Great Emancipator" turned out to be nothing more than pennies). But the ever-helpful Richard has a brainstorm -- he'll impersonate Charlie, request the continuance, then both of them can get out of town. There's just one snag -- while the judge (Austin Pendleton) doesn't have a problem with Richard's motion, the prosecutor, Elizabeth Gardner (Jessica Steen), does, and the case ends up going to trial with an actor posing as the defendant's lawyer.
If TRIAL AND ERROR resembles MY COUSIN VINNY in a broad sense (big city lawyer caught in a small town trial), it's no accident. Director Jonathan Lynn, who presided over VINNY, allows this film to develop in a similar, lighthearted manner. The script, credited to Gregory Bernstein, Sara Bernstein, and Cliff Gardner, isn't a comic masterpiece, but Lynn gets the most out of it. There are several dull patches and more than a few jokes don't work, but these are counterbalanced by some hilarious sequences and a surprisingly winning romance.
TRIAL AND ERROR is designed as a showcase for the talents of Richards, who is best known for his role as the off-the-wall Kramer on TV's SEINFELD. And, while Richards tones down his buffoonery here, there's still plenty of physical comedy involved. However, as enjoyable as some of the actor's outrageous stunts are, he is upstaged by the deftly-handled relationship between Charlie and a local barmaid named Billie (played by Charlize Theron, the spandex-clad blond from TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY). Both Daniels and Theron are likable, and they really click together. Daniels' portrayal of Charlie is just another variation of his usual screen personae; Theron plays Billie with an adorable combination of sexiness and sweetness. The result is that this subplot becomes more interesting than the main story, and it's easy to grow impatient during some of the longer, drawn-out court sequences (not to mention an ill-conceived romantic interlude involving Richard and the prosecutor).
TRIAL AND ERROR is reasonably effective for what it intends to be - - a genial comedy offering a change of pace from the mayhem of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, THE LOST WORLD, and CON AIR. The structure is a little awkward, but its not hard to overlook this and other problems if you're in the market for several hearty laughs, a few smiles, and an unambitious-but-agreeable time at the movies.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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