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      Trial and Error

      PG-13 Released May 30, 1997 1 hr. 38 min. Comedy List
      50% 36 Reviews Tomatometer 30% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score Lawyer Charlie (Jeff Daniels) is sent by his boss (Lawrence Pressman) to a small Nevada town to file a continuance request for mail-order con man Benjamin Gibbs (Rip Torn). Charlie's actor friend, Richard (Michael Richards), turns up to throw a surprise bachelor party celebrating Charlie's upcoming marriage to the boss's daughter (Alexandra Wentworth). When Charlie is too hung over to make it to court for the hearing, Richard fills in -- and must continue impersonating him for the whole trial. Read More Read Less
      Trial and Error

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      Critics Consensus

      Trial and Error gets some laughs out of the comedic chemistry between its pleasantly mismatched leads, although the results are still somewhat less than memorable.

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      Audience Reviews

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      DJ Darth V Loved it. Daniels and Richards give great performances. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/06/23 Full Review Audience Member A decent comedy that was clearly trying to cash in on the success of Micheal Richards from Seinfeld and Jeff Daniels from Dumb and Dumber. It was clearly trying to turn Michael Richards into a movie star because Seinfeld was coming to an end when this came out. Michael Richards basically plays Kramer for 98 minutes but without a live studio audience. A decent premise but it was easy to see why it didn't do well considering it had to go up against The Lost World Jurassic Park. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member A lawyer gets drunk when his goofy actor friend throws him a bachelor party and the following day his buddy fills in as the attorney during an important trial. Director Jonathan Lynn is usually reliable at the helm of comedies. but here he seems confused of how to balance the uneven script. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member nice little film as an incompetent barrister is asked to defend a wife murderer. good chemistry between sellers and attenborough Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Trial And Error is hilarious sporadically from start to finish and makes the comedic pairing between Michael Richards and Jeff Daniels undeniably funny. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review william s Borrows from My Cousin Vinny,too bad it couldn't borrow the jokes. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Trial and Error

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      Critics Reviews

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      Desson Thomson Washington Post Ever since "Something Wild," Daniels has perfected his gift for looking increasingly beaten down. He's a perfect foil for Richards's wilder shenanigans. Oct 25, 2018 Full Review Leonard Klady Variety "Trial and Error" is a breezy confection for a summer's day that effectively conjures up a smile. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 12, 2002 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The courtroom calamities are supposed to be the strong points of the film, but they never manage to rise above mildly mirthful. Rated: 3/10 Sep 25, 2020 Full Review Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com Something is surely amiss when the trial antics are the least interesting aspect of a courtroom comedy, Rated: 2/4 Oct 14, 2005 Full Review Michael Szymanski Zap2it.com Rated: 0/5 Sep 21, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Lawyer Charlie (Jeff Daniels) is sent by his boss (Lawrence Pressman) to a small Nevada town to file a continuance request for mail-order con man Benjamin Gibbs (Rip Torn). Charlie's actor friend, Richard (Michael Richards), turns up to throw a surprise bachelor party celebrating Charlie's upcoming marriage to the boss's daughter (Alexandra Wentworth). When Charlie is too hung over to make it to court for the hearing, Richard fills in -- and must continue impersonating him for the whole trial.
      Director
      Jonathan Lynn
      Executive Producer
      Allen Alsobrook, Mary Parent
      Screenwriter
      Sara Bernstein, Gregory Bernstein, Cliff Gardner
      Distributor
      New Line Cinema
      Production Co
      New Line Cinema
      Rating
      PG-13
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      May 30, 1997, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Nov 23, 1999
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $13.6M
      Sound Mix
      Surround, Dolby Digital, SDDS
      Aspect Ratio
      35mm, Scope (2.35:1)