david-sarkies What happens when a lawyer gets so drunk that in the morning he cannot make his court case and his friend has to cover for him? Well this movie outlines it quite well. The plot is interesting but the movie is nothing more than pure stupidity. The judge does not seem to be at all interested in actually running the case while the lawyer, Jeff Daniels, turns out to be nothing more than a bumbling fool.His friend, the one who takes over the case for him, knows absolutely nothing about law and can do absolutely nothing with out his friend beside him (or at least in communication range). Yet the movie always takes the lawyer away to leave us laughing at the ineptitude of the friend, who happens to be an actor.This movie really has nothing that makes it stand out. The lawyer is engaged to be married to a rich girl who is the daughter of the boss of the law firm for whom he works, but he gives her up for a sweet city girl come country girl who has a humble background. The actor is chasing one particular woman all the way through the movie, that is the prosecutor, and gets away with things such as sexual harassment. In the end he lands up with her, which is very typical of Hollywood.The name of the town, Paradise Bluff, brings up some thoughts, as if it is a place that on the outside seems perfect, but deep within there is some rotting evil. In this movie though, there is no allusion, nor is there any hidden evil. Paradise Bluff is a Paradise where the heroes live happily ever after.In my opinion, Trial and Error is a very dull movie with little to no comedy in it at all. It is not worth hiring, nor is it worth wasting one's time watching it on TV. The only time one should even consider watching this movie is when you are stuck on a bus between Adelaide and Sydney, and there is no way off.

Electrified_Voltage I think it was about five years ago when I first discovered that this 1997 lawyer comedy existed. It took me this long to finally get around to seeing it, even though I've been familiar with the two stars for quite some time now. I've seen Jeff Daniels as Jim Carrey's co-star in "Dumb & Dumber", and knew the now infamous Michael Richards obviously for his role as Kramer in the popular sitcom, "Seinfeld", plus his roles in comedy films such as "UHF" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer". Since I had seen both of these actors in funny movies/TV shows, I figured I might find "Trial and Error" mildly amusing, nothing more, judging by its general reception. Expecting a mixed blessing, I didn't get any big surprises, pleasant or unpleasant.Charles Tuttle (Daniels) is a lawyer who will soon be married. His best friend, and best man for the wedding, is an out-of-work actor named Richard Rietti (Richards). Tuttle has been called over to Paradise Bluff, Nevada to defend his fiancée's relative, Benny Gibbs, in a class action fraud suit. When he arrives in the town, Richard (or "Ricky") is there, and is ready to throw a bachelor party for his friend. After drinking and getting attacked in the bar, Charlie is not well enough to work the next day, so Ricky decides to go to the courtroom and claim to be a lawyer named Charles Tuttle! Charlie is not happy when he hears what Ricky has done, and soon finds that he now has to pose as an actor named Richard Rietti! Since the real Rietti is not trained to be a lawyer, the real Charlie pretends to be his assistant, using cue cards to tell him what to do on the job while he defends Benny. Obviously, this leads to a horrible mess! There weren't too many times when I laughed really hard while watching this 1997 comedy, but there were many parts I found at least mildly amusing. I can't forget Ricky discovering that his sick friend in bed has emptied out his pill bottle, Ricky trying to prepare Charlie for the trial while he is ill, Charlie's reaction when he learns what Ricky has done, and many things the main characters go through while they pose as each other. Michael Richards and Jeff Daniels are a good pair in the lead roles, which might be the main reason why this film is funny. Richards, with his over-the-top antics, playing a character with good intentions who keeps lousing up, and Daniels, with some of the faces he makes and his character's reactions to Ricky's doings. Unfortunately, the plot isn't too interesting, and if the film were hilarious, that wouldn't matter, but it's not funny enough to prevent the movie from being a little dull. Also, the romance wasn't done so well, eventually getting a little sappy, and the ending leaves much to be desired.This movie came out the same year as "Liar Liar", another lawyer comedy. That film is definitely the more popular of the two, but I have to be honest, I prefer this one, as crazy as many people might think I am for that. While Jim Carrey has made me laugh in other films, I found that his antics went too far in that one. Richards and Daniels, while not usually hilarious in the film, are still pretty funny. I'm sure we all know about Richards' racist tirade in November 2006, which obviously permanently damaged his reputation and started a never ending debate over whether he really meant what he said and whether his apology was honest or not. It clearly had more impact than Mel Gibson's tirade earlier that year, and the main reason for that was probably because Richards was caught on video. I remember feeling like I could never watch anything with Richards in it again after I first heard about the incident and saw the footage, but now, regardless of his reputation and what may go on in his head, I have to admit, he can still make me laugh in the comedies I see him in. If you like the two co-stars in "Trial and Error" as comedians, then this flick could easily make you laugh, or at least some parts could.

paulgemelli Richard Rietti!!! Best character name in movie history. Worth the price of admission just to watch Rietti fall and bumble...and fall...and bumble. Let us also not forget another vintage performance by the one and only Rip Torn. I would pay money to watch a Ron Popeil Infomercial if Rip Torn was prominently involved.Jeff Daniels gets it done as the schlub lawyer who likes his chicken salad with mustard, not mayonnaise. Finally, we have Charlize Theron at her absolute apex (lookswise, not as an actress...clearly). You just knew it would lead to bigger & better things for her, and it did.Worth checking out. RIETTI!!!!!

Paul Thoroughly entertaining performances from Richards, Theron, and Torn can't save this movie from its sub-par direction and formulaic predictability. Richards delivers his lines with the same quirky mannerisms that I found hilarious in Seinfeld, but if you didn't like it there, you won't like it here. Theron shows promise though she has to create her performance as she is given nothing by the material. Perhaps the funniest moment in the film comes when Torn tells his sob story after he puts himself on the stand. I got the impression Jeff Daniels wasn't trying very hard in this film, but you can't blame him given the tired storyline and studio-oriented vision. The script was most likely written by a computer, or more likely a desperate, soulless, sellout of a hack with a talent for gag suppression. For diehard Michael Richards fans only.