By Geno McGahee
I’ve always hated Seinfeld. I never found the show funny. I never liked the comedian. I don’t understand why it was so successful, but then again, there are a lot of things that do really well that I do not understand. Although Jerry Seinfeld is unfunny and lame, he was smart enough to surround himself with good people and one of those people is Michael Richards. Richards was one of the few highlights of the show and can be hilarious if he’s in the right role, as he was in the 1997 comedy “TRIAL AND ERROR.”
Charles Tuttle (Jeff Daniels) is a lawyer that just made partner. His life is set. He is marrying the boss’s daughter, Tiffany (Alexandra Wentworth), and is making great money. He has been absorbed into the lives of this family and is slowly becoming what they want him to be. One of the people that Tiffany wants desperately out of Charles’s life is his best friend, Richard Rietti (Richards). He is clumsy and says all the wrong things, including noting that Tiffany is “peaking at the right time.” Rietti is setting up a bachelor party for Charles, but things get complicated.
Benny Gibbs (Rip Torn) is in trouble in a small town and has a connection to Charles’s future family. Charles is sent down to defend him but has to miss the bachelor party in order to do so. When he gets to town, Richard is waiting for him and throws him an impromptu party. Unfortunately, Charles drinks too much and wakes up wasted and unable to represent Gibbs in court. Not wanting to see his friend lose his career, Rietti, an actor, pretends to be a lawyer. At first, he thought that all he had to do was to request a continuance, but when the prosecuting lawyer, Elizabeth (Jessica Steen), objects, it goes to trial.
After he sobers up, Charles discovers what his friend did and tries to assist him to pull off this charade, but it’s not easy. Rietti likes to grandstand and is enjoying the role that he’s acquired. Charles poses as his assistant and lets him know when to object and when to stand down, but he can’t help himself. He insists on asking some questions to one of the witnesses. He hilariously screams and badgers him to the delight of Gibbs.
Gibbs, accused of mail fraud, after sending out pennies to those that purchased an “engraving of Lincoln” is losing the case, and Charles begins to accept the idea. Rietti wants to win and has the idea to put Gibbs on the stand. In the meantime, Charles, after several outbursts, has been banned from the courthouse and meets up with Billie Tyler (Charlize Theron) and starts to realize that he’s not happy. This experience begins to open his eyes and a romance ensues between the two.
Benny Gibbs does incredibly well on the stand and despite the odds, the grandstanding of Rietti is paying off. The jury is starting to buy the defense that he cannot tell the difference between right and wrong and that his addiction to chocolate has led to his life of mail fraud. The circus in the courtroom has infuriated Elizabeth and she begins to lose her composure as it moves along. In the meantime, Tiffany shows up and Charles must make some decisions. Is he pursuing money or happiness?
TRIAL AND ERROR is a great comedy. Michael Richards is amazing in this film, mixing his physical comedy with his great delivery. As always, Jeff Daniels shows his versatility. He actually shows it in this film alone, as he displays his ability to play a serious dramatic role very well as well as a goofy part. Rip Torn, as always, is fantastic. When he was on the stand giving the testimony, it’s hilarious. I also feel the need to mention how great he was in FREDDY GOT FINGERED. Why am I the only one that loves that movie?
The other players in this film add a great deal as well. Charlize Theron, Alexandra Wentworth, Austin Pendleton, and Jessica Steen, were very good in this. This is a great comedy. It is a shame that it didn’t do better and that Michael Richards wasn’t given more opportunities like this to show his ability as a comedic theatrical force.
I highly recommend TRIAL AND ERROR. It’s very amusing from beginning to end.
Rating: 8/10
