Trial and Error 1996
Trial and Error ★★½ 1996 (PG-13)
Courtroom comedy may remind you of another law oriented movie. No, not “Kramer vs. Kramer.” It's “My Cousin Vinny,” also directed by Lynn. Both feature fake lawyers defending hopeless clients in small towns. In this case, lawyer Charles Tuttle (Daniels) is too messed up from his bachelor party to make it to court for a case in which the defendent Benny (Torn), a relative of Chuck's bigwig future fatherinlaw, is accused of selling mailorder “commemorative copper Lincoln engravings” which are actually pennies. His best bud Richard (Richards), an actor, decides to stand in for him, and the legal slipandpratfalls ensue. Richards as the physical comedian and Daniels as the white bread straight man have great comic chemistry, but the plot won't surprise you much. 98m/ C VHS, DVD . Michael Richards, Jeff Daniels, Rip Torn, Charlize Theron, Jessica Steen, Austin Pendleton, Alexandra Wentworth, Lawrence Pressman, Dale Dye, Max Casella, Jennifer Coolidge; D: Jonathan Lynn; W: Sarah Bernstein, Gregory Bernstein; C: Gabriel Beristain; M: Phil Marshall.