Jury Duty (film)
Encyclopedia
Jury Duty is a 1995
comedy film
directed by John Fortenberry
and starring Pauly Shore
, Tia Carrere
, Stanley Tucci
, Brian Doyle-Murray
, Shelley Winters
, and Abe Vigoda
.
The film was Billie Bird
's last screen appearance.
), an unemployed stripper living at his parents' home, finds out that his parents are going on a private getaway for a few months and taking the mobile home with them, he decides that he needs to find a place for him and his chihuahua
Peanut to stay.
By a stroke of luck he is called up for jury duty and he must be sequestered for the duration of the trial. Collins prolongs the trial with meaningless debate in an effort to stay in the lap of luxury. In the process he irritates his fellow jurors and inadvertently makes a break in the case. The movie features a host of courtroom antics performed by Shore and his cohorts.
This movie was based on the teleplay, Twelve Angry Men, which itself was adapted into film in 1957 starring Henry Fonda
.
, who comments in his Movie and Video Guide
that the rating may be too high. Critic Roger Ebert
said, on At the Movies, that Pauly Shore was the "cinematic equivalent of long fingernails, drawn very slowly and quite loudly over a gigantic blackboard" and noted that although his co-host, Gene Siskel
, extremely disliked Chris Farley
, he would "rather attend a dusk-to-dawn Chris Farley film festival than sit through any 5 minutes of Jury Duty." Siskel agreed, referring to Shore as "aggravating". Ebert estimated that Shore's "appeal must be limited to people whose self-esteem and social skills are so damaged that they find humor, or at least relief, in at last encountering a movie character less successful than themselves." The film received a score of 0% (zero percent) at review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes
, considering 20 reviews.
Pauly Shore "won" a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performance in the film.
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by John Fortenberry
John Fortenberry
John Fortenberry is an American film and television director. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he graduated from the University of Mississippi in Film/Television...
and starring Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere is an American actress, model, voice artist, and singer, perhaps most widely known for her role as Cassandra Wong in the feature films Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, Queen Tyr'ahnee in Duck Dodgers, and as Sydney Fox in the TV series Relic Hunter.-Early life:Carrere was born in...
, Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
, Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
, Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
, and Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda is an American movie and television actor. Vigoda is well known for his portrayal of Sal Tessio in The Godfather, and for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom television series Barney Miller from 1975–1977 and on its spinoff show Fish that aired from February 1977 to...
.
The film was Billie Bird
Billie Bird
Billie Bird was an American actress and comedienne.-Early life:Born Berniece Bird in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was discovered at the age of eight while living at an orphanage...
's last screen appearance.
Plot
When Tommy Collins (Pauly ShorePauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
), an unemployed stripper living at his parents' home, finds out that his parents are going on a private getaway for a few months and taking the mobile home with them, he decides that he needs to find a place for him and his chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
Peanut to stay.
By a stroke of luck he is called up for jury duty and he must be sequestered for the duration of the trial. Collins prolongs the trial with meaningless debate in an effort to stay in the lap of luxury. In the process he irritates his fellow jurors and inadvertently makes a break in the case. The movie features a host of courtroom antics performed by Shore and his cohorts.
This movie was based on the teleplay, Twelve Angry Men, which itself was adapted into film in 1957 starring Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
.
Critical reception
The film received a "BOMB" rating from critic Leonard MaltinLeonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
, who comments in his Movie and Video Guide
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide is a book-format collection of movie capsule reviews that began in 1969 and has been updated yearly since 1978. It was originally called TV Movies, which became Leonard Maltin's TV Movies and Video Guide, which then became Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide...
that the rating may be too high. Critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
said, on At the Movies, that Pauly Shore was the "cinematic equivalent of long fingernails, drawn very slowly and quite loudly over a gigantic blackboard" and noted that although his co-host, Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
, extremely disliked Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, he would "rather attend a dusk-to-dawn Chris Farley film festival than sit through any 5 minutes of Jury Duty." Siskel agreed, referring to Shore as "aggravating". Ebert estimated that Shore's "appeal must be limited to people whose self-esteem and social skills are so damaged that they find humor, or at least relief, in at last encountering a movie character less successful than themselves." The film received a score of 0% (zero percent) at review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, considering 20 reviews.
Pauly Shore "won" a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performance in the film.