Jury Duty

1995

Directed by John Fortenberry

Welcome back to Movie Monday, where we continue our descent through my personal list of the worst movies ever made. Today we’re examining number 67: the 1995 legal “comedy” Jury Duty, starring… oh no… Pauly Shore. As always, remember that these rankings are purely subjective – though I suspect many of you will agree with me on this one.

You may remember that last week’s bad movie was In the Army Now, another Pauly Shore comedy. The fact that these movies hit this list back to back is pure coincidence. I certainly would never have planned this. Watching two Pauly Shore movies in a row when one of them isn’t Encino Man is painful. But here we are, so let’s power through this together.

The Post-Disney Years: When Pauly Shore Was Still Everywhere (Unfortunately)

After his three-picture deal with Disney concluded with In the Army Now, Shore didn’t disappear as many might have hoped. Instead, he landed at TriStar Pictures with this courtroom comedy that makes My Cousin Vinny look like To Kill a Mockingbird. Jury Duty represented an attempt to elevate Shore’s persona by placing him in a more sophisticated setting. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.

The Plot (Which Somehow Makes In the Army Now Look Well-Crafted)

The film follows Tommy Collins (Shore), an unemployed erotic dancer living in his mother’s trailer park. (Fun fact: the Tom Collins was my drink of choice back in college.) When his mom decides to head to Las Vegas with her boyfriend Jed (a polystyrene collector, because apparently that’s a job), Tommy needs a new place to stay. After finding a discarded jury duty summons in the trash – already a stellar example of civic responsibility – he decides to volunteer for jury duty because it comes with free accommodation and $5 a day. This might be the most realistic part of the film, as it accurately reflects the pitiful compensation jurors receive.

Tommy lands on a murder trial involving Carl Wayne Bishop, a fast-food employee accused of killing several co-workers. As jury foreman, Tommy deliberately prolongs the deliberations to maintain his cushy hotel lifestyle, which he’s managed to upgrade to a luxury suite through some questionable deals with the hotel management. If this sounds like a shocking abuse of the justice system, don’t worry – the film treats it as adorably quirky behavior.

Where It All Goes Wrong (Everywhere, Really)

The fundamental problem with Jury Duty is that it can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be. Is it a satire of the legal system? A romantic comedy? A murder mystery? A showcase for Shore’s particular brand of comedy? It tries to be all of these things and succeeds at none of them.

The film loosely bases itself on 12 Angry Men, which is like saying The Room was loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. Where 12 Angry Men used the jury room to explore human nature, justice, and prejudice, Jury Duty uses it as a backdrop for Shore to do his “weasel” schtick while making eyes at fellow juror Monica (Tia Carrere, who deserved so much better).

The Supporting Cast Deserves Hazard Pay

Speaking of deserving better, let’s talk about the absolutely baffling collection of talented actors trapped in this judicial catastrophe. Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Abe Vigoda all appear, looking like they’re mentally calculating how many mortgage payments this gig will cover. Shelley Winters shows up as Tommy’s mother, bringing gravitas to a role that mainly requires her to react to Shore’s antics.

Most painful is watching Tia Carrere try to generate romantic chemistry with Shore. Their scenes together have all the spark of a wet match in a rainstorm. The film asks us to believe that her intelligent, professional character would fall for Tommy after discovering he deliberately prolonged a murder trial for personal gain. It’s about as believable as the plot twist that follows.

The Third Act Twist (Because Of Course There Is One)

Just when you think the film can’t get any more ridiculous, it transforms into a murder mystery thriller. The real killer turns out to be an environmentalist juror obsessed with eliminating fast food workers because of… polystyrene containers. Yes, you read that correctly. The film suddenly expects us to take seriously a subplot about an eco-terrorist who frames innocent fast-food workers, all while maintaining Shore’s comedy beats. It’s like watching an episode of Law & Order where the detective is suddenly replaced by a guest-starring Carrot Top.

The Technical Aspects (They Existed)

From a filmmaking perspective, Jury Duty looks like what it is: a mid-90s comedy shot with all the visual flair of a direct-to-video release. Director John Fortenberry, whose primary experience came from television, approaches each scene with the basic competence of someone making sure everything’s in frame and adequately lit. The film’s one notable stylistic choice is making Shore’s hotel room increasingly luxurious as the trial drags on, though this mainly serves to remind us how much the justice system is being abused for a mediocre sight gag.

The Legacy

Jury Duty effectively marked the end of Shore’s era as a leading man in Hollywood features. While he would go on to make Bio-Dome the following year (possible spoiler alert for a future Movie Monday), this film represented the moment when audiences and critics collectively said “enough.” Roger Ebert, never one to pull punches, described Shore as “the cinematic equivalent of long fingernails, drawn very slowly and quite loudly over a gigantic blackboard.” He went on to suggest 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.” Ouch.

The film holds a remarkable 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though that’s based on only 14 reviews – suggesting that many critics couldn’t even be bothered to write about it. Shore “won” a Razzie Award for Worst Actor, an achievement that feels almost redundant given the film’s overall quality.

Final Thoughts

What’s particularly frustrating about Jury Duty is that there’s genuine potential in the concept of a comedy about jury manipulation and the justice system. Films like My Cousin Vinny proved you could make a funny courtroom comedy while still respecting the basic principles of law and justice. Instead, we got a film that treats the legal system as nothing more than a backdrop for tired comedy routines and implausible plot twists.

For those brave souls who want to experience this judicial travesty firsthand, Jury Duty is currently available to stream on Tubi. Though I’d strongly suggest using that time to watch 12 Angry Men instead. Or paint your garage. Or organize your sock drawer. Really, almost anything else.

Fun Fact

In a delightful bit of irony, the film’s credited writer “Samantha Adams” is actually a pseudonym for Adam Small and Barbara Williams. Apparently, someone involved with this production was ashamed to put their real name on it. If only everyone else had shown such foresight.