It is hard to explain the phenomenon that was Pauly Shore. Well, a lot of things that were popular in the 90s are hard to explain now. Remember how hot Pogs were? Trying explaining Pogs to a kid now, you will be lucky to only get a blank stare. In that respect Pauly Shore sort of equates to Pogs, a lot of people seemed to love him in the 90s but we didn’t exactly know why and we still can’t explain the appeal. Pauly Shore enjoyed a string of modest hits despite critics hating his films and then he disappeared as mysteriously as he arrived.
Of course, not all of Pauly Shore’s films were a success, the film “Jury Duty” for instance was a box office bomb. Still, box office figures are just numbers and critics such as myself can only tell you their opinions so I had to see this film for myself. Thankfully, the generous folks at Mill Creek Entertainment were kind enough to provide me a copy of the film so I could tell you my take on it.
The film follows a young man named Tommy who lives a carefree life but must find a place to stay while his mom gets married. After being let go as a male stripper, Tommy decides that his best option for room and board is to be put on jury duty. Though the case seems pretty straight forward, Tommy prolongs the jury deliberation in an effort to keep his hotel room and to get closer to Monica, a fellow juror who Tommy has a crush on.
I personally think much of the appeal of Pauly Shore can be traced to his key demographic at the time, teenagers. Pauly Shore had a very over the top and cartoonish style of comedy and that is very prominent in this film. Critics tend to enjoy slightly more mature fair and it’s part of the reason Pauly Shore was so hated by them.
“Jury Duty” was a loose reimagining of the teleplay “Twelve Angry Men” and it doesn’t exactly carry the same weight the 1957 Henry Fonda film did. I would be curious to see what the YouTube channel LegalEagle would make of this film.
This is exactly the kind of movie I would expect critics to tear apart but I have to admit, I kind of liked it. Yes, it’s dumb and it certainly won’t stay with you but it isn’t made to be profound or change someone’s life. It is just made to get a cheap giggle or two and it succeeds in that way. Plus it is fun to see some great comedic character actors in some of their early roles. Heck, even Stanley Tucci turned up in this film...and he even had hair! It should be noted that Andrew Dice Clay also appears in an uncredited cameo at the beginning of this film.
I saw Pauly Shore at the 2019 Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Michigan and while I didn’t get a chance to meet him personally, from what I saw, he seemed legitimately nice. He greeted and interacted with all his fans and he seemed to have a good time. It made me appreciate Pauly Shore a little more, I have to admit.
Grade: B
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