Jury Duty Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Jury Duty Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 4, 2019

Jury Duty is one of those movies that is so patently absurd it’s actually sort of funny. Not funny because the humor is legit, funny because the audience really has no other alternative than to roll with it, to accept its lowbrow gags and ridiculous premise, and watch the Pauly Shore train wreck unfold (OK, so walking out is another option, but really, whose life is truly complete without some Pauly Shore in it?). If there's a saving grace it's that the movie knows its place and limitations. It hones in Shore's antics and winks and nods its way through the story, which drags considerably after the first act as the schtick quickly wears paper thin.

Tommy Collins’ (Shore) “Cream Machine” gig at a strip club is not well received, and he is asked not to return. He’s living with his mother, wanting to sleep until noon, and he seems content to mooch and laze about. But when his parents leave town for Vegas, taking the trailer with them, he’s left with no choice but to accept a jury duty summons. With his dog Peanut in tow, his plan is to find the longest, most daunting trial on the docket in hopes of collecting as many $5-per-day payouts as possible, not to mention becoming sequestered and staying in a posh hotel. He wiggles his way out of a handful of would-be short trials by making a fool of himself and he ultimately lands in the courtroom holding a trial for a man, Carl Wayne Bishop (Sean Whalen), being held on multiple murder chargers. It will be “very long and involved” the judge promises. Bingo! He works his way onto that one, giddy and gleeful for the opportunity to cash in over an extended period of time.

The jury is sequestered but in the “historic” wing of a hotel where major renovation work is underway. The jurors are placed two to a room, and as fate would have it Tommy is roomed with his old high school principal, Beasley (Richard Riehle), who sleeps with a self-help tape playing on loop. He also finds himself drawn to an attractive juror, Monica (Tia Carrere). He finagles his way into a much better, more luxurious room and will do anything to prolong the trial and maintain his suddenly luxurious lifestyle, even if that means going against the grain and proclaiming the defendant "not guilty" when the other eleven believe it should be a slam-dunk "guilty" verdict.

The film is styled in the same vein as 12 Angry Men; all of the jurors but Shore's Tommy believe the man on trial is guilty, but Tommy believes otherwise...at least he believes otherwise because it means a bit more time living it up on taxpayers' dime. Of course how the movie plays out comes as no surprise. There really is something to the "not guilty" charade, which leads Tommy to identify the real killer, who may be closer than any of the jurors could imagine.

The movie works best -- and that's using the term "best" very loosely -- in its first act, when Shore's antics see him kicked off several juries. The film stalls in its middle act when Tommy himself stalls to maintain his "lifestyle." It feels like Director John Fortenberry is out to punish the audience, to make them feel the slogging agony of life crammed in that jury room. There's little here that's truly funny, and by the time the film's reaches its ridiculous climax, any goodwill from the opening act has long since vanished. Shore at least does the schtick to his standards, and fans of his -- from movies like Bio Dome -- might find him amusing in this role. The film does feature several real actors in support roles, including Charles Napier, Stanley Tucci, and Richard Riehle all doing their best to bring some semblance of stability to the film.

Jury Duty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek's Blu-ray transfer for Jury Duty is surprisingly capable. While it won't line up for any picture quality awards at the end of the year, the budget-friendly studio has at least provided a relatively healthy master that shows only the random splotch, speckle, or vertical line. Compression artifacts are present but rarely bothersome. The image is otherwise in good shape, featuring a relatively mild level of fine detailing but always capable of showcasing basic facial, clothing, and environmental -- i.e. courtrooms, the jury room, Tommy's posh hotel room -- textures with basic screen command. Light grain remains, certainly not dialed in and perfected like the way the movie might have looked in theaters decades ago, but a capable, if not a bit clumpy, veneer that helps sell the illusion of a filmic image. Colors are like the details, relatively flat and uninteresting but relaying basic structure and vitality in every scene. Blacks are a little thin and skin tones a bit pasty but essential warm woods around the courthouse or variously colored attire present well enough. Mill Creek has released better and has released worse. For the price and the quality of the movie, there's relatively little room for serious complaint.

Jury Duty Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jury Duty's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack is competent and carries the film's meager sonic needs nicely enough. The presentation is of course front-heavy because there are no surround speakers engaged. Dialogue is the primary component, which images nicely to the center in a seamless feel for natural placement. Dialogue is also relatively clear and well prioritized with only a few hiccups, such as someone doing some mic work at the "International House of Beefcakes" early in the film. There are precious few effects of note and little spread and space to them. Music finds adequate width and detail, and that's really just about it for this one. Basic, adequate, no-frills: it gets the job done.

Jury Duty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jury Duty's Blu-ray contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers only options for "Play" and toggling subtitles on and off.

The release is perhaps most notable as being amongst the first in Mill Creek's line of "I Love the 90s" Blu-rays to ship with updated, and more colorful, "Retro VHS" slipcovers. From a base layout perspective, it's similar to Mill Creek's 80s-style slipcovers. Aesthetically, it's more colorful. The front image is at least different than the more generic Photoshop-style artwork on the Blu-ray case proper. A "comedy" sticker is affixed to the front, and Mill Creek's "I love 90s" labeling appears top-left. The VHS tape, which is sliding out the right side of the case, is white. It looks fresh and relatively new. There's no real handling wear on it or any of the stickers, including the title sticker in the middle or any of the three off to the sides: a "please rewind" notice, a ratings sticker, and one identifying the movie as a "hot new release." The right hand spine continues the illusion with the film's title appearing on a red sticker along the VHS tape's side, humorously with a Blu-ray logo at the bottom. The slip's rear side shows the bottom of the VHS tape sticking out from a fairly standard back cover layout that caters to the Blu-ray, not a VHS box.

Jury Duty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Watching Jury Duty just might be worse than deliberating for days on end against a lone wolf juror dead-set on opposing the consensus. Add that it actually costs money to watch Jury Duty rather than collecting that sweet, sweet $5 at the end of the day, and it's difficult to recommend the movie as much more than for its torturous 90 minute marathon with the reward not of saving a man's life but rather the opportunity too proclaim "I survived Jury Duty!" at the end. Mill Creek's featureless Blu-ray delivers fair video and passable audio. For slipcover collectors and Paul Shore completists (such people surely exist...right?) only.