Too many fans seem to be blown away

From my favorite movies..

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

A fairly good story...about a young man facing the death penalty for a murder he says he didn't commit."You have NO memory, NO alibi, and NO explanation..." says his defense lawyer.The defense lawyer (Matthew Modine) lost his wife and two sons in a car accident a few years before...Movie opens on him...in his empty home...he's ready to pull the trigger and kill himself. Till the phone rings...and he's assigned this murder case.The prosecutor is an older, experienced man who has previously beaten the defense lawyer...Prosecutor rigorously pursues the death penalty. I do agree with one reviewer above...At some point, the dramatic tension DROPS because you learn too early...who the real villain is... and that the real villain will be exposed. Is a moderately entertaining TV movie...and does bring up the fact that not only Rohipnol (the date rape drug) but a similar drug...can be used to knock a woman...or a man...out! (The date rape scenario is handled with minimum detail and no scenes in the movie show the crime. Suitable for grade school and above aged children.)

I'm giving a review just to enlighten myself of the torture of having watched it. Contrary to the name and use of courthouse terms, the movie has nothing to do with a trial. I am not convinced if there even was a case in the first place. No context whatsoever. There is no weapon,no motive, no fingerprints nothing. There is/was no evidence for the conviction/non-conviction of the accused and yet the jury comes up with a verdict.There are a lot of unanswered questions in the movie and vice versa. Please do something else that would be productive with your time.

You just knew the defendant just had to be innocent: a blond and blue eyed young man looking like the boy next door. I was struck by the contrast between the narrow squinty eyes of Matthew Modine as a world weary attorney and the young actor who played the defendant with eyes startlingly large and blue. He was the epitome of wide-eyed innocence. Surely such casting was not accidental.I also liked the appearance of Robert Forster. He still needs a hair transplant, but he did a credible job as the investigator. I still remember him from the cult classic 'Alligator' which also featured Dean Jagger in one of his last roles. I hope they both knew this movie was a spoof.

I am always looking for good films to watch with my family. Last night, we sat down with our kids (13 and 15) and watched THE TRIAL.It was refreshing to see a movie that had a simple message and for once not have that message rammed down our throats. My grandmother died recently and some of the elements from the film really helped.I loved the cast. Matthew Modine has always been a favorite and this seemed like one of the few recent films he's done that really challenged him. Now... as a Southerner it was nice to see no real stereotypes and yet everything seemed natural. I think it helped that they let actors like Robert Forster just be himself instead of putting on a fake accent.All in all, we liked it and recommend it.