Synopsis

Newly promoted attorney Charles Tuttle travels to Nevada to handle a routine hearing for his firm's troublesome relative, but a bachelor-party mishap leaves him unable to appear. His aspiring-actor friend Richard Rietti impulsively takes his place, expecting a simple postponement. When the case proceeds to trial, the pair must sustain the deception while Charles' professional ambitions, engagement, and carefully ordered life begin to collapse.

Factoids & Trivia

• Filming took place in Independence, California, with the Inyo County Courthouse and Winnedumah Hotel among the principal locations.

• The screenplay was written by Sara Bernstein and Gregory Bernstein, based on a story they developed with Cliff Gardner. The film was produced by Gary Ross and Jonathan Lynn for Larger Than Life Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema.

• The 98-minute comedy received a PG-13 rating for some sexual content and opened in the United States on May 30, 1997.

• Animal performers were monitored through the American Humane Society's "No Animals Were Harmed" program. The production included a dog, rabbit, horses, and a briefly seen wolf.

• The film was a commercial disappointment, earning about $13.6 million domestically against a reported $25 million budget. Its courtroom-comedy premise also led critics to compare it with the earlier legal farce "My Cousin Vinny."

• In some international markets, the movie was retitled to capitalize on Jeff Daniels' earlier comedy success. Italy used "Ancora piu scemo," while Japan used a title translating as "Mr. Dumbar 2 1/2."