Tribunal fantôme

The only film directed by Dan Aykroyd to date is this very dark, strange and completely misunderstood and underrated comedy.

I think the reason for its poor reception is comparing this to all of the other movies the cast had done to that point.

Chevy Chase the films main star made many good films such as Caddyshack, the Vacation series, Fletch and Funny Farm.

Aykroyd of course was huge off the success of both Ghostbusters pictures, John Candy had done Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck and even had a cameo in Home Alone the highest grossing comedy of all time at that point.

And then of course Demi Moore had just finished Ghost which was a huge smash hit so it would only be fair to expect with this cast and Aykroyd directing that this would be a film of similar quality.

The thing is many dont understand that as a screenwriter Aykroyd has been known to have very far-fetched ideas to which many directors have to say they cannot be filmed.

He apparently directed this movie after his buddies John Hughes and John Landis turned it down even though he didnt want to he knew it was necessary to get the film made.

Aykroyd's direction I feel is the main reason people misunderstand this movie. Keep in mind he also wrote this movie and played two large roles requiring heavy amounts of makeup. He also took every suggestion to heart from the cast and crew which resulted in some strangeness to say the least.

At one point he had monitors for his actors to view their performances and allowed them to make changes they saw fit and that is where I think the performances look different from any of the main casts other films.

Chase looks bored out of his mind as if he thinks the movie sucks and just wants a paycheck. We know he can show range when he wants to (Funny Farm is a great example of this.)

Aykroyd gives the best performance in the movie as the Reeve and provides some laughs.

Candy looks like he just wants to do his best for his buddy Aykroyd but in his role as Dennis the police officer he seems depressed and is really the only voice of reason. He also is in drag as Aykroyd's granddaughter who has affection for Chase. This performance is actually pretty funny.

Moore comes across extremely ambitious. Like Chase it seems she is aware that this movie is not the best fit for her talent but nonetheless she does her very best to work with the material she has and does well with it.

In order for this movie to be enjoyed you have to forget that this talented cast made better movies before and in the case of Moore especially since and just enjoy it as a pretty crappy movie that's actually fun because it is so bad.

That's why I like this movie. It truly is the definition of a so bad it's fun movie. I think Aykroyd as director felt there would be an audience out there that would appreciate this movie as such.

This is not Vacation, Ghostbusters, Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Ghost.

It's a funny quirky movie that is a lot of fun just for being so weird.

Go into it with that expectation and you should have some fun.

It's the kind of movie I like to watch on a bad day and have some laughs from its sheer quirkiness.

I must say after reading some of the "hate" reviews about this movie, those must have been the people that paid money to see Gigli.

Anyhow, I found this move very entertaining. It's a good time, utterly bazaar and twisted, but fun.

If you liked Dead Alive (BrainDead), anything from Troma Films or Early Sam Raimi flicks you will understand the message this movie is trying to deliver. All the people with negative criticism about the movie, lighten up would ya, no one forced you to watch it.

This movie was great and enjoyable back in 1991 and still is so even today. There is just that something unique about the chemistry between comedians Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Chevy Chase.

The story is about four upscale people whom are caught for traffic violations in Valkenvania and are brought for immediate sentencing before the eccentric judge Alvin Valkenheiser. And soon the day turns into a real nightmare.

While "Nothing But Trouble" is not the type of comedy that will split you open from excessive laughing, then there is just something Classic about the entire movie; be it the mood and absurdity of the story, the hilarious and outrageous characters, or the fact that Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Chevy Chase were just a great combination, I do not know. But I do know that this movie is entertaining.

The movie does bear itself as watchable more than once. And if you are a fan of Dan Aykroyd, John Candy or Chevy Chase, then "Nothing But Trouble" is a must watch.

This is another underrated horror comedy from yesteryear. The movie is just weird and wonky. Dan Akroyd wrote, directed and stars along with Demi Moore ( G.I Jane), Chevy Chase (Fletch) and the late, great John Candy (Uncle Buck) in dual roles. The movie concerns a smarmy yuppie (Chase), the girl he's interested in (Moore) a couple of foreign rich kids and an I'll fated road trip where they are pulled over for running a stop sign and imprisoned by a strange judge and his ghoulish family. They spend the movie trying to escape wacky traps and death. The movie is weird, imaginative and bursting with creativity. Its definitely not for everyone it bombed with critics and audiences alike when it was initially released. But it's aged quite well and is definitely deserved of being a cult classic.

Budget: $40m Domestic Box Office: $8m Worldwide Box Office: $8m

3.75/5

Finally watched this movie last year after finding a DVD copy out in the wild.

My last attempt was in the late 90s when I was 13 years old and I caught an airing on TV. I was a huge fan of John Candy, Chevy Chase AND Dan Aykroyd, so I was pumped about this one, but it ended up being too weird for me and I tuned out after about 30 minutes.

This time however, I understood it much more and ended up really enjoying it from beginning to end. Chevy Chase is just killing it with the one-liners, John Candy stealing the show as a by-the-book cop AND his sister, and let's not forget Dan Aykroyd being the jack-of-all-trades as co-writer, producer, director and actor (also in a dual role, in heavy make-up no less).

Shame it bombed at the box-office, but I can understand why audiences didn't get it in '91, probably the same reason my 13-year-old self turned it off 30 minutes in: we weren't expecting those comedians we love so much to be in such a DARK comedy. It definitely was ahead of its time...

I can't help but wonder what Aykroyd's original cut was like, before any studio interference, and back when it was still titled "Valkenvania". He had planned for it to be more of a horror film with comedic elements, until Warner Bros demanded he make it a comedy with horror elements.

Either way, I enjoyed the final product, and recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

A review by Jex Russell.