Mon cousin Vinny

Two young men named "Bill Gambini" (Ralph Macchio) and "Stan Rothenstein" (Mitchell Whitfield) are driving on vacation from Brooklyn and happen to stop in Beecham County, Alabama for some groceries. Bill accidentally pockets a can of tuna into his jacket and forgets to pay the clerk at the counter. As he and Stan are driving down the road, Bill realizes his mistake and tells Stan. Although both of them are somewhat concerned, they continue driving down the road. They are then stopped by the police and taken to the local police station. Figuring that honesty is the best policy, Bill makes a blanket confession. What he doesn't realize is that he has inadvertently pleaded guilty to the murder of the store clerk. When he realizes his mistake he panics and turns to a lawyer in the family--his cousin "Vinny Gambini" (Joe Pesci) who is only too happy to drive down from Brooklyn with his fiancé "Mona Lisa Vito" (Marisa Tomei) to contest his very first trial. Ever. Anyway, rather than disclose the entire story, I will just say that this is a film that is one of the best comedies of the modern era. I really enjoyed the performances of Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynne ("Judge Chamberlain Haller") as both of them were hilarious. In addition to that, Marisa Tomei also put on quite a show and ended up winning an Academy Award for her performance. Now, having said all of that, I must warn viewers that some of the language may not be suitable for younger audiences. Be that as it may, if you are looking for a really good comedy--or if you're simply pondering the importance of physics--then you might want to check this film out.

"My Cousin Vinny," along with the megahit "Goodfellas," put Pesci on the map. Of course, he's been in the Scorcese's previous hit "Raging Bull," but didn't get a hell of a lot of recognition at the time. Joe Pesci's character of Vincent LaGuardia Gambini is a landmark character in comedy history. When his New Yauker street smarts collide with Southern hospitality--brilliant fish-out-of-water humor ensues!

Of course, Pesci should've be given all the credit. Marisa Tomei, who RIGHTFULLY won the Supporting Oscar for her excellent performance (please don't believe that urban myth about Jack Palance calling out the wrong name!!), is hilarious as Pesci's fiance with a foul mouth, a smart a**, the heaviest Brooklyn accent and an incredible expertise in automobiles. This was also the movie that made Marisa a star, and a performance I commend to this day.

What can I say? This movie has some of the most priceless bits of comedy. One, of course, involves Pesci's pronunciation of the word "youth" which sounds like "yute." One underrated bit is the one where Pesci first meets his cousin's friend (Mitchell Whitfield) in the jail cell. His cousin (Ralph Macchio) is asleep and Pesci suddenly pays the friend a visit. He doesn't know Pesci is the lawyer, and assumes he's some guy who...wants to make him his b**ch. The comic dialogue in that scene is so perfectly executed and I feel it's one of the funniest in the movie. I'm not going to give away any more of the film's slick, intelligent humor--You have to see it for yourself!!!

If you're in the mood for a smart, well-written, well-acted comedy that will have you on the floor--look no further! "My Cousin Vinny" doesn't disappoint in any of those aspects. This is a truly memorable piece of comedy, and though it was released in 1992, I'm sure comedy lovers will pay homage to this movie in the present day.

My score: 8 (out of 10)

Before there were official "Red" and "Blue" Americas, there was this film that pretty much represents it all. Bill Gambini and Stanley Rothenstein are two NYU students who get scholarships at UCLA and decide to drive across America to get there. Bad idea. In Alabama they are picked up and arrested for murder and robbery. They are innocent, but there are witnesses who ID their car and ID them. And it is the word of two New Yorkers against the locals.

Not having any money, Bill calls his cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), who is a lawyer but hasn't practiced yet. And here the culture clash begins. Into this sleepy little Alabama town arrive Vinny and his girlfriend, dressed in leather with rather flashy but faux jewelry. The judge (Fred Gwynne) in the case demands that since this is a capital case that Vinny have trial experience. He does not, but knowing he is his cousin's best shot, he lies and just hopes the judge can't find that out until the trial is over.

Well the Southerners don't get these New Yorkers ("Two Yutes? What's a Yute?"), and vice versa. Vinny and his girl are awakened by factory whistles at 5AM and don't understand why every meal has to include grits, to name a couple of the problems. And the judge is a stickler for decorum. The prosecutor invites Vinny to go deer hunting to discuss the case. As a longtime urban resident who thinks that meat comes from grocery stores not live animals, Marisa Tomei as Vinny's girlfriend is hilarious in her reaction.

This is just a very good comedy with lots of light moments, and yet you wonder, how is Vinny going to debunk these people, who have nothing against the defendants, claiming they are the perps. Watch and find out. This is a rare lead role for Joe Pesci, and he is marvelous. Putting Gwynne and Pesci together was unexpected comic genius, and you'd never guess that Gwynne, with that Southern accent he is sporting, was somewhat raised in New York City. Marisa Tomei absolutely earned her Oscar as Vinny's mechanic whiz girlfriend. And the best thing is that neither the Southerners nor the New Yorkers come off as cartoonish. This film was made when both sides got along pretty well. I'd highly recommend it.

Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stanley Rothenstein are friends from NYC on their way to UCLA driving through Alabama. Bill accidentally takes a can from a convenience store. When the cops stop them, they think it's for shoplifting. It turns out that they are getting charged with murder. They have no money so Bill's mom gets cousin Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci). Vinny brings his car expert girlfriend Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei). It's Vinny's first murder case and his first trial. He only passed the bar six weeks ago after 6 times trying. He starts lying to Judge Chamberlain Haller (Fred Gwynne) for his approval.

Vinny is not simply a brash Italian New Yorker. He's filled with doubt and trying to bluff his way through it. He's not necessarily the most appealing character at the start but he grows on you. Marisa Tomei was the big discovery at the time. She's absolutely wonderful. She puts a fair comedy over the top.

This was the best way for Joe Pesci to follow up GOODFELLAS and JFK. Those two were ultra-serious roles for him and to forray into comedy was perfect. It was a perfect role, perfect timing and a perfect opportunity to show people that he could play something other than the heavy or the bad guy. MY COUSIN VINNY is really just a distant cousin of his character in Goodfellas anyway. Just imagine one of the guys in Goodfellas that didn't want to follow in the footsteps of the rest of the gangsters and this is him. Vinny is a foul mouthed, sometime violent, insecure but smart man. He went to law school but took six attempts before he passed the bar. They are definitely similar characters. The difference is that Goodfellas was a serious film with a funny side and My Cousin Vinny is an absolutely hilarious film with a somewhat serious side.

What makes the film work as well as it does, is many things. First of all you have the fish out of water scenario with Vinny and his fiancee Lisa, wearing leather jackets and cowboy boots down in the south where it seems everyone is wearing overalls and they hang out in establishments where their best selling feature is chicken and pool.

You also have a great supporting cast that features Lane Smith as a very animated D.A. that has to hammer home every point to his jury like they were morons. He says the word "truth" is a word that comes down from England where all of our ancestors come, and looking at him incredulously is some of the black jury members. Fred Gwynne supplies some of the best comedy for the film with his constant badgering of Vinny. Everything from his suit, to his enunciation of words like "youts", to his court room impropriety to his just plain dislike of him. Gwynne and Pesci are so opposite as people. Gwynne being a giant of a man with a southern drawl and a long, virile face while Pesci is a short man with a distinct New Yawk slur and a pudgy, baby looking face. They are complete opposites and much of the hilarity comes from their inability to see eye to eye on many things.

It also has to said that Marisa Tomei is brilliant in this film. There are people out there that try to demean her Oscar triumph that year because the favourite did not win like anticipated. But her performance here is nothing short of Oscar worthy. She is a gifted actress and her comedic timing in this film is bang on, or as she would say, " dead on balls accurate. "

This is one of the funnier films to come out in the 90's and it is well worth seeing again.

9 out of 10