My Cousin Vinny DVD
20th Century Fox
Rated: R
Genre: Comedy
Length: 120 minutes
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Year: (1992)
Britt Gillette's My Cousin Vinny DVD Review
Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei steal the show in My Cousin Vinny, the hit 1992 comedy about a clash of cultures. When two college buddies from New York, Billy Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) are mistakenly arrested for murder in Alabama, they are in desperate need of a high-profile defense attorney. But lawyers can be costly, so the two friends enlist the help of Billy's cousin, Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci) - a former auto mechanic from Brooklyn who has never practiced in a court and needed seven attempts to pass the bar exam.
With the Alabama prosecutors calling for the death penalty, Vinny arrives in the heart of the Deep South with his Brooklyn hairdresser/auto mechanic girlfriend Lisa (Marisa Tomei). While roaming the town, the two learn about "mud in the tires," grits, and the 5am sirens that announce it's time to get up. One of the more hilarious scenes in the film occurs when Vincent is ushered to Stan and Billy's jail cell. With his cousin asleep, Vinny approaches Stan who believes that Vinny is a prisoner with intentions other than those of being good legal counsel. That one scene alone is worth the watching the whole film.
As the trial approaches, Vinny's courtroom antics dominate the movie as he has multiple run-ins with the by-the-book Judge Chamberlain Haller (Fred Gwynne) and engages in innumerable procedural snafus. The interplay between Pesci and Gwynne is worthy of an Academy Award. However, the Oscar in this one when to Marisa Tomei for her brilliant portrayal of Mona Lisa Vito. The screen relationship between Pesci and Tomei is magical, creating one of those rare comedy films with a decent plot, no outlandishly ridiculous scenes, and a hilarious atmosphere that covers the duration of the film.
In the end, Vincent Gambini's street-wise instincts and passion for argument uncover the truth surrounding the Sack-O-Suds murder. The boys go free, Vinny wins Judge Haller's respect, and Lisa and Vincent ride off to a happy ending...
Britt Gillette
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Posted on 30 November 2004