MY COUSIN VINNY REMAINS A CLASSIC AND A NEAR LEGAL MASTERPIECE
If you’re looking for a legal drama that accurately portrays the intricacies of criminal procedure and evidentiary rules, My Cousin Vinny might not be entirely accurate. But this wildly entertaining courtroom comedy somehow manages to be both ridiculously fun and seemingly (and surprisingly) competent in its legal analysis, even thirty plus years after its release.
My Cousin Vinny is the story of two buddies, Bill (Ralph Macchio, The Karate Kid) and Stan (Mitchell Whitfield, ya know, Barry from Friends), who — whoops — find themselves falsely accused of murder in small-town Alabama. Thankfully, the karate kid has a cousin who is a lawyer. Enter Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci, Goodfellas), a wisecracking, and completely inexperienced personal injury lawyer who somehow passed the bar after six tries.
First of all, genius casting by director Jonathan Lynn (Clue). At the time, Pesci — Home Alone aside — had been known for playing volatile gangsters. But dude is dialed in here and delivers a classic comedic performance here, his arrogance, cluelessness, and yet sheer determination driving a character who is both completely out of his element and yet, still the only man for the job.
The script, from Dale Launer, is incredible as it puts Vinny through the ringer during the court process, including the inability to crack a perpetually unimpressed judge, played by the late, great Fred Gwynne). Despite his brilliance, Vinny displays a hilarious blatant ignorance of courtroom decorum.
But the real MVP here is Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man MCU trilogy) as Vinny’s loyal, no-BS Brooklyn girlfriend. Tomei went on to win an Oscar for her performance and it stands the test of time. She still rocks this movie. As Mona Lisa Vito, Tomei steals every scene as Vinny’s sharp-tongued fiancée. Her delivery as Vinny’s “last resort go-to expert witness” in a climactic scene is one of the best scenes possibly in cinematic history. And Tomei (along with her unpredictable electric chemistry with Pesci) absolutely knocks it out of the park.
As a law movie, and for all its exaggerated antics, My Cousin Vinny is shockingly accurate in certain legal aspects. The cross-examinations feel real, and the courtroom procedure isn’t completely absurd. Of course, Vinny’s behavior would get most lawyers held in contempt before lunchtime, but hey, ya gotta suspend a little disbelief. Most of the courtroom stuff seems legit.
My Cousin Vinny is, for the most part, a realistic (enough?) legal drama but it is no doubt a wildly entertaining and oddly satisfying comedy with a career-defining performance from Marisa Tomei?
Tim English is a writer, author and film critic. He has been a board member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle since 2012. He has been seen on KC Live! on KSHB, as well as KCTV-5. He is the host of the Reel Hooligans podcast and a contributor for Scene-Stealers.com. Tim is also
the founder and director of the Terror on the Plains International Horror Film Festival.
