My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Thanks for being so prompt

Thanks for being so prompt. Have not watched the movie yet, but I'm sure it's fine. October 13, 2008

Who, who would try and fix me up with Marisa Tomei?

Two college kids are on a road trip through the South. They stop for gas at a convenience store, buy some groceries, and leave. The store is robbed, the cashier is fatally shot, and all the evidence points to them. They have no money so they turn to Billy Gambini's (Ralph Macchio) Cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), a lawyer.

Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for her role in My Cousin Vinny. I always liked Marisa Tomei, but I figured it must be a fluke. They don't usually give any Oscars to comedies, especially popular ones that do well at the box office. So I was skeptical, but Marisa won me over as Mona Lisa Vito, cousin Vinny's girlfriend.

She seemed like a parody of a New Jersey Italian girl, but her character was also very smart. She wanted Vinny to marry her, and he had promised he would as soon as he won his first case. So, she was determined to make that happen, even if she had to read the law books herself and explain them to Vinny. She did a very accurate send up of the mode of speech and dress, that skewered them, but with love.

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Mona Lisa Vito: [Vinny looks at her funny] What?
Vinny Gambini: Nothing. You stick out like a sore thumb around here.
Mona Lisa Vito: Me? What about you?
Vinny Gambini: I fit in better than you. At least I'm wearing cowboy boots.
Mona Lisa Vito: Oh yeah, you blend.
=======================================

Joe Pesci, as Cousin Vinny, was also very funny, helped by Fred Gwynne as Southern Judge Chamberlain Haller. Fred Gwynne is a very tall man, perhaps best remembered as Hermann Munster. The contrast between him and Pesci, who is a full foot shorter, was funny in and of itself. His reactions made Pesci's antics even funnier. Vinny was trying to be a lawyer, but he had only recently passed the bar, and had never tried any case, much less a murder case. Judge Chamberlain Haller is a stickler for procedure, and this was not Vinny's strongest suit:

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Judge Chamberlain Haller: I tell you this because I want you to know that when it comes to procedure, I'm not a patient man. I advise your, sir, that when you come into my courtroom, you are to know the letter of the law. I react harshly when you don't.
Vinny Gambini: You should.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Don't think that being from New York, you're getting a special treatment.
Vinny Gambini: I shouldn't.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: You won't. You'll be given no leeway whatsoever.
[Takes a book on Alabama law from his book case]
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Now I expect you to know this information when you come into my courtroom.
[drops the book before Vinny]
Judge Chamberlain Haller: You willing to accept those terms?
Vinny Gambini: Sure. No problem.
[quickly leafs through the book]
Vinny Gambini: Just this? Ha ha.
================

The Gambini's have a knack for argument, and after a very rough start you begin to see that it was a wise choice for Billy Gambini to choose his cousing Vinny as his lawyer. As he explains to his codefendant, Stan:

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Bill: You have to see the Gambinis in action. I mean, these people, they love to argue. I mean, they live to argue.
Stan: My parents argue too, it doesn't make them good lawyers.
Bill: Stan, I've seen your parents argue. Trust me, they're amateurs.
=======================================

The verdict is in, and My Cousin Vinny is guilty of being a funny movie with great performances by Pesci, Gwynne, and Tomei. For Fred Gwynne, it was his last film role, and luckily for him he went out on a high note.

Joe Pesci

The Good Shepherd (2006) .... Joseph Palmi
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) .... Leo Getz
Gone Fishin' (1997) .... Joe Waters
8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997) .... Tommy
Casino (1995) .... Nicky Santoro
With Honors (1994) .... Simon Wilder
Jimmy Hollywood (1994) .... Jimmy Alto
A Bronx Tale (1993) .... Carmine
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) .... Harry Lime
The Public Eye (1992) .... Leon Bernstein
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) .... Leo Getz
My Cousin Vinny (1992) .... Vincent 'Vinny' Gambini
JFK - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1991) .... David Ferrie
The Super (1991) .... Louie Kritski
Home Alone (1990) .... Harry
GoodFellas (1990) .... Tommy DeVito
Betsy's Wedding (1990) .... Oscar Henner
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) .... Leo Getz
Catchfire (1989) (uncredited) .... Leo Carelli
Moonwalker (1988) .... Mr. Big
The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway (1988)
Man on Fire (1987) .... David
Eureka (1984) .... Mayakofsky
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) .... Frankie Minaldi
Tutti dentro (1984) .... Corrado Parrisi
Easy Money (1983) .... Nicky Cerone
Dear Mr. Wonderful (1982) .... Ruby Dennis
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982) .... Roger
Raging Bull (Special Edition) (1980) .... Joey La Motta
The Death Collector (1976) .... Joe


Marisa Tomei

The Wrestler (2008) .... Cassidy
War, Inc. (2008) .... Natalie Hegalhuzen
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) .... Gina Hanson
Wild Hogs (2007) .... Maggie
Grace Is Gone (2007) .... Woman at Pool
Danika (2006) .... Danika Merrick
Factotum (2005) .... Laura
Loverboy (2005) .... Sybil
Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005) .... Meredith Morrison
Alfie (2004) .... Julie
Anger Management (2003) .... Linda
The Guru (2002) .... Lexi
Just a Kiss (2002) .... Paula
Jenifer (2001) (TV) .... Nina Capelli
Someone Like You... (2001) .... Liz
In the Bedroom (2001) .... Natalie Strout
What Women Want (2000) .... Lola
King of the Jungle (2000) .... Det. Costello
The Watcher (2000/I) .... Dr. Polly Beilman
Happy Accidents (2000) .... Ruby Weaver
Dirk and Betty (2000) .... Paris
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) .... Rita Abromowitz
Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) .... Nina
A Brother's Kiss (1997) .... Missy
Unhook the Stars (1996) .... Monica Warren
"Seinfeld" .... Herself (1 episode, The Cadillac, 1996)
Four Rooms (1995) .... Margaret
The Perez Family (1995) .... Dorita Evita Perez
Only You (1994) .... Faith
The Paper (1994) .... Martha Hackett
Untamed Heart (1993) .... Caroline
Chaplin (1992) .... Mabel Normand
Equinox (1992) .... Rosie Rivers
My Cousin Vinny (1992) .... Mona Lisa Vito
Zandalee (1991) .... Remy
Oscar (1991) .... Lisa Provolone
"A Different World" .... Maggie Lauten (21 episodes, 1987-1988)
The Flamingo Kid (1984) .... Mandy


Fred Gwynne

My Cousin Vinny (1992) .... Judge Chamberlain Haller
Shadows and Fog (1992) .... Hacker's Follower
Earthday Birthday (1990) .... Fred the Moose
Pet Sematary (1989) .... Jud Crandall
Disorganized Crime (1989) .... Max Green
Ironweed (1987) .... Oscar Reo
Fatal Attraction (1987) .... Arthur
The Secret of My Succe (1987) .... Donald Davenport
Jake's M.O. (1987) .... Jake Tekulve
The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) .... Uncle Hugo Gibb
Off Beat (1986) .... The Commissioner
Water (1985/I) .... Franklin Spender
The Cotton Club (1984) .... Frenchy Demange
"The Munsters" .... Herman Munster / ... (72 episodes, 1964-1966)
"Car 54, Where Are You?" .... Officer Francis Muldoon (60 episodes, 1961-1963)
"The Phil Silvers Show" .... Pvt. Honergan (2 episodes, 1955-1956)
On the Waterfront (Special Edition) (1954) .... Slim
September 22, 2008

A classic !

Hillarious! By now, almost every line from the movie is a classic !
It's fantastic, you'll enjoy it; buy it ! September 15, 2008

`The South' meets `The Bronx' meets stereotypical heaven...

Truth be told, `My Cousin Vinny' is funny. If we're being completely honest though I have to mention that the laughs start to feel forced and repetitive as the film drags on. Yes, `My Cousin Vinny' is one long stereotype that is funny for a while but then borders on the annoying.

I don't want to rip the movie apart, because it's not the first film to base its comedic foundation on a slew of racial and demographical stereotypes. It's also not the worst film to abuse a code of ethics when depicting racial interaction (this is no where near as degrading as `Crash') yet the problem lies in the fact that instead of using these stereotypes as a way to embellish character and create something relatable it uses them in an almost shameless manner at times.

It borders tacky.

But those moments are not consistent; that is to say that they are not so rampant that the whole film feels like a mistake. The film has its genuine moments and is littered with some rich performances that allow for the stereotypes to give their character flare instead of allowing them to control and bog them down.

The film follows Vinny Gambini, a hot shot lawyer (sort of) who travels from New York to Alabama to defend his cousin who has just been accused of murder. It happens that Billy (Vinny's cousin) and his friend Stan were mistaken for two boys driving a similar car who happened to kill a convenience store employee. Not knowing what to do, and being held in a town that doesn't understand them, they call on Vinny for representation. The problem is that Vinny barely knows what he's doing, or at least he doesn't think he knows, and he serves as a major culture shock for the backwards Alabama town.

The film depiction of Italian-American's as well as southerners is very clichéd and overdone a tad, especially was the court proceedings get underway. There is a fine line between sprinkling some flavor onto a character and completely drenching him in ridiculous clichés. I was actually more put off by the films depiction of the southern folk than anything else. Being an Italian-American myself (at least half) and living in the south I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at the films lack of knowledge of its characters.

Like I said, I don't want to rip the film apart because it is no where near as shameless as some other films out there, but it is a little extreme in some cases.

But the film has a saving grace, and that is Marisa Tomei. She allows her character to breathe a breath of fresh air on the whole picture. Her smart mouthed arm candy to Vinny is utterly priceless. She commands each and every scene and elevates her characters clichéd beginnings. She uses the stereotypes to their full and exploits them for our viewing pleasure, never allowing them to overwhelm her performance. As far as I'm concerned, that Oscar went to the right girl. Joe Pesci is also at the top of his game here. He has played this character many times before, but this time feels fresher (maybe because he's not playing a gangster). I also enjoyed Fred Gwynne to an extent, although his character got under my skin in his forced ignorance.

In the end I can't say that `My Cousin Vinny' is a waste of time or a film to be avoided. It has its moments and those moments make up for the films lack of taste or imagination in other areas. Tomei is a goldmine and Pesci is hilarious here. Just don't expect something too smart here. This is a typical comedy with a few stellar performances that work magic to elevate the clichéd material. September 11, 2008

One of my favorite comedies

"My Cousin Vinny" is a real gem, a perfect, funny, smart comedy, a very rare kind that I can watch and enjoy over and over again no matter how many times I've seen it and from what scene I watch it. This is one of my three all time favorite English language comedies along with "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "A Fish Called Wanda". When I think of it, all three share the same concept - playing the differences between the cultures, mentalities, ways of living, talking, doing things, even cooking - Europeans versus Americans, particularly British and Americans or New Yorkers versus Southerners in My Cousin Vinny. They also have in common a flawless, witty script with all pieces falling into right place, all guns firing, all characters developed and interesting. As with Scoundrels and Wanda, performances in "My Cousin Vinny" are simply terrific. Joe Pesci as a lawyer with no legal experience from Brooklyn whose first case just happened to be defending two "youtz" in a first degree murder trial, and Marissa Tomei in the dresses that are so magnificently out of place in the muddy Wahzoo City, Alabama but so deliciously fit her like a glove, make one of the best screen couples ever but I like the supporting characters and small cameos, too. Everyone shines in this delightful comedy. I remember three witnesses for prosecution - grits loving Sam Tipton (Maury Chaykin), the guy with seven bushes (Raynor Scheine), and sweet Mrs. Riley who just may need a thicker pair of glasses. Austin Pendleton as a stuttering public attorney was hilarious. Fred Gwynne, sadly in his last performance as Judge Chamberlain Halle, made his every scene (each of which he shared with Pesci) the double delight. Ten years after the film was released, Film critic and historian Mick LaSalle wrote in his article, "Half of what made Joe Pesci funny in this comedy was the stream of reactions of Gwynne, as the Southern Judge, a Great Dane to Joe Pesci's yapping terrier." The film made me root for Vinny, wishing him victory in his first case, and he won gloriously with the help of a lovely, lovely expert in the general automobile knowledge in this lovely, lovely comedy. July 25, 2008

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