My Cousin Vinny (1992)
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My Cousin Vinny Movie Review
My Cousin Vinny is a 1992 courtroom comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. It’s a terrific film that is one of the decade’s best comedies.
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“Do you to two know each other?
Yeah, she’s my fiancée.
Well, that would certainly explain the hostility“
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Vinny, an inexperienced lawyer, steps in to defend his cousin Billy and his friend Stan in his first ever trial after they are accused of murdering a convenience store owner. This movie is generally regarded among the most accurate depictions of criminal procedure and how trials work. This is because the script by Dale Launer is among the best of the decade as it was filled with memorable lines of dialogue that are infectiously funny and delightfully playful and clever.
The performances from its talented cast also helped a lot. Not only are the characters very well written and their personalities brimming with life and charisma, but the actors elevated them even further. Fred Gwynne was wonderfully amusing as the judge and his facial expressions are priceless throughout. Much has been said about Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield’s characters and how underutilized they are, but they serve their purpose and the film’s main two characters deserved to receive the most attention anyway.
Yes, Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci are incredible as Mona Lisa and Vinny. Tomei actually ended up winning an Oscar for her brilliant turn here, which was a rare time when the Academy went and acknowledged a terrific comedic performance. She entirely deserved this award as she was hilarious and unforgettable as this Italian-American woman who is very charismatic, at times unhinged, but consistently very endearing. Her knowledge of car mechanics was crucial in the final act and that sequence where she dominated the argument was iconic.
But Pesci also deserves more praise for his incredible work here. This actor is often best known for his gangster roles, but I would counter that with this role that should in my opinion be regarded as his career-best one. This was a rare time when Pesci was given a main instead of supporting role, and he delivered in spades. The deft comedic interplay between him and the judge was stupendous, but so was his line delivery and how effortlessly he acted out the character’s many idiocies and crude behavior.
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My Cousin Vinny shows us that sometimes education and experience are not necessary for a certain job and that an innate talent and/or knack at doing it is more important. The film isn’t particularly cinematic as it’s set in mostly just one court, but the cinematography, score and editing are all serviceable. The directing from Jonathan Lynn is surprisingly confident and the film is consistently entertaining and mostly very funny from beginning to end.
Superbly scripted and wonderfully acted, My Cousin Vinny is a fantastic courtroom movie that ranks among the best comedies of the nineties. Marisa Tomei deserved her Oscar win for her superb comedic performance while Joe Pesci has never been better than as this film’s hilarious central character. It’s mostly a very funny, highly entertaining movie that featured outstanding dialogue and a delightfully playful interplay between its competent actors.
My Rating – 4.5
This is the 20th film in my American Cinema Marathon where I will watch one film from each American country every day. Next up is 🇨🇴.
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