Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei steal the show in My Cousin Vinny, the hit 1992 comedy based on a clash of cultures between North and South. When two college buddies from New York, Billy Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) are mistakenly arrested for murder in Alabama, they find themselves 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 of law and needed seven attempts to pass the New York City bar exam.
With Alabama prosecutors salivating for the death penalty, Vinny arrives in the heart of the Deep South with his Brooklyn hairdresser/auto mechanic girlfriend Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei). While roaming around town, the two learn about “mud in the tires,” grits, and regular crack-of-dawn sirens that “tell people it’s time to get up”. In hindsight, an entire movie could’ve been made from these scenes alone.
As the trial approaches, Vinny’s courtroom antics takeover the film as he engages in a power struggle with by-the-book judge Chamberlain Haller (Fred Gwynne). In between procedural snafus and trips to the slammer for contempt of court, Vinny slowly develops his natural talent for litigation. But can he save Stan and Billy from the electric chair? And if so, can he save himself from the wrath of Judge Haller? It’s a whole lot of fun finding out!
In My Cousin Vinny, the interplay between Pesci and Gwynne is more than worthy of an Academy Award. But the Oscar went to Marisa Tomei for her brilliant portrayal of the flamboyant and likeable Mona Lisa Vito. The onscreen relationship between Pesci and Tomei is mesmerizing, enabling the creation of a comedy that’s rare in that it has a decent plot, no outlandish or ridiculous scenes, and a stream of hilarious lines throughout.
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