My Cousin Vinny (1992) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
337 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
9/10
The more I watch it --- the funnier it gets!!
linoochie26 August 2005
Definitely one of my all-time favorite comedies. Well directed, well acted -- priceless comic performances by Pesci, Tomei, Gwynne & Austin Pendleton. And more than comedy -- there's also a lot of genuine pathos and real tension and drama, especially in the final courtroom scene. And I really don't understand the "controversy" or brouhaha over Marisa Tomei receiving the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in this movie. It's a crackerjack gem of a performance and a stellar comic portrayal. The only thing I can figure is that a lot of snobbery about serious dramatic portrayals somehow being more worthy of honor than great comic performances still very much lives on in much of the film community.
158 out of 163 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
A comedy that you can see again and again!
primona23 February 2013
Some people really do lack a sense of humor and take life way too seriously. These are the people that will complain that this movie is not funny. The rest of us will find at least some genuine funny moments. In my case, I found several. My Cousin Vinny is a movie that I will play to cheer me up because it's hard to feel down while watching it.

Joe Pesci who scared the hell out of us as Tommy Devito in Goodfellas takes on the role of wise cracking, inexperienced attorney Vincent Gambini. He is wonderfully matched with the nagging, street smart, and charming Maria Tomei as his girlfriend Mona. The two hard core New Yorkers wind up in rural Alabama to defend Vincent's cousin (Ralph Macchio) and friend on robbery and murder charges. There are plenty of funny moments created from the culture clash between the "yankees" and the southerners ranging from the fascination with grits to the colorful colloquialisms used by each. Some of the best moments involve the exchanges between no non-sense Judge Haller (Fred Gwynne) and Vincent who he can't understand due to his New York accent. However, this film does not rely on stereotypical southern slapstick comedy. It is actually smart and there's a real plot involving a court case that all but looks clear cut until Vincent and his girlfriend begin looking at the evidence. I love all the court room scenes and Pesci and Tomei have great chemistry.

This movie is truly underrated; although Tomei did earn an Academy Award for her role in this film. I highly recommend it to those of us with a funny bone!
68 out of 70 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
One of my favorites
lfjeff6330 August 2005
I can watch this film over and over again. Joe Pesci plays Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, a Brooklyn lawyer who is asked to defend his cousin and friend from a murder charge in Alabama. Marisa Tomei as Mona Lisa Vito, Vinny's girlfriend, deserved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, rare for a comedy to even be nominated for anything by AMPAS. I really liked Fred Gwynne as the no-nonsense Judge Chamberlain Haller, a great foil for Joe Pesci's laid back, easy going Brooklyn wise guy. Even his name, Chamberlain Haller, evokes seriousness. A lot of fun, especially the courtroom antics of Pesci. Highly recommended.
115 out of 121 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Brilliant Film!
Barky4417 September 2005
My Cousin Vinny is one of the most brilliant comedies ever produced. There is simply so much to love about this movie.

First, this is not simply a slapstick comedy. Sure, there is some of that, including a few hilarious moments in the Alabama mud. But the dialogue in this film is terrifically funny. The writers were able to turn a courtroom script into an incredibly funny exchange of dialogue between lawyers, judges and witnesses. And the whole idea of an out-of-work hairdresser knowing about Positraction is simply brilliant.

This dialogue is brilliant because of excellent performances by both Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci. These two sell this whole load of nonsense so beautifully it should be mandatory viewing for first-year drama students. These two actors show how talented people can read practically anything and make it not only funny but wholly believable.

Even all the side characters, from the judge to the D.A. to the defendants to the jury and witnesses are brilliantly played. Some of the exchanges between a local Alabama judge and a NYC poser lawyer would be completely ridiculous in anyone else's hands, but these people make it so real and so funny it's truly a thing of beauty.

This is one of those rare films that I can watch over and over again for hours and not tire of it.

10 out of 10 Barky
247 out of 260 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
26 years and still laughing
Interestedviewer222 December 2018
I am not sure if there is a movie that I find more funny and enjoyable than this. Marisa Tomei totally steals the show and certainly earned her Oscar! But, I so enjoyed Joe Pesci, what a perfect slimeball. And then of course Ralph Macchio, our grown up Karate Kid, so damn cute. And Fred Gwynne... I kept thinking, where do I know that guy? Herman Muster of course. What a great role he played as the judge, and THIS being the final film of his illustrious career. I loved him as Herman, but so much love him more and he is deeply missed by me. So, the actors were amazing. And the story is astonishingly funny and every time I watch I still have to laugh my head off. It is just too funny. It has only been 26 years since this movie came out, but it is still so great, I just had to put in my 2 cent review! If you haven't seen it, well, I believe you have missed out on a perfectly relaxing, hilarious experience. Last words: watch it, you won't be sorry!!
37 out of 37 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Classic Comedy with Terrific Performances
Michael_Elliott17 December 2012
My Cousin Vinny (1992)

**** (out of 4)

Terrific comedy has two youths being arrested in Alabama for a crime they didn't commit but thankfully one of them has a cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci) who just happens to be a lawyer. The thick New York accent at first doesn't sit well with the South but soon his skills come out. A lot of people seem to forget that this picture did lukewarm business at the box office and had several negative reviews when it was first release. I enjoyed the movie at the time of its release but I didn't think it was anything overly great but this is a great example of how a movie just gets better with age. Today MY COUSIN VINNY is rightfully considered one of the best comedies of its time and the performances here are just downright classic and make the film so special. Of course you've got Pesci and that terrific line delivery that adds so many laughs. Just the way he's able be to over-the-top in some of his line delivery is just flawless and the chemistry he has with the supporting cast is where much of the heart of the film comes from. Fred Gwynne plays the tough Southern judge and gets one of the greatest roles in his career and he does a remarkable job with it. The back and forth between Pesci and Gwynne is just so perfect that it never grows old no matter how many times you see the film. Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei is flawless in her role as the girlfriend and we get great support from Ralph Macchio, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill and Austin Pendleton. The film has so many classic sequences that the long 118-minute running time flies by without any dry or slow moments. There's no question that the film contains some of the biggest laughs of the decade and it's also fair to call this thing a classic.
17 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A remarkable cast makes this satiric comedy fresh.
emm26 April 1999
MY COUSIN VINNY is just one of those "feel good" movies delivering some grins that won't wash away. An excellent cast includes Joe Pesci in one of his best roles as a hotshot lawyer. Expect a few unbelievable surprises from the irresistible guy who's smart enough to make one hilarious movie after another. He is downright likeable, and so is Marisa Tomei, a sassy and stylish figurine who was amazingly superb to take home the Best Actress Oscar. Both Pesci and Tomei have the colorful wits and personalities to make a wild pair for themselves (almost like living in the 50s for sure!). Also, the movie's best moment arises when a freight train disturbs Pesci's sleep at five in the morning. The deep downside is the latter portion: a climatic courtroom scene that, while up to the point of interest, runs terribly long and weak....until one of the film's cast members gets into the act! Still, it's worth plenty of good gags and good laughs that aren't so bugging. Pesci would look terrific in a torn-up leather jacket in front of the judge, to his ultimate disgrace! Smart comedy is smart thinking after all.
61 out of 76 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Underrated.
tightspotkilo19 December 2007
Underrated. I won't belabor relating and describing the plot, because that's been recited nicely by numerous others. I'll simply return to my one word point. Underrated. Even though Marisa Tomei broke through and won Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance, an award she earned and much deserved, I still say underrated. This film really never got on the public's radar the way it should have, probably because there are no big-name actors featured as box office draw. Joe Pesci was as good as it gets that way. In 1991 he was the hottest name in the cast. But has Joes Pesci ever established himself as a leading man who could carry a movie by himself? I ask that in open-ended wonderment, and certainly not disparagingly. Just asking, is it fair, has it ever been fair, to expect Joe Pesci to carry a film?

Regardless of Joe Pesci's latent starpower, this cast of players as assembled possessed remarkable chemistry in the performances they gave, not only in their interactions with one another, but also in the creation of a final product that excels way beyond the sum of its parts, beyond any of their individual levels of genius, certainly beyond anything that could ever have been reasonably expected of them. Competent though they may have been, these were not thespian heavyweights or comedic savants. You ever wonder why this singular performance 15+ years ago and counting remains Marisa Tomei's magnum opus? That might be one big reason why. The Germans have a word for this. It's called gestalt.

My inclination is to give most of the credit for this winning final product to director Jonathan Lynn. It seems obviously to be his creation. Who else singularly deserves it? Along the way it would have been such a cheap trick and easy thing to surrender to the obvious, but Lynn didn't do it. This is a story built around stereotypes. New Yorkers. Ethnic Italian New Yorkers. Southerners. Small town southerners. Southern justice. Southern small town justice with New York Italians in the dock. It would have been so easy to traffic in those stereotypes, to over-the-top cash in on them, to submerge the movie in them and to exploit them for all they were worth. These people could have been made into cardboard cartoons of themselves. Surely the Englishman Lynn was thusly tempted, but it was a temptation he mainly resisted. Oh, almost obligatorily, he dances us over to that edge and gives us a big whiff of all that, but instead of jumping in and wallowing in the stereotypes, he deftly pulls it back and carries it all off and away in a new and different direction, indeed in an uplifting direction. Just as there are no cheap tricks in this movie, there are no cheap shots either. People are not ridiculed for who they are or where they are from. It rises above that. Lynn raises it above that. Yes, the regional differences that exist are juxtaposed. And yes, we get the fact that cultural differences divide these characters. But the beauty of it is that no one is treated unfairly. In fact, the viewer comes away with the feeling that these are all good people.

Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei are given a broad canvas to create great humorous art, bouncing one, two, three liners or more off of each other, at the other's expense. It's the game they play with each other, the nature of their characters' relationship, and it's fun to watch. And this must be said: not only does Marisa give an exquisite performance, she is an utterly delightful feminine creature to watch here. As for the southerners, in not taking the bait to exploit the southerners as dumb hicks, Lynne actually captures part of the true but rarely portrayed essence of the south: polite gentility. Lane Smith embodies that essence. And Fred Gwynne? He practically steals the show, and would have were it not for Marisa Tomei.

What has been going through Joe Pesci's and Marisa Tomei's heads for the last 15 years? What is wrong with their agents? These two needed a sequel. If not a sequel, then more film(s) together. The dynamic between them was too good to just be abandoned. We should have been treated to much more of them together.

As a trial lawyer let me say that the portrayal of courtroom events, while certainly not perfect, is more than adequate and passable. One thing that is accurately captured is the fish-out-of-water experience of a city lawyer when subjected to trying a case in a far-flung rural county. This depicton conveys the essence of what that's like.

This movie deserves more recognition. It is clever, funny, and fun. I recommend it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and indulge yourself.
160 out of 172 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A solid and enjoyable comedy vehicle for Mr. Pesci.
Hey_Sweden9 September 2014
"My Cousin Vinny" is an engaging, funny movie that if nothing else shows us just how talented Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei are. It's a superb showcase. The movie itself is an interesting case in how an amazing coincidence could serve to screw over two basically innocent guys. It would seem at first to be basically a one joke comedy - take an Italian American and drop him into the deep South - but it's developed in an entertaining way and has some real heart and charm going for it - although it does go on a bit long.

Pesci stars in the tailor-made role of Vinny Gambini, a so-called "lawyer" who needed six tries in order to pass the bar exam. He's thrust into the unlikely position of defending his college age cousin Bill (Ralph Macchio) when Bill and his buddy Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are accused of murdering the clerk at a convenience store. With his fiancée Mona Lisa Vito (a radiant Tomei) in tow, Vinny finds adjusting to life in the South - and adhering to the strict procedures of its courts - to be a struggle.

Pesci and the Oscar winning Tomei are lots of fun to watch, and have fine chemistry with each other. They receive fine support from a well chosen bunch of actors. Macchio and Whitfield don't have much to do once Pesci enters the picture, but prove to be reasonably likable. (Macchios' character Bill, however, isn't too bright.) Top notch character actors Lane Smith (as the prosecutor), Austin Pendleton (as a stuttering public defender), Maury Chaykin, James Rebhorn, and Raynor Scheine (as witnesses), and Bruce McGill (as the sheriff) all do fine work. Fred Gwynne has some great moments as the stern, disapproving judge who doesn't care for Vinnys' way of doing things.

Serious at times but never too, too serious, "My Cousin Vinny" knows how to end big, and send us away with smiles on our faces. It's worth noting that Jonathan Lynn, the director, is British, adding to the overall sense of the outsider perspective.

Seven out of 10.
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Brooklyn lawyer Pesci tries to save the "two yutes" from frying in the electric chair. Classic!
mattymatt4ever16 May 2001
"My Cousin Vinny," along with the megahit "Goodfellas," put Pesci on the map. Of course, he's been in the Scorcese's previous hit "Raging Bull," but didn't get a hell of a lot of recognition at the time. Joe Pesci's character of Vincent LaGuardia Gambini is a landmark character in comedy history. When his New Yauker street smarts collide with Southern hospitality--brilliant fish-out-of-water humor ensues!

Of course, Pesci should've be given all the credit. Marisa Tomei, who RIGHTFULLY won the Supporting Oscar for her excellent performance (please don't believe that urban myth about Jack Palance calling out the wrong name!!), is hilarious as Pesci's fiance with a foul mouth, a smart a**, the heaviest Brooklyn accent and an incredible expertise in automobiles. This was also the movie that made Marisa a star, and a performance I commend to this day.

What can I say? This movie has some of the most priceless bits of comedy. One, of course, involves Pesci's pronunciation of the word "youth" which sounds like "yute." One underrated bit is the one where Pesci first meets his cousin's friend (Mitchell Whitfield) in the jail cell. His cousin (Ralph Macchio) is asleep and Pesci suddenly pays the friend a visit. He doesn't know Pesci is the lawyer, and assumes he's some guy who...wants to make him his b**ch. The comic dialogue in that scene is so perfectly executed and I feel it's one of the funniest in the movie. I'm not going to give away any more of the film's slick, intelligent humor--You have to see it for yourself!!!

If you're in the mood for a smart, well-written, well-acted comedy that will have you on the floor--look no further! "My Cousin Vinny" doesn't disappoint in any of those aspects. This is a truly memorable piece of comedy, and though it was released in 1992, I'm sure comedy lovers will pay homage to this movie in the present day.

My score: 8 (out of 10)
177 out of 191 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
And the verdict is: JOE PESCI is HILARIOUS!
slammerps18 January 2001
Not many people remember this film. It was funny, laugh out loud funny. It won an Academy Award for christs sake! Surprised? Marisa Tomei took home best supporting actress for a comedy. And that doesn't happen often! Joe Pesci should have won something for his performance in this one, oh wait he did... Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture from the American Comedy Awards. Gotta love the internet movie database!

Its a change of pace for Joe Pesci after his roles in films such as Casino, JFK and Goodfellas.

I read in a review that for many years Fred Gwynne attempted to disassociate himself from his role as Herman Munster, with no success. His role as Judge Haller was his last film appearance and is absolute perfection.

This is a well written, flawless comedy! Probably one of the funniest films of the 1990's! If you want to laugh... SEE THIS MOVIE!

Judge Peter's Verdict: GUILTY of being absolutely hilarious! 8 (out of 10)
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Marisa Tomei wonderful
SnoopyStyle5 September 2015
Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stanley Rothenstein are friends from NYC on their way to UCLA driving through Alabama. Bill accidentally takes a can from a convenience store. When the cops stop them, they think it's for shoplifting. It turns out that they are getting charged with murder. They have no money so Bill's mom gets cousin Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci). Vinny brings his car expert girlfriend Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei). It's Vinny's first murder case and his first trial. He only passed the bar six weeks ago after 6 times trying. He starts lying to Judge Chamberlain Haller (Fred Gwynne) for his approval.

Vinny is not simply a brash Italian New Yorker. He's filled with doubt and trying to bluff his way through it. He's not necessarily the most appealing character at the start but he grows on you. Marisa Tomei was the big discovery at the time. She's absolutely wonderful. She puts a fair comedy over the top.
21 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Obstacles
Theo Robertson20 September 2004
A couple of Yankee youths take a trip to the deep south and find themselves being charged for murder . Thankfully one of the youths has a cousin who's a lawyer

Did I say thankfully ?

I'm not a big fan of comedies since the premise usually over stays it's welcome by at least half an hour , but screenwriter Dale Launer has crafted a very funny , well paced script that succeeds because of the amount of obstacles for the characters . Lawyer Vincent Gambini is warned by the judge to get a suit , so he gets a suit only to find there's an obstacle in the way . Vincent stays at a hotel , but there's an obstacle in staying there . Every time a character the audience feels for looks like they're going to get a lucky break ( Vincent especially ) another obstacle appears barring their way . A superlative example of pacing a script . Launer has also written things that at first appear throwaway at the time like eating grits at a diner but then incorperates them into the plot later on . Not only that but Launer has written a script with gags that are both credible and funny , even the skit involving possible sexual abuse in prison ( They'd have to be one of course ) isn't as silly as it could have been

The cast are pretty good too with Joe Pesci showing that he's just as good as a comedy leading man as he is at playing Italian American wiseguys . Let's see you in another movie sometime quick Joe . I'm not sure if Marisa Tomei really deserved her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role here but if the choice was between her and Vanessa Redgrave I'm glad the Oscar voters made the choice . The only real problem with the casting is that it's impossible to believe the short middle aged Vincent would have a hot leggy girlfriend like Mona in real life . But maybe I'm just jealous ?
15 out of 26 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Classic example of a movie that does not age well.
pbingen7 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Watched this movie for the first time in 2021. I have heard the title a few times since the 90's but never got to see it before. I give it 4 points as it gives you an eye into what was considered funny in the late 80's (early 90's). I'm pretty sure 1992 me would had enjoyed the movie a lot and this is like a museum piece of something that today is outdated. It has a lot of the structure and gags of that era. And I don't hate everything from the 90's movies, I still enjoy some comedies and for court dramas John Grisham movies are still very watchable, these rely on clever underdogs and this ages better.

But in 2021 the movie looks like a sort of train wreck. It is hard to watch as most of the fun is connected to having a stereotypical view of the south that looks kind of bigoted in 2021 (even in 2010 maybe). The characters are too exaggerated and you have to have the mind of a teenager to think they represent real people in a real situation. The problem is that even taken as a cartoonish tale it does not make sense as you know how you were supposed to think about the characters being around in 1992. I was supposed to find Pesci charming and funny because he does not have those rigid values of those Alabama folks, but he looks like a total idiot and if he wins at the end is because of the miracle of 80's scriptwriting.

The movie tries to play as a hopeful, goofy movie where the main character is able to overcome big obstacles and impossible odds. But you kind of know as an adult that the man was probably a loser all the time. It also has the drama of a conspiracy in a corrupt south that is kind of out of place for a humor movie, it may had made some sense if the corruption could not be taken seriously. But even though it is obvious there is some conspiracy going on, after like 30 min anyway - in the beginning it is not clear if this is a comedy of errors, it is hard to side with Cousin Vinny. You know in real life if this was a real thing, it would be a tragedy. In 1992 maybe I would fall for street smart Italian-American, full of confidence under achiever. So I would definitely recommend this movie to 1992 me, he would had enjoyed the heck out of it!

Part of the comedy relies on Pesci being totally unaware of how out of place he is, but with 2021 glasses only a mentally handicapped character would not be aware of how he was out of place and how bad was his appearance and demeanor in the court. And the seriousness of the case does not match. The script is kind of a train wreck in what genre this is supposed to fall.

As other people has commented is not even clear why Marisa Tomei was able to get an Oscar for this performance. 1992 me would have enjoyed it as Tomei was eye candy by 90's standards (I wanted to marry her in Anger Management), but the character is just too simple by today's standards.

Adding this so anyone that finds the movie similarly dissapointing by 2021 does not think he watched a different movie that the ones that give it 10 and pretend this is a comedy that makes you laugh from beginning to end and leaves you uplifted.
10 out of 39 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
hilarious
baumer3 June 2000
This was the best way for Joe Pesci to follow up GOODFELLAS and JFK. Those two were ultra-serious roles for him and to forray into comedy was perfect. It was a perfect role, perfect timing and a perfect opportunity to show people that he could play something other than the heavy or the bad guy. MY COUSIN VINNY is really just a distant cousin of his character in Goodfellas anyway. Just imagine one of the guys in Goodfellas that didn't want to follow in the footsteps of the rest of the gangsters and this is him. Vinny is a foul mouthed, sometime violent, insecure but smart man. He went to law school but took six attempts before he passed the bar. They are definitely similar characters. The difference is that Goodfellas was a serious film with a funny side and My Cousin Vinny is an absolutely hilarious film with a somewhat serious side.

What makes the film work as well as it does, is many things. First of all you have the fish out of water scenario with Vinny and his fiancee Lisa, wearing leather jackets and cowboy boots down in the south where it seems everyone is wearing overalls and they hang out in establishments where their best selling feature is chicken and pool.

You also have a great supporting cast that features Lane Smith as a very animated D.A. that has to hammer home every point to his jury like they were morons. He says the word "truth" is a word that comes down from England where all of our ancestors come, and looking at him incredulously is some of the black jury members. Fred Gwynne supplies some of the best comedy for the film with his constant badgering of Vinny. Everything from his suit, to his enunciation of words like "youts", to his court room impropriety to his just plain dislike of him. Gwynne and Pesci are so opposite as people. Gwynne being a giant of a man with a southern drawl and a long, virile face while Pesci is a short man with a distinct New Yawk slur and a pudgy, baby looking face. They are complete opposites and much of the hilarity comes from their inability to see eye to eye on many things.

It also has to said that Marisa Tomei is brilliant in this film. There are people out there that try to demean her Oscar triumph that year because the favourite did not win like anticipated. But her performance here is nothing short of Oscar worthy. She is a gifted actress and her comedic timing in this film is bang on, or as she would say, " dead on balls accurate. "

This is one of the funnier films to come out in the 90's and it is well worth seeing again.

9 out of 10
125 out of 138 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Love It, Love It, Love It
walsh-2213 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is another of my favourite films and I never get tired of watching it again and again and always laugh at the funny scenes.

I can't imagine anyone else in those roles than Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, I don't think it would have worked as well as it did. They are one of the best on screen couples I have seen. They act like a old married couple. They just work so well together and have the right chemistry. They make me laugh more than anyone else in this picture, the scenes I particularly laugh the hardest at is when Vinny has been invited by the prosecuting attorney to go hunting and he doesn't know what to wear and Lisa goes into a tirade about the deer being shot and his brain lying on the floor and not caring what the "son of a bitch" who shot him was wearing. Another is when Vinny is trying to prepare for a case and she heaps on more pressure by talking about her biological clock, it is a lot more funny in the film and you should watch it for just those scenes alone.

What I find entertaining about Vinny's character is that he is not a practised lawyer, he hasn't had any cases and doesn't really know what he is doing. He doesn't even know about disclosure till Lisa tells him. He also has to convince his cousin, the cousin's friend and the judge that he knows what he is doing. On top of this, he hasn't had a good night's sleep because it keeps getting interrupted by loud noises throughout the night, the judge doesn't like him and keeps putting him in jail for contempt, a local idiot who wants to fight him for $200 that he owes Vinny so there is a lot of factors working against him. You cheer for him when he starts to do the right things in court and will him on to find evidence that will prove his cousin and friend innocent of murder.

I have to say one of the scenes that has me falling about laughing is the scene where there is a stuttering lawyer who is trying to do his opening statement but keeps stuttering through it and the jury's face is a picture and really it is their expressions I am laughing at.

I like that the film is unpredictable. You don't know how it will be resolved, you are in a way in the same boat as Stan and Bill as you watched them leave the Sac o' suds without killing the clerk and you wonder who could have done it and how the witnesses are so convinced that Stan and Bill did it and at least at the end, you have a satisfying conclusion when you find out they have caught the bad guys in another state.

It was good to see Ralph Macchio in something else other than The Karate Kid. I hardly recognised Fred Gwynne without the makeup of Herman Munster. He was such a treat especially when he couldn't understand what Vinny was saying when he said "yutes" and couldn't understand some of the other words Vinny said with his thick Brooklyn accent.

10 for the actors, 10 for the directing and 10 for the writing which makes this film a joy to watch.
23 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Very good, but one reason to watch it...
Red_Identity26 December 2014
The film is very good, pretty much what I expected. I expected a light, breezy, entertaining comedy and that's what I got, although I do think that the running time was just a bit too much. It could've afforded to lose maybe 20 minutes there. Joe Pesci is very good, but seems to be playing the type of usual character he's so known for. As good as the film is, the biggest, most absolutely sure reason to watch it is for Marisa Tomei. Already know that it's an all-time worthy comedic performance, and we don't get those often. She manages to come across incredibly natural, while still being brassy and fun. She manages to make her character a real person and not just for show while hitting all of her notes perfectly.
21 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
The quintessential feel good comedy
Sandcooler6 April 2013
What can honestly go wrong when you put Joe Pesci in a courtroom and have him get upset at everyone for two hours? The makers of "My Cousin Vinny" apparently thought the same thing, because that's pretty much their entire premise. There's not much more to this movie when it comes to material, but thankfully Pesci and Marisa Tomei (who got an Oscar out of it) make all this stuff work. Everyone who watches this will probably know how the movie's going to play out (i.e. happily), almost scene by scene, but somehow it just doesn't matter here because for once you actually want the people in a Hollywood movie to be happy. Every single character in this movie has a certain likability to him, even the antagonists aren't the classic "bad guys" that lazier actors would have gone for. "My Cousin Vinny" isn't a great movie, it's not the funniest movie I've ever seen either, but somehow it still puts a smile on your face throughout. The very definition of "feel good".
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
The two "yutes" and their attorney were funny as hell.
Chuck-14912 September 1999
This is the perfect example of a great comedy. Making fun of courtroom dramas, it has you laughing from beginning to end. This is one of Pesci's rare movies where he has the lead role and is perfect playing it. It's a shame he didn't even get a nomination because he deserved one. However, I would consider this to be Marisa Tomei's breakthrough movie. She is excellent as Pesci's flamboyant girlfriend and totally deserved the Oscar she got for best supporting-actress in it.

Bill (Ralph Macchio) and his friend Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are going to UCLA and decide to go through Alabama to get there. But they get arrested down there. The only problem is that they don't have any money and don't know any lawyers. But Bill learns that he has a lawyer in his family. His cousin Vinny. Now I don't want to spoil the fun of watching this movie for the first time so I won't tell you much about what happens but there are some classic scenes in this movie.

Great performances, great directing, and the funniest script ever are the three elements that make this one a sure winner for anyone who watches it. Everything in this movie is funny and yet, it's all helpful for Pesci. Jonathan Lynn May not be the most known director around and he may not have directed that many movies, but "My cousin Vinny" is a winner. Marisa Tomei's costumes should have won the movie another Oscar for best costumes. So for those of you who haven't seen it and are wondering if its any good, quit wondering, watch it, and laugh your head off.
15 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
It's Decently Funny
jasonemartin-7592717 May 2023
It's a decently funny movie made a lot better because of Mona Lisa Vito. It's not the funniest movie ever by any means, but it was a decent movie overall. The acting was good. Joe Pesci did a great job portraying his character... who was actually quite a character, if you know what I mean. I would also be inclined to say the movie was more fun than funny. There were definitely a few times where I laughed out loud, but the characters, story, and circumstances of the movie were also just overall very entertaining even when I wasn't feeling like laughing a whole lot. I would recommend this movie to people who like movies about lawyers, trials, and comedy.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
One of my favorite comedies
Galina_movie_fan25 July 2008
"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 "youtes" 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.
21 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Good Fun
csm-7811912 September 2020
Joe Pesci and the stunning Marisa Tomei are excellent in a film that's incredibly silly and has some great laugh out loud moments. Great performance too from Fred Gwynne as the exasperated local judge trying to manage Vinny's unusual court approach!
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Perfect uplifting movie
perica-4315110 December 2020
This cult piece of film-making is a masterpiece of uplifting court drama, underdog story which celebrates true if hidden talent of the unassuming protagonist. If you want your spirits lifted, this humor filled movie is an excellent choice - a timeless, flawless gem that will serve the purpose perfectly.
13 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Funny, with characters you care about
Wuchakk27 October 2013
"My Cousin Vinny" was a hit when it was released in 1992. Two youths from New York are wrongly accused of murder while traveling through Alabama and one of them (Ralph Macchio) calls on his inexperienced lawyer cousin, Vinny (Joe Pesci), to defend them. Vinny roles into town with his hot fiancé (Marisa Tomei) intent on winning his first big case.

I've heard a lot about this movie over the years, but never got around to seeing it till the other night and was pleasantly surprised. It's part fish-out-of-water comedy and part courtroom drama. The hulking Fred Gwynne plays the staunch judge, an amusing performance. It was Gwynne's last film.

The movie is filled with laughs throughout, but it's more than just a goofball comedy. At some point early in the second act I strangely found myself liking Vinny and wanting him to succeed. I also found myself warming up to Vinny & his fiancé as a couple. They're an odd couple, but somehow click. I guess this is where Marisa got the reputation for liking short, stocky men.

Speaking of Marisa, she's just stunning here, although I prefer her more as she gets older, e.g. 2008's "The Wrestler."

The film was shot in Georgia and runs 120 minutes.

GRADE: B+
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
If you like courtroom proceedings
fredde-5949018 September 2019
Most of the humor was derived from the ineptitude of the lawyer and the oh so funny ways his sleep was interrupted every night. Not worth the runtime
5 out of 28 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed