Title: My Cousin Vinny
Year: 1992
Genre: Comedy
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
My Rating: 9/10
Stars:
Marisa Tomei - Mona Lisa Vito
Joe Pesci - Vincent Gambini
Maury Chaykin - Sam Tipton
Fred Gwynne - Judge Chamberlain Haller
Ralph Macchio - Billy Gambini
Aubrey J. Osteen - Deputy
Mitchell Whitfield - Stan Rothenstein
Bruce McGill - Sheriff Dean Farley
Paulene Myers - Constance Riley
Austin Pendleton - John Gibbons
Lane Smith - D.A. Jim Trotter, III

Billy (Ralph Macchio) and his friend Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) were accepted to UCLA and decided to drive from New York to LA through the southern US before classes started. They stop in a small southern town to pick up some food at a grocery store. Billy inadvertently pockets a can of tuna without paying for it. Once back on the road when he realizes his mistake the pair sees a police car behind them with the intent to arrest them. They believe they are being arrested for theft and accessory to theft when in fact they are being arrested for murder and accessory to murder since the store clerk had been shot around the time they were at the store. In need of a lawyer, Billy calls his mother, not knowing who else to call, and discovers his cousin Vinny is a lawyer. The comedy starts there.

This is an absolutely hilarious movie. The only characters to watch are Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci although the supporting cast certainly help move the story along. Their interactions are priceless and it’s understandable why Marisa received a best supporting actress Academy Award for this movie. Pesci’s courtroom antics exceed the humour of Judd Nelson’s antics in the movie ‘From the Hip’ (see separate review). His comedic courtroom behaviour is far better than Tom Cruise’s dramatic courtroom behaviour in ‘A Few Good Men’. This movie is a great cure for depression.