Review of My Cousin Vinny (1992) by Daniel T — 09 Jan 2010

"My Cousin Vinny" has the potential for being just another comedy where an underdog outsider comes to a country town and wins the people over despite making a poor first impression. Thankfully, though it doesn't even bash the natives of the country town. Instead, it uses it as the setting for many memorable jokes. It has fantastic performances and sharp writing. Nothing really special, but really fun to watch.

New York native and lawyer Vincent "Vinny" Gambini is called in to help after a cousin and his friend are wrongly arrested on charges of murder. There's just one problem: Vinny's never had a case. The rest of the plot is simple: Vinny must learn to believe in himself and go on to win the case. However, the path to accomplishing this is peppered with hilarity and charm.

Joe Pesci is outstanding as Vinny. He plays his part with the tough guy attitude that his others roles almost always have, but at the same time he adds a little bit of intelligence to his role as well. Call it a mix of Tom Cruise in a Few Good Men with Tommy from GoodFellas. Marisa Tomei is fantastic in her Oscar-winning portrayal as Vinny's fiance. She's as loud and upfront as Vinny and just as eager to get into an argument. Fred Gwynne of TV's "Munster" fame is perhaps the most entertaining to watch. He plays by-the-book judge Chamberlain Haller. He doesn't like Vinny from the start, and the relationship the two have is one of the highlights of the film.

It's hard sometimes to really get into the characters, especially when the two accused are simply there to mope around and be worried about their impending doom. Another minor issue that always bothered me is that the two boys stole a can of tuna from a store. When they confess it to the police officers, though, nothing is done about it. Even at the end, all that matters is that they are being accused of a murder. Again, something minor but worthy of answering.

Regardless, "My Cousin Vinny" is enjoyable for light viewing. It's got a good pace, doesn't drag, and you really get interested in what's going on.