My Cousin Vinny
Short description
Two college students driving through rural Alabama are arrested for murder after a series of misunderstandings. Convinced they are only being held for a minor theft, Bill Gambini and his friend Stan Rothenstein sign statements that complicate their situation considerably. Unable to afford an experienced defense, Bill turns to his cousin Vinny, a Brooklyn mechanic who has recently qualified as a lawyer and has never argued a case in court. Vinny travels south with his fiancée Mona Lisa Vito, and his unfamiliar manner quickly puts him at odds with the local judge as he prepares to represent the pair.
The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn, its release falling between Clue and The Distinguished Gentleman in his filmography. Dale Launer wrote the screenplay and produced alongside Paul Schiff. Joe Pesci plays Vinny, with Marisa Tomei as Mona Lisa, Ralph Macchio as Bill, Mitchell Whitfield as Stan and Fred Gwynne as Judge Chamberlain Haller. It runs 119 minutes and pairs comedy with courtroom drama.
Made for about 11 million dollars, the film took roughly 64 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.6 from around 157,000 votes and on TMDB 7.5 from about 2,000, while the critics' score stands at 6.8 from 61 reviews, so audiences have rated it somewhat more warmly than reviewers did.
What's left behind the scenes
- When the judge orders the main character to appear in court and have a thorough knowledge of Alabama law, he sets Joe Pesci's character an impossible task. Alabama has the longest constitution in the United States, compared to the constitutions of other states and even the U.S. Constitution itself. The U.S. Constitution contains just over 4,000 words, while the Alabama Constitution contains over 300,000 words.
- Before Joe Pesci was chosen for the role of Vinny, Robert De Niro and Danny DeVito auditioned for it.
- The misunderstanding between Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynne's characters (1926-1993), caused by pronunciation differences, reflects a real conversation between Pesci and director Jonathan Lynn. Lynn, originally from the UK, initially had difficulty understanding Pesci's strong New York accent.
- According to director Jonathan Lynn, the owl's screech in the forest was from a real owl that had been trained beforehand not to be frightened by the sound of gunshots. The owl's reaction to the shot fired by Joe Pesci's character was natural, and the entire scene was filmed in one take.
- Austin Pendleton, who stutters, initially refused to play John, who also stutters, but changed his mind because his friend – director Jonathan Lynn – asked him to.
- Director Jonathan Lynn has a law degree, and he insisted on the maximum realism in the legal procedures shown in the film. Moreover, some higher educational institutions even began using the film as a teaching aid.
- When Winnie was telling the judge his 'real name,' he overturned the chessboard on the table. This happened by accident, but director Jonathan Lynn decided to keep the episode, as he found it amusing.
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