Matt's Reviews: My Cousin Vinny
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Rating: 4 gavels!
Bill gets arrested for murder, and Vinny has to argue his case.
Unfortunately, Vinny has never won a case in his life! However, his logic
and skills get him through. It's very funny as Vinny, a New York lawyer,
tries to adjust to the rural South. He has to learn how to eat grits,
and drive in the Alabama mud. Marisa Tomei is superb, as his fiancee.
My brother said this case wanted to make him become a lawyer. Only later
did he find out that law wasn't really like as shown in this movie.
By the way, did anyone notice that Vinny didn't pass the bar in Alabama?
Definitely this is one of my favorite movies! Every line is perfect,
all the actors are great. Although my brother points out that it is not terribly
realistic, actually it does raise some serious issues. It shows that
it's really quite possible to get convicted for murders that you did not
commit.
The FBI also makes an appearance. A serious FBI man testifies that
the tires point to Bill as the shooter. However, Vinny's work uncovers that the
tires really belonged to a different car. This shows how "junk science" can be used
to convict someone. I recently read that the FBI often testifies that bullets used
in a crime match the bullets sold in a box, by analyzing the chemical bullet composition.
But, scientific studies of this technique seem to show that it is invalid.
It goes to show- just because an FBI scientist says it is true, doesn't mean
that it's true.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Vinny Gambini Joe Pesci
Bill Gambini Ralph Macchio
Mona Lisa Vito Marisa Tomei
Stan Rothenstein Mitchell Whitfield
Directed by Jonathan Lynn.