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.
