My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Trivia
The exchange between the prosecutor and automotive expert about the equipment used to analyze the tires was taken almost verbatim from an actual court transcript. The witness, asked how he analyzed the evidence, answered "I have a dual-column gas chromatograph, Hewlett-Packard model 5710a with flame analyzing detectors." The D.A. quipped, "Does that thing come turbo-charged?" and the witness answered, "Only on the floor models." This appears in lots of "funny things said in court" collections.
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Spoilers (4)
The misunderstanding between Vincent Gambini and Judge Haller regarding the two "youts" was in fact a real conversation between Joe Pesci and director Jonathan Lynn. Lynn, who is British, at first had a hard time understanding Pesci's pronounced New York accent. He decided that the routine was quite funny and put it in the film.
Director Jonathan Lynn actually has a law degree and insisted the film's legal proceedings be realistic. In fact, many attorneys and law professors have praised the film for its accurate depiction of trial strategy and courtroom procedure, especially with regards to presenting expert witnesses at trial. In fact, the film has been screened at some law schools to illustrate courtroom procedures.
When Vinny is trying to explain his "real name" to Judge Haller, he knocks over the judge's chess board. This was accidental but director Jonathan Lynn thought it was so funny and authentic he decided to leave it in the film.
The American Bar Association's publication, the ABA Journal, ranked the film #3 on its list of the "25 Greatest Legal Movies.
According to director Jonathan Lynn the eastern screech owl in the scene in the woods was a real owl that had a little prior training so it wouldn't be scared away by the gunfire. The crew got it to open its mouth by giving it little pieces of beef, and artificially induced screeches were added to the film in post production. The owl's reaction to Vinny shooting the gun was authentic and needed only one take. The director states on the DVD commentary, "we got amazingly lucky with that screech owl".
Near the end of the trial, Sheriff Farley informs the court that "two boys, who fit the defendants' description, were arrested two days ago by Sheriff Tillman in Jasper County, Georgia." Sheriff 'Mack' Tillman was actually the real-life sheriff of Jasper County, at the time, where much of the film was shot, and this line was a hat-tip to him for the assistance he provided to the producers during filming.
Austin Pendleton, a real-life stutterer, originally turned down the part of the stuttering John Gibbons. But he did it as a favor to his friend, Jonathan Lynn. According to Pendleton, he had trouble finding work in film for years because he became typecast as a stutterer.
According to the DVD commentary, when Gambini says, "Now, Mrs. Riley, and ONLY Mrs. Riley, how many fingers am I holding up now?", Joe Pesci ad-libbed the "only Mrs. Riley!" part.
Shortly after her Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress in The 65th Annual Academy Awards (1993), a rumor started circulating that Marisa Tomei had won by mistake because presenter Jack Palance had incorrectly read out the wrong name. This is a highly unlikely occurrence--the Academy specifically has two officials stationed offstage to intervene and read out the correct name if such an event should ever transpire. Such an event didn't occur until The Oscars (2017) when Warren Beatty was given the wrong card and Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced La La Land (2016) as Best Picture, instead of the actual winner: Moonlight (2016). The error was corrected on the telecast in about two minutes.
The quote "dead-on balls accurate" is a reference to an actual attorney named Joey Callo, from whom the name Jerry Callo/Gallo was borrowed.
Beechum County isn't a real county in Alabama. It was also filmed in Georgia, the Sac o Suds is still open and still called the Sac o Suds, and the 3 hotels are closed.
Joe Pesci was 49, while Marisa Tomei was 27 when this movie was released.
Director Jonathan Lynn proposed Fred Gwynne for the role of the judge after seeing him in The Cotton Club (1984).
Joe Pesci won the Academy Award for Goodfellas (1990) while making this film and brought the award to the set to show cast and crew.
Gambini's cross examination of Sam Tipton (grits), Ernie Crane (dirty windows), and Constance Riley (glasses) represents technically competent impeachment of the prosecutor's witnesses. Overall the film does an excellent job, though abridged and succinct, of representing the criminal judicial process.
Near the end of the film, as Vinny leaves, Fred Gwynne can be seen giving the exact same wave that he did as Herman Munster on The Munsters (1964).
Despite their characters clashing in this film, Joe Pesci who plays Vinny and Fred Gwynne who plays Judge Chamberlin Haller were actually good friends in real life until Gwynne's passing on July 2, 1993.
During defense attorney John Gibbons' opening statement, after he slaps a juror on the shoulder, Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, and Mitchell Whitfield can be seen trying to stifle their laughter.
During the recess, while Vinny and Lisa are in the restaurant discussing Lisa's photos, in the background a mint green convertible with a white roof drives by.
When the judge warns Vinny that he'd better show up in court with a full knowledge of Alabama law, he's setting Vinny an impossible task. Alabama has the longest constitution of any state in the country, clocking in at more than 300,000 words. The U.S. constitution is only a bit more than 4,000 words.
Temperatures exceeded 100 degrees during the courtroom scenes, which were filmed in the midst of a Georgia summer in a converted warehouse with a corrugated metal roof.
Judge Chamberlain Haller has a Yale Law degree on his wall. In real life Fred Gwynne graduated Harvard University on the G.I. bill. Harvard and Yale are Ivy League rivals.
In 2002 Marisa Tomei temporarily lost the Oscar she won for this film when she moved into a new house.
Joe Pesci stands 5'5" while Fred Gwynne was 6'9".
Marisa Tomei's Best Supporting Actress Oscar win was this film's only Oscar nomination.
Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
On the Dan Le Batard radio show, actor Jim Belushi admitted he regretted that he turned down the title role in this film.
Lorraine Bracco was the first choice for the role of Mona Lisa Vito but declined the role.
Joe Pesci reprised his character for his 1998 album "Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You".
The prison scenes were filmed at Lee Arrendale Correctional Institute in Alto, Georgia. Though depicted in the film, the prison has neither a death row nor death chamber facility. The prison was also the setting for the movie Unshackled (2000).
In his 2014 autobiography The Filthy Truth, Andrew Dice Clay wrote that the film was originally developed as a starring vehicle for him at Fox. After the failure of The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990), the studio severed ties with Clay. A planned Christmas release of his concert film, Dice Rules (1991), was canceled, and he lost the role of Vinny. Reflecting on the fallout in his book, Clay says, "Anytime it's on, I say to my kids, 'Isn't it amazing that I was supposed to do that movie?' If I wasn't going to do it, to have Joe Pesci play the role was incredible. I don't get mad at that stuff. That's show business."
Exteriors were shot in Monticello, Georgia. The scene where Vinny and Lisa stop to check the tires in front of Lucy's Secondhand Store served as an establishing shot for the town where the trial takes place and where Lisa later gets Vinny's red tux. The courthouse in the background is actually Jasper County Superior Court in Monticello. Wazoo, Alabama is a fictional town. There is, however, a Yazoo City in Mississippi.
Lisa's pink camera is a Kodak Disc model 3600. Kodak Discs were produced between 1982 and 1990. Film for the cameras was produced and supported for development until 1998, so it's possible that in 1992, if the camera was still in good working order, that Lisa could be carrying one.
Christopher Lloyd was considered for the role of the judge.
Dave's Bar B Que in Monticello GA was used for exterior shots and is still doing business today. The courthouse seen from the interior of Dave's is the Newton County Courthouse miles away in Covington GA.
In the film, Judge Haller gives Vinny a constant hard time because of Vinny's being from New York City. This is ironic, considering that Fred Gwynne, who plays Judge Haller, was a native New Yorker himself, while, oddly, Joe Pesci (Vinny) is not.
Danny DeVito and Jon Lovitz were considered for the role of Vincent Gambini.
Although a mint green convertible with a white top is frequently mentioned, the car is never seen with the white top up.
When the preliminary hearing is being conducted, a door to the right rear of the witness is open, and a photograph may be seen hanging on the wall. The picture is of William Randolph Hearst, a somewhat odd choice to hang in a courthouse.
Many of the shots at the beginning were filmed along Highway 83 in Bostwick, Georgia. One plantation house was actually built in the early 1900s though it looks like an antebellum home.
Debi Mazar was considered to play Mona Lisa Vito.
Besides being filmed in Covington, GA, this movie has a few other connections to the TV series In the Heat of the Night (1988). This movie use the same courtroom featured in every courtroom scene on Heat. Jill Jane Clements, who plays the court reporter, also played Maudie the pawnbroker on Heat. The building used as the Sac-O-Suds also served as Munn's Market in In the Heat of the Night: A Frenzied Affair (1992). The tan Ford Bronco that Vinny & Jim Trotter go hunting in was also used as Bubba Skinner's personal vehicle on Heat.And there's a scene with a train passing through the town at night in both productions. The difference is the train in Heat's opening credits is an Amtrak passenger train, while the train here is a freight.
One of two theatrical feature film comedies directed by director Jonathan Lynn that debuted in the year of 1992. The other one is The Distinguished Gentleman (1992).
Paulene Myers, who played Constance Riley (the witness that had trouble seeing), played a judge in All in the Family: Archie's Civil Rights (1975).
The chair in Judge Chamberlain Haller's office with the tall backrest is very reminiscent of the style of furniture seen throughout the mansion in Fred Gwynne's old show The Munsters (1964), especially Grandpa Dracula's iconic electric chair.
James Rebhorn plays a F.B.I. Agent who testifies about the case. Later on he would go on to play the head of the White Collar unit of the F.B.I. In White Collar (2009).
In the film, Marisa Tomei's character has the last name Vito. This could be a partial reference to Joe Pesci's famous role of Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990).
There is a reference to "Sheriff Tillman in Jasper County". The movie Road House (1989) involved a town called Jasper that is home to a man named Tillman.
In this movie, Mitchell Whitfield plays Stan Rothstein. In Casino (1995), also starring Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro plays Sam Rothstein.
The famous red Georgia mud, celebrated in song and prose, is very much evident in this film, as it was made in the Peach State. However, nearby Alabama also has bright red dirt in places. The red color comes from iron.
In most states, all felonies must first be presented to a Grand Jury to determine if their is probable cause to proceed to trial. However, this process is rife with problems: Grand Jurors were often selected because they were friends of a Judge or prosecutor, evidence such as here-say is allowed even though it would not be admissible at trial, no judge is present, defendants are often not present for Grand Jury meetings, and defense attorneys are almost never allowed to attend. Thus, despite being a protection in the Constitution, the Grand Jury process usually favors the prosecution. For this reason, many states have moved to a more open proceeding as seen here. In some states, the defense may challenge the state's case by means of a defense packet, which may include a statement by the defendant and evidence in his favor. One respect in which this film departs from accurate legal procedure is the speed by which the case proceeds to trial. In general, it is rarely if ever less than 180 days.
Spoilers
When Judge Haller bluntly overruled Vinny's objection to the introduction of a surprise expert witness, he committed a blatant reversible error. Thus, Vinny would have had excellent grounds for appeal if his clients were convicted and a good chance to have their convictions overturned.
In the climactic scene where Mona Lisa was brought to the court as an expert witness in automotive general knowledge, it has been noted that Vinny had an alternative if Mona Lisa hadn't cooperated on the stand, or she was disqualified by the court as an expert. Namely, while it is discouraged by standard attorney ethics in most situations, the rules of court would have allowed Vinny to take the stand himself to testify as an expert in general automotive knowledge because he could not have anticipated at the beginning of the trial that such knowledge would be relevant.
A sequel was discussed where Vinny Gambini would be practicing in Britain. Unfortunately, Marisa Tomei dropped out of the project, and subsequent attempts with another screenwriter to create a suitable story without her character went nowhere to the point where the proposed film was canceled. However, in 2017 mystery writer Lawrence Kelter began a sequel novel called "Back to Brooklyn," which has the further cases of Vincent Gambini as an attorney with Mona Lisa Vito serving as his investigator. This was intended as the first of a "My Cousin Vinny" novel series which is intended to be essentially a modern working class Italian-American version of The Thin Man (1934) mystery series.
Despite Joe Pesci being first billed and Marisa Tomei winning an Oscar for this role, they don't appear for over 10 minutes into the film. They are, however, the only two characters in the film's final shot.
