My Cousin Vinny (1992)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jonathan Lynn

Writer (WGA):

Dale Launer (written by)

Release Date:

13 March 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Rambo. Terminator. Indiana Jones. Vinny Gambini.

Plot:

Bill and Stan are mistaken for murderers while on vacation, and Bill's family sends his cousin to defend them for his first case as a lawyer.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Cousin | Murder | Trial | Alabama

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Joe Pesci	...	Vincent 'Vinny' Gambini
Ralph Macchio	...	William 'Billy' Gambini
Marisa Tomei	...	Mona Lisa Vito
Mitchell Whitfield	...	Stan Rothenstein
Fred Gwynne	...	Judge Chamberlain Haller
Lane Smith	...	D.A. Jim Trotter, III
Austin Pendleton	...	John Gibbons
Bruce McGill	...	Sheriff Dean Farley
Maury Chaykin	...	Sam Tipton
Paulene Myers	...	Constance Riley (as Pauline Meyers)
Raynor Scheine	...	Ernie Crane
James Rebhorn	...	George Wilbur
Chris Ellis	...	J.T.
Michael Simpson	...	Neckbrace
Lou Walker	...	Grits Cook
Kenny Jones	...	Jimmy Willis
Thomas Merdis	...	Man in Town Square
J. Don Ferguson	...	Guard #1
Michael Genevie	...	Guard #2
Jeff Lewis	...	Deputy #1
Ron Leggett	...	Deputy #2
Aubrey J. Osteen	...	Deputy #3
Larry Shuler	...	Hotel Clerk
Suzi Bass	...	Woman
Michael Burgess	...	Prison Van Driver
Bill Coates	...	Bailiff
Jill Jane Clements	...	Courtroom Clerk
Muriel Moore	...	Juror #1
Bob Penny	...	Juror #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Timothy Aaron Styles	...	Featured Juror (uncredited)

Directed by
Jonathan Lynn

Writing credits (WGA)
Dale Launer		(written by)

Produced by
Dale Launer	....	producer
Paul Schiff	....	producer

Original Music by
Randy Edelman

Cinematography by
Peter Deming

Film Editing by
Tony Lombardo
Stephen E. Rivkin

Casting by
David Rubin

Production Design by
Victoria Paul

Art Direction by
Michael Rizzo
Rando Schmook

Set Decoration by
Michael Seirton

Costume Design by
Carol Wood

Makeup Department
Roseanne Griffith	....	assistant makeup artist
James Sarzotti	....	makeup artist: Mr. Pesci
Anthony Sorrentino	....	hair stylist: Mr. Pesci
Carmen Willis	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Leslie A. Leitner	....	post-production supervisor (as Leslie Leitner)
Mary McLaglen	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Capra III	....	first assistant director
Jeffrey Wetzel	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bob Baker	....	draper
Emilio Biasucci	....	painter
Cheri Candido	....	assistant props
Howard J. Clark	....	swing gang
Jeff Cleary	....	laborer
Michael S. Day	....	property master (as Michael Day)
Ron Edwards	....	sign painter
Carl Kyle Foster	....	carpenter
Andrés Gutiérrez	....	assistant carpenter
Betsy Holland	....	buyer
Jackie Johnson	....	carpenter
Tony Kupersmith	....	construction coordinator
Lisa Lawes	....	construction assistant
George A. Lee	....	carpenter
Alba Leone	....	lead person
Scott E. Lowes	....	swing gang
Alisa Lumbreras	....	painter
Patrick McCartin	....	construction first aid
James F. Oñate	....	lead scenic
Joseph Ott	....	carpenter
Fernando Paulete	....	assistant painter
Bob Renna	....	swing gang
Burges Richardson	....	carpenter
Angela Riserbato	....	construction foreman (as Angie Riserbato)
Julie Sanford	....	draftsman
Larry C. Shepard	....	on-set scenic
James T. Short	....	painter
Michael P. Short	....	painter
Stuart Skrien	....	assistant carpenter
Lee Smith	....	laborer
Terry J. Smith	....	carpenter (as Terry Smith)
Wendy Smith	....	art department coordinator
Brian Stultz	....	scenic chargeman
Carlton W. Thompson Jr.	....	swing gang
David Tupper	....	laborer
James Whiting	....	carpenter
Jeff Wuesthoff	....	carpenter
Karen Young	....	on-set dresser
Tony Zupa	....	carpenter
Woody Thompson	....	swing gang (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert J. Anderson Jr.	....	sound mixer (as Robert Anderson Jr.)
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley walker
David Behle	....	sound recordist
Odin Benitez	....	sound effects coordinator
Gaston Biraben	....	sound editor
C.T.W.	....	sound editor
Pud Cusack	....	boom operator
Robert Fitzgerald	....	sound editor
Jeremy J. Gordon	....	sound editor
Douglas Greenfield	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Kevin Hearst	....	sound editor (as Raoul)
Alfred G. Heath	....	apprentice sound editor
Michael Hilkene	....	supervising sound editor
Ken J. Johnson	....	additional sound effects recordist
Jack Keller	....	sound recordist
Eric Lindemann	....	sound editor (as Eric W. Lindemann)
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sarah Monat	....	foley walker
Frank A. Montaño	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Frank Mantano)
Whit Norris	....	cable operator
Mark Rathaus	....	sound editor
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Wolf Schmidt	....	second assistant sound editor
Thomas W. Small	....	first assistant sound editor
Mark A. Tracy	....	apprentice sound editor
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jim Bryan	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Dick Cross	....	special effects

Stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Adams	....	best boy grip (as Bob Adams)
Allen Barnwell	....	electrician
Peter Bennett Beal	....	rigging gaffer
Leonard Bishop	....	rigging grip
Lucius Bonneson	....	company grip
Scott Browner	....	first assistant camera
Steve Cohagan	....	best boy electric
R.L. Critters	....	electrician
Robert K. Feldmann	....	key grip
Ben Glass	....	still photographer
Kevin Hamm	....	electrician
Kimman Harmon	....	second assistant camera
Amy Hobby	....	additional assistant camera
Darryl Humber	....	company grip
Jerry Lee	....	company grip
Scott Porterfield	....	additional assistant camera
Mike Satrazemis	....	rigging grip (as Michael Satrazemis)
William J. Taylor	....	dolly grip
Chip Turner	....	gang boss
Dudley J. Voll	....	additional assistant camera (as Dudley Voll)
Rick A. West	....	gaffer
Daniel Aguar	....	grip (uncredited)
Scott Browner	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Jeff Funderburk	....	electrician (uncredited)
Jeff Funderburk	....	generator operator (uncredited)
Greg Morse	....	24 frame video operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Shay Griffin	....	local casting
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Len Hunt	....	extras casting
Rachel Minster	....	casting assistant
Debra Zane	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robin Keller	....	wardrobe assistant
Daryl Kerrigan	....	key costumer (as Daryl A. Kerrigan)
Ann Miller	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Sharma Bennett	....	post-production assistant
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Tina Elfstrand	....	apprentice editor
Adam C. Frank	....	second assistant editor
Christopher Kroll	....	first assistant editor
Mike Milliken	....	color timer
Steve Schoenberg	....	additional first assistant editor

Music Department
Elton Ahi	....	score mixer
François Blaignan	....	scoring crew
Gustavo Borner	....	scoring crew
Kathy Durning	....	supervising music editor
Dino Herrmann	....	scoring crew
Jill Meyers	....	music clearances (as Jill Myers)
Cybele O'Brien	....	assistant music editor
Joel Sill	....	music consultant
Scott Stambler	....	music editor

Transportation Department
C.P. 'Pop' Cook	....	driver
Fredna Cook	....	driver
Ray Cook	....	transportation coordinator
Sandra Cook	....	driver
Neil Edwards	....	driver: construction department
Scott Edwards	....	driver
Bob Foster	....	driver
William Gillespie	....	transportation captain (as Billy Gillespie)
Billy Harris	....	driver
Michael Horton	....	driver
Chris Johnson	....	driver: construction department
Joel Key	....	driver
Cecil Little	....	driver
Fred Pope Jr.	....	driver
Martha Pruette	....	driver
Ron Pruette	....	driver
Ted Robinson	....	driver: construction department
Oranz Walker	....	driver

Other crew
Susan Bierbaum	....	script supervisor
James Brandon	....	magic consultant
Randi Chernov	....	assistant: Mr. Schiff
Michael Day	....	third effects man
Tina Elfstrand	....	set production assistant
Scott Elias	....	location manager
Jon Fitzgerald	....	production assistant
Chris Furia	....	second assistant accountant
Nicole Furia	....	production accountant
Susan Genard	....	assistant: Mr. Lynn
Julie Hartley	....	production coordinator
Bryan Hudson	....	animal wrangler: The Animal Agency
Doug Knoll	....	legal technical advisor
Adena Lazan	....	first assistant accountant
Patrick McDill	....	production assistant
Elizabeth Morin	....	assistant: Mr. Pesci
Liz Schlick	....	assistant coordinator
Sarah Shields	....	set production assistant
L. David Silva	....	set production assistant (as David Silva)
J. Bradley Smith	....	assistant location manager
Susan Steinlauf-Pascal	....	unit publicist (as Susan Steinlauf)
Linda Ann Upton	....	first aid nurse
Albert B. Cooper IV	....	representative: Georgia Film Commission (uncredited)
Riley Kathryn Ellis	....	studio executive (uncredited)

Thanks
Len Levine	....	special thanks (as Leonard Levine)

Production Companies

• Palo Vista Productions
• Peter V. Miller Investment Corp.
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Network (1994) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Lucernafilm - Beta (1992) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Fox Vidéo (????) (France) (VHS)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Manuel Salvador (Spain)

Other Companies

• DeLuxe Laboratories  color timing (as Deluxe)
• Dimension Sound  sound editing
• Lee Arrendale Correctional Institution  special thanks
• Major League Baseball Properties  special thanks
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Saxon/Ross Film Design  title design (as Saxon/Ross Film Design Inc.)
• The Animal Agency  animal wranglers
• Tomkats Catering  catering
• Tomkats Catering  craft service
• Triad Music  music editing
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alto, Georgia, USA

Company:

Palo Vista Productions

Trivia:

Director Jonathan Lynn proposed Fred Gwynne for the role of the judge after seeing him in The Cotton Club (1984).

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: During the final courtroom scene as Mona Lisa Vito is being dismissed from the stand by the judge, the shadow of a boom mic can be seen moving around on the wall above the judge.

Quotes:

Vinny Gambini: My clients were caught completely by surprise. They thought they were getting arrested for shoplifting a can of tuna.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: What are you telling me? That they plead not guilty?
Vinny Gambini: No. I'm just trying to explain.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: I don't want to hear explanations. The state of Alabama has a procedure. And that procedure is to have an arraignment. Are we clear on this?
Vinny Gambini: Yes, but there seems to be a great deal of confusion here. You see, my clients...
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Uh, Mr. Gambini?
[Motions for him to approach the bench]
Judge Chamberlain Haller: All I ask from you is a very simple answer to a very simple question. There are only two ways to answer it: guilty or not guilty.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The DiCaprio Code (2006)

Soundtrack:

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

Obstacles

A couple of Yankee youths take a trip to the deep south and find themselves being charged for murder . Thankfully one of the youths has a cousin who's a lawyer

Did I say thankfully ?

I'm not a big fan of comedies since the premise usually over stays it's welcome by at least half an hour , but screenwriter Dale Launer has crafted a very funny , well paced script that succeeds because of the amount of obstacles for the characters . Lawyer Vincent Gambini is warned by the judge to get a suit , so he gets a suit only to find there's an obstacle in the way . Vincent stays at a hotel , but there's an obstacle in staying there . Every time a character the audience feels for looks like they're going to get a lucky break ( Vincent especially ) another obstacle appears barring their way . A superlative example of pacing a script . Launer has also written things that at first appear throwaway at the time like eating grits at a diner but then incorperates them into the plot later on . Not only that but Launer has written a script with gags that are both credible and funny , even the skit involving possible sexual abuse in prison ( They'd have to be one of course ) isn't as silly as it could have been

The cast are pretty good too with Joe Pesci showing that he's just as good as a comedy leading man as he is at playing Italian American wiseguys . Let's see you in another movie sometime quick Joe . I'm not sure if Marisa Tomei really deserved her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role here but if the choice was between her and Vanessa Redgrave I'm glad the Oscar voters made the choice . The only real problem with the casting is that it's impossible to believe the short middle aged Vincent would have a hot leggy girlfriend like Mona in real life . But maybe I'm just jealous ?