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 | Alabama | Convenience Store | Murder

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18	8:00 PM	AETV
Sun. July 19	12:00 AM	AETV

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:

Lorraine Bracco was the first choice for the role of Mona Lisa Vito but declined the role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Vinnie has his final confrontation with J.T.in front of the store, He takes a flying leap through the air as he swings with his fist. As they both come to a landing, we can see them "bounce", indicating that they hit the stunt mattress.

Quotes:

Vinny Gambini: Your Honor, may I have permission to treat Ms. Vito as a hostile witness?
Mona Lisa Vito: You think I'm hostile now, wait 'til you see me tonight.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Do you two know each other?
Vinny Gambini: Yeah, she's my fiancée.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Well, that would certainly explain the hostility.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Critic: Dr. Jay (#1.10)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY

Underrated.

Underrated. I won't belabor relating and describing the plot, because that's been recited nicely by numerous others. I'll simply return to my one word point. Underrated. Even though Marisa Tomei broke through and won Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance, an award she earned and much deserved, I still say underrated. This film really never got on the public's radar the way it should have, probably because there are no big-name actors featured as box office draw. Joe Pesci was as good as it gets that way. In 1991 he was the hottest name in the cast. But has Joes Pesci ever established himself as a leading man who could carry a movie by himself? I ask that in open-ended wonderment, and certainly not disparagingly. Just asking, is it fair, has it ever been fair, to expect Joe Pesci to carry a film?

Regardless of Joe Pesci's latent starpower, this cast of players as assembled possessed remarkable chemistry in the performances they gave, not only in their interactions with one another, but also in the creation of a final product that excels way beyond the sum of its parts, beyond any of their individual levels of genius, certainly beyond anything that could ever have been reasonably expected of them. Competent though they may have been, these were not thespian heavyweights or comedic savants. You ever wonder why this singular performance 15+ years ago and counting remains Marisa Tomei's magnum opus? That might be one big reason why. The Germans have a word for this. It's called gestalt.

My inclination is to give most of the credit for this winning final product to director Jonathan Lynn. It seems obviously to be his creation. Who else singularly deserves it? Along the way it would have been such a cheap trick and easy thing to surrender to the obvious, but Lynn didn't do it. This is a story built around stereotypes. New Yorkers. Ethnic Italian New Yorkers. Southerners. Small town southerners. Southern justice. Southern small town justice with New York Italians in the dock. It would have been so easy to traffic in those stereotypes, to over-the-top cash in on them, to submerge the movie in them and to exploit them for all they were worth. These people could have been made into cardboard cartoons of themselves. Surely the Englishman Lynn was thusly tempted, but it was a temptation he mainly resisted. Oh, almost obligatorily, he dances us over to that edge and gives us a big whiff of all that, but instead of jumping in and wallowing in the stereotypes, he deftly pulls it back and carries it all off and away in a new and different direction, indeed in an uplifting direction. Just as there are no cheap tricks in this movie, there are no cheap shots either. People are not ridiculed for who they are or where they are from. It rises above that. Lynn raises it above that. Yes, the regional differences that exist are juxtaposed. And yes, we get the fact that cultural differences divide these characters. But the beauty of it is that no one is treated unfairly. In fact, the viewer comes away with the feeling that these are all good people.

Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei are given a broad canvas to create great humorous art, bouncing one, two, three liners or more off of each other, at the other's expense. It's the game they play with each other, the nature of their characters' relationship, and it's fun to watch. And this must be said: not only does Marisa give an exquisite performance, she is an utterly delightful feminine creature to watch here. As for the southerners, in not taking the bait to exploit the southerners as dumb hicks, Lynne actually captures part of the true but rarely portrayed essence of the south: polite gentility. Lane Smith embodies that essence. And Fred Gwynne? He practically steals the show, and would have were it not for Marisa Tomei.

What has been going through Joe Pesci's and Marisa Tomei's heads for the last 15 years? What is wrong with their agents? These two needed a sequel. If not a sequel, then more film(s) together. The dynamic between them was too good to just be abandoned. We should have been treated to much more of them together.

As a trial lawyer let me say that the portrayal of courtroom events, while certainly not perfect, is more than adequate and passable. One thing that is accurately captured is the fish-out-of-water experience of a city lawyer when subjected to trying a case in a far-flung rural county. This depicton conveys the essence of what that's like.

This movie deserves more recognition. It is clever, funny, and fun. I recommend it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and indulge yourself.