My Cousin Vinny (1992)
87%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
5 wins & 6 nominations total
The deft comic interplay between Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei helps to elevate My Cousin Vinny’s predictable script, and the result is a sharp, hilarious courtroom comedy
My Cousin Vinny is a hilarious courtroom comedy that will have you laughing from start to finish. Joe Pesci’s performance as Vincent Gambini is both cranked and cuddly, while Marisa Tomei steals the show as his fiery fiancé Mona Lisa Vito. The film’s authenticity and clever personas make for an alluring storyline, and the supporting cast of scene-stealers like Fred Gwynne and Lane Smith only add to the fun. Even if you’re not a fan of courtroom dramas, My Cousin Vinny is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good laugh.
Production Company(ies)
Armory Films, 1993 Lucky Treehouse
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Eatonton, Georgia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
1992
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby SR
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 59m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 13, 1992 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 30, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio, Mitchell Whitfield, Fred Gwynne, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill, James Rebhorn, Jonathan Lynn, Dale Launer, Paul Schiff, written by Dale Launer, directed by Jonathan Lynn, comedy, R rating, $50.9M box office, reviewed by Anthony Lane, Duane Byrge, Dave Kehr, Michael Sragow, Desmond Ryan, Peter Rainer, Joe Pesci performance, Marisa Tomei performance, courtroom comedy, legal procedures, fish out of water, Oscar-winning performance, James Rebhorn performance, lawyer profession, justice system, Hollywood Reporter, Chicago Tribune, New Yorker, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, Tilt Magazine, film-authority.com, TheIndependentCritic.com, Gone With The Twins, Maclean’s Magazine, Smash Cut Reviews, accurate, realistic, witty, sharp, funny, delightful, Joe Pesci’s crazy mouth, Marisa Tomei’s bouyant and combative chemistry, legal drama, memorable moments, good storyline, nice ending, top horror movies to watch now, RT Podcasts, most anticipated movies, most anticipated TV & streaming, all MCU movies ranked by Tomatometer, renewed & cancelled TV shows 2022, best 2022 horror movies ranked by Tomatometer, TV premiere dates 2022, worst horror movies of all time, best Netflix series & shows
Worldwide gross: $64,088,552
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $137,183,183
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 878
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 14,959,998
US/Canada gross: $52,929,168
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $113,296,237
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 663
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,416,751
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $15,875,745
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 760
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $23,545,781
Production budget ranking: 1,277
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,679,403
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $100,957,999
ROI to date (est.): 279%
ROI ranking: 489
Marisa Tomei – Mona Lisa Vito
Ralph Macchio – Bill Gambini
Mitchell Whitfield – Stan Rothenstein
Fred Gwynne – Judge Chamberlain Haller
Lane Smith – Jim Trotter III
Director(s)
Jonathan Lynn
Writer(s)
Dale Launer
Producer(s)
Dale Launer, Paul Schiff
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
5 wins & 6 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Winners
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (8)
My Cousin Vinny slumps badly as the courtroom scenes drag on; but when Tomei is on screen, even the jury wakes up.
January 4, 2018
Anthony Lane
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Vinny is a winning character and Pesci’s performance as the beleaguered litigant is terrific – cranked yet cuddly.
March 13, 2017
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
With such canny scene-stealers as Gwynne, Smith, Pendleton, McGill and Chaykin filling out the cast, it is very hard for My Cousin Vinny to go wrong, and indeed, for the purpose of pleasant Saturday night entertainment, it does not.
April 30, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Marisa Tomei, as Vinny’s fiance, imbues the most obligatory reactions with either a startling ferocity or a farcical ambiguity worthy of her character’s name: Mona Lisa Vito.
April 30, 2014
Michael Sragow
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
The movie sags as Vinny sets out to demolish the patently shaky case and dubious witnesses for the prosecution. Pesci does his best, but a lawyer’s suit on him becomes a straitjacket.
April 30, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
As Vincent Gambini, a swaggering pint-sized New York lawyer who only recently passed the bar on his sixth try, Pesci modulates his usual psycho-nuttiness and gives it some recognizably human, even melancholy, undertones.
April 30, 2014
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The film has been praised by lawyers as one of the more realistic movies about the justice system and the lawyer profession, and certainly one of the most successful ones at drawing humor from a courtroom setting (35th anniversary)
March 19, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Silver
Tilt Magazine
…a minor gem of a movie, without pretention, but smart and clever in the way the narrative brings all sides together in the on-going search for justice….
January 12, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
While it certainly does feed into some stereotypes, it seems to do so with a certain amount of affection.
September 17, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Thanks to director Lynn’s own legal expertise, a level of authenticity amusingly lingers amidst the drama, clever personas, alluring storyline, and convivial performances.
September 16, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
In My Cousin Vinny, a careless miscarriage of justice serves as the premise for a courtroom comedy that is funnier than it has any right to be.
October 9, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
My Cousin Vinny proves that well-written and superbly delivered jokes belong in comedies.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Karl Delossantos
Smash Cut Reviews…
Plot
Bill Gambini and Stanley Rothenstein are two friends from New York University who just received scholarships to UCLA. They decide to drive through the South. Once they arrive in Alabama, they stop at a local convenience store to pick up a few snacks. But, no sooner than they leave the store, they are arrested. They had thought that they were arrested for shoplifting, but they were arrested for murder and robbery. Worse, they are facing execution for this crime. Bill and Stan do not have enough money for a lawyer, so the good news is that Bill has a lawyer in his family, his cousin, Vincent Laguardia Gambini. The bad news is that Vinny is an inexperienced lawyer who has not been at a trial. So, Vinny has to defend his clients and battle an uncompromising judge, some tough locals, and even his fiancée, Mona Lisa Vito, who just does not know when to shut up, to prove his clients’ innocence. But he will soon realize that he is going to need help.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Marisa Tomei won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in My Cousin Vinny.
Jonathan-Lynn.jpg
