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My Cousin Vinny

My Cousin Vinny

Comedy · Drama · 1992

Two carefree pals traveling through rural Alabama on their way back to college are mistakenly arrested and charged with murder. Fortunately, one of them has a cousin who's a lawyer - Vincent Gambini, a former auto mechanic from Brooklyn who has just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. When he arrives with his leather-clad girlfriend to try his first case, it's a real shock - for him and the Deep South!

Movie details

My Cousin Vinny

“There have been many courtroom dramas that have glorified the Great American Legal System. This is not one of them.”

1992 Comedy · Drama 1h 59m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

Two carefree pals traveling through rural Alabama on their way back to college are mistakenly arrested and charged with murder. Fortunately, one of them has a cousin who's a lawyer - Vincent Gambini, a former auto mechanic from Brooklyn who has just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. When he arrives with his leather-clad girlfriend to try his first case, it's a real shock - for him and the Deep South!

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over My Cousin Vinny?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jonathan Lynn

Written by

Dale Launer

Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio

Bill Gambini

Joe Pesci

Joe Pesci

Vinny Gambini

Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei

Mona Lisa Vito

Mitchell Whitfield

Mitchell Whitfield

Stan Rothenstein

Fred Gwynne

Fred Gwynne

Judge Chamberlain Haller

Lane Smith

Lane Smith

Jim Trotter III

Austin Pendleton

Austin Pendleton

John Gibbons

Court is in session

Put My Cousin Vinny on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.