My Cousin Vinny ⚖️

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend.

Today’s movie is the classic comedy My Cousin Vinny (1992)—streaming on Hulu—which was one of the movies I watched obsessively growing up. The film would somewhat controversially win Marissa Tomei the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress—a rare acting win for a comedy. The win was such a surprise that some people speculated that Jack Palance, who was announcing the category, drunkenly read the wrong name. However, in my opinion, Tomei earned that Oscar.

Here’s what it’s about: After Billy (Ralph Macchio) and his friend Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are wrongly accused of murder while driving through rural Alabama, he calls on his cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), a Brooklyn mechanic who just passed the bar exam after his sixth try, for help. Let’s just say Alabama and Brooklyn don’t mix. [Trailer // 120 mins]

Why you should watch it: Screenwriter Dale Launer had the difficult task of balancing a compelling courtroom comedy with the New Yorker in the deep s…