Normally, the judge doesn't need to vet the attorneys upfront. But, in this case, Vinny is a lawyer from another state, so the judge is required to approve him on a "pro hac vice" basis. This is actually one of the most legally-accurate films ever made.

This movie is commonly quoted in law classes as by far Hollywood's most realistic depiction of an actual trial

Marisa Tomei is a goddess and rules every second she is on the screen in "My Cousin Vinny". She stole the stage, my heart, and completely deserved that Academy Award she won for this role.

Marisa Tomei absolutely deserved her Academy Award for this role. Her role was one of the greatest performances I have seen in a comedy. 😂

This movie is one of the most accurate courtroom movies that has come out of hollywood. Besides being funny as shit, they did a surprisingly good job of showing some of the laws of evidence used in a trial. Love it!

Everyone fell in love with Marisa Tomei in this movie when it came out. The Judge was famous as Herman from the TV Series The Munsters, which is worth watching. Or at least the intro.

George was frustrated at the beginning of the movie confusion, but I was so frustrated with George being so confused. They were being accused of robbery and murder with witnesses identifying them and the car. Them saying oh sorry, we thought we were talking about tuna was not going to get them release. It’s not an easy case at all. Their being held on murder charges, tuna was irrelevant at that point.

Technically Sheriff Farley didn't lie when he said "on a hunch". He just didn't specify that it was Vinnys hunch, not his own.

"How realistic or far-fetched is this?" My father is a lawyer and this movie is tied with "Legally Blonde" as his favorite courtroom movies in part because they're pretty damn accurate. I understand that a lot of lawyers love these two movies for that reason as well. As for the absurdity of the mistaken identity scenario, legal history is full of things that actually happened that are far more bizarre. This movie is trying to be nice and making this all an honest mistake despite everyone being competent and doing their job correctly, which *does* happen, but infuriatingly often, people just get railroaded because of laziness, incompetence, or political optics.

The beginning of this movie demonstrates very well why you should never speak to the police by yourself, never without legal counsel present. If he had lawyered up immediately the first thing the lawyer would ask is "what is my client being charged with?" and then you avoid the false 'confessions' to murder and accessory to murder. Always speak to law enforcement through your lawyer and never by yourself, even or perhaps especially if you don't think you did anything illegal because you never know what's going on with the cops behind the scenes. In the US once you waive your right to remain silent anything you say can be used against you in court, including misinterpretations and misunderstandings. ALWAYS demand a lawyer but otherwise KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.

Something I really like about this movie is that there aren't any real villains - the cops aren't corrupt, the judge isn't corrupt, the prosecuting attourney isn't corrupt. Everyone's trying to get at the truth of the matter, and it's a simple case of mistaken identity gone too far. The "antagonist" is the situation, not a person.

I think it's reasonable to conclude that Marisa Tomei's 5 minutes on the witness stand is what put her over the top for that Oscar victory.

“I’m holding you in contempt of court!” “There’s a fucking surprise” Favorite line of the whole movie

Marisa Tomei IS great in this movie, giving one of the funniest (semi-) contemporary comedy performances in the last 40 years. Her efforts were celebrated with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, one of the few times a comedy movie won an Oscar, something that is even more rare when it is for acting. Shockingly, there was a controversy around it at the time, where people asked if Jack Palance read the wrong name when announcing the winner. Nonsense! Also, if you two haven't seen Clue -- I don't remember it on the channel -- that's another great comedy by the same director as this film, Jonathan Lynn.

Marisa Tomei is magnificent, but she's SO awesome (and so damn STUNNING) in this film, she absolutely deserved the Oscar.

The "Two Yutes" bit between Vinnie and the judge was based on a real-life accent-interpretation problem between Joe Pesci and the film's director, during production. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, they (correctly) decided that it was funny enough that it should be added to the film. Also - your edit doesn't directly show this, so it's unclear if this joke 'landed' with you: A scene in the film shows the jail corridor with sounds of a prison riot occurring. Then the camera pans over to Vinnie, who is sleeping like a baby during the riot. That gives a new context to all the previous scenes of 'stupid noises preventing him from sleeping.' No, it was •unfamiliar, country noises• that kept him up. As soon as he was surrounded by •familiar city noises•, he slept with no problem! 😀

Simone is correct, the music in Vinny’s intro scene is meant to be blaring out of his car.

The judge is played by Fred Gwynne. He is most known for playing Herman Munster in the Munsters. He was also the neighbor in the original Pet Semetary

I always loved how respectfully Vinny treated Mrs. Riley.

I love Lisa. She's so incredible. Even the judge has a crush on her by the end. I love Vinny too. They were so funny.

Fred Gwynne (the judge) is awesome in this movie. It’s also his last film performance. He passed away the year after this movie was released. He is also well known as Herman Munster, of the tv series “The Munsters”. Such an iconic series, and a huge part of my personal childhood. You might also recognize him if you ever saw the original Pet Cemetery movie He plays the old man that tells them about the cemetery

That is indeed what a Screech Owl sounds like. I have foxes in the woods behind my house and they have a bark that sounds pretty eerie as well. I always liken it to the sound of a ghost child shrieking, it’s freaky.

“Why don’t they just tell them they didn’t do it?” Ya cause no criminals ever thought of that to be let go. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 these kids that think they are so smart.

Joe Pesci was in a movie with Brendan Fraser called "With Honors" that is a must watch, completely different movie than what you're used to seeing him in.

This is such a great movie, and Marisa Tomei just steals the film. No wonder she won an Oscar for the role. If you really want to see Joe Pesci in a role where he's not a villianous sort, you can't miss "With Honors". Absolutely an amazing film and well worth watching. Others starring in "With Honors" include Brendan Frazier, Moira Kelly, and Patrick Dempsey while he was still young and geeky. Great review!

I love this movie. It’s one of the few comedies where all the jokes and bits still land even after fifty or sixty viewings. Lol I still quote this movie a lot, especially when I’m with friends and we’re going to a restaurant we’ve never been before to. “Breakfast?” “You think?” Lol

Marisa is a timeless beauty. I had a crush on her ever since this movie was on VHS. I even remember my parents renting this when it was released for rental. This had the whole family dying of laughter. Absolute great movie. A legend/classic movie amongst my family.

Wow I have never seen someone react this way to this movie lol. George's patience was zero

In my law classes in college this movie was cited often as it is the most accurate depiction of a trial process of any movie.

At around 8:08, Judges normally don't have to meet the lawyers before the trial but this is a special case. Vinny is from out of state and thus doesn't have a license in Alabama. The judge has to approve him representing the defendant. This movie does take some licenses with the way the law works in a courtroom but it's better than most. Check out LegalEagle's reaction to this movie to get a better sense of how accurate it is.

I've been in love with Marisa Tomei for 30 years because of this movie. 🥰

Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for this role. So awesome. One of my all-time favorite movies. You'll watch this EVERY time it comes on TV, trust me.

Don't let the tag line fool you. This movie is an outstanding homage to the American legal system.

This movie's emotional range and arc is amazing. It somehow manages to deliver an immensely satisfying conclusion even though the adversity is never really threatening.

This movie is so accurate to the trial process and procedure in particular that it is actually shown in law schools as a teaching aid as is claimed by many attorneys who also state this is their favorite film.

Congratulations on finding this absolute gem of a movie. For another dose of Joe Pesci you should enjoy continuing the Lethal Weapon series you have already started. Marisa Tomei won Best supporting actor Oscar for this performance and rightly so. The screenwriter also wrote Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Steve Martin, Michael Caine) which I highly recommend.

Legal Eagle did a great video reacting to the legal accuracy of this movie. It's apparently pretty darned accurate when compared to most legal movies.

The movie is logical and generally legally accurate. The two "utes" made the mistake of talking to the police without a lawyer present. A lawyer would have explained the charges and the collected evidence. The police had no obligation to explain anything.

“The judge is scary”!?! That’s Fred Gwynne! He’s the most huggable monster ever. And the best TV dad.

Absolute classic and started a generation off on a Tomei infatuation. She was most definitely the best part of the film and won awards for her performance.

Honestly people do get railroaded and wrongful convictions happen. Before I decided to major in psychology I was strongly considering criminology, and after taking a couple classes, including one that was all about wrongful convictions(which happen a LOT more than you’d think)the most important thing I learned is that you should never under any circumstances talk to the cops, always immediately ask for a lawyer, if they don’t arrest you then they can’t keep you, and if they either don’t read you your rights or don’t give you a lawyer once you’ve asked for one, and you can prove that they didn’t, you can get whatever is said after that point thrown out.

Number one rule with cops, especially if you're innocent: Keep Your Mouth Shut And Lawyer Up Immediately. The "can and will be used against you" part of the Miranda Rights is there for a reason. That part is far more realistic and far more common than people are led to believe.

My favorite thing about this movie is how respectful it is to everyone. So many take every opportunity to shit all over the south. It’s a different culture and the movie was fair to all parties. The cops, judge, and prosecutor pursued the case passionately but fairly. They weren’t trying to railroad the little Yankees - they had good cause to believe they were the killers. When they were shown to be innocent, the prosecutor gladly dropped the case with a smile on his face. The locals were portrayed very accurately as well. Just regular folks, and no, the accents are not over the top. We don’t all talk that way but many do, especially in rural areas.

The confession scene is extremely accurate. False confessions are given all the time. The, people are often pressured into confessing to things to get a lighter sentence in order to avoid trial. Often a DA doesn't really want to go to trial so if you make them they will charge a defendant with the biggest charges they think they can win and ask for the biggest amount of jail time. The defendant is threatened with huge jail time and told how the jury will see him as just a criminal (which is very common especially for people of color) and when faced with 10 years or 2 years and out in a few months on parole people will sometimes just plead to a crime they didn't commit.

The Sheriff lied about looking up the car "on a hunch" because his testimony would've been inadmissible if he admitted he was doing it to help Vinny's case. He was doing Vinny a favor, and taking a big personal risk to get the truth out, but at that point he was convinced of the defendants' innocence and wanted to help make things right.

For the actual courtroom scenes this is regarded as one of the most accurate portrayal of how trials actually go. I watched scenes from this movie in my evidence class.

The actor who played the public defender said that this was one of his hardest roles because he first took up acting to help him with his actual stammer!

I love all the subtle touches here and there (i.e. Mr. Tipton giving a quick look at a juror during his grits remark and her giving a knowing smile back). It's polish like that that makes everything feel so much more real.

The judge who is the guy who played Herman Munster on the 60's sitcom The Munsters.

So it drives George crazy when characters don't say everything they know? I'd like to see him watch some old comedies like, say, Top Hat with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Misunderstanding is an age-old source of humor. Marisa Tomei won the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for portraying Mona Lisa Vito. People were surprised, because it wasn't the type of role or performance that usually gets recognition from the Academy. There were rumors that there was some sort of mistake, and that the Oscar was supposed to have gone to one of the other nominees. This is ridiculous, of course. Her performance in My Cousin Vinny really was great, and as we've seen since then, if they make a mistake in awarding the Oscar to the wrong party, they immediately correct it. The rumors were very unfair to Marisa Tomei. I hope by now people realize how good she is. The judge with the "obscenely large skull" was played by Fred Gwynne. He also played Herman Munster in the sixties TV comedy The Munsters. Before that, he was Officer Muldoon in Car 54, Where Are You? My Cousin Vinny was his last real movie. The same year that My Cousin Vinny came out (1992), he voiced Edwin Stanton in the TV documentary Lincoln.

I love Vinny sleeping soundly through the riot because he's from New York and used to that kind of noise.

I can watch this anytime it's on and laugh like it's the first viewing. Fred Gwynne's voice and presence are just as amazing as James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman. My favorite movie judge ever. The hotel room foreplay scene is so good at showing how both are just a natural lawyer and mechanic, respectively.

It's not ridiculous and it's not 'illogical'! The police think they know who did it, or more to the point they think they can make a case against them whether they did it or not. It's not as easy as 'oh, actually, I just stole a can of tuna', like no suspect has ever changed his story or come up with a weird excuse under questioning. The police don't care - they think they have their guy. It's not 'unbelievable' or stupid, it's a prime example of why you never talk to the police alone. EDIT: never mind, I'm tapping out

This is one of the few perfect movies. everybody comes out smiling

She won an oscar for her part in this.

Fun reaction, George's laughter is contagious. Marisa Tomei's best movie might be the early rom-com with a very young Robert Downey Jr -- "Only You."

Legal Eagle did an episode on this. It was decently accurate. The reason they needed to meet the judge was because he's only a lawyer in NY, so he needed special permission to practice anywhere else.

George, chill. :) You should know by now that many comedies are built on misunderstandings and what is not said.

A great fish-out-of-water comedy that still provides LOL moments thanks largely to its cast - Pesci is tailor-made for a New Yorker out of his element (and yes he can do comedies HOME ALONE anyone?) and the divine Tomei who proved she was no fluke with her justified Oscar win (yeah it was an 'upset'; so fucking what!) with her Noo Yawk accent and the hair and yes those great outfits! Kudos also to director Jonathan Lynn ( a British filmmaker) in hitting all the slapstick and funny business all around (that drumstick scene alone is gold). Also props to the late great character actors Lane Smith (as the prosecutor), James Rebhorn as the FBI expert and of course Fred Gwynne as the dispeptic judge (best known for his immortal Herman Munster of the classic '60s sitcom THE MUNSTERS and Stephen King's PET SEMATARY). Great watch as always guys.

Marisa Tomei has that Paul Rudd anti aging thing going on. Such a great flick.

I've never seen anyone watch this movie and describe it as infuriating 😂

To be honest every time I watch this film I fall in love with Marissa. I also only watch the Spiderman movies just for her. She is brilliant and a tremendous actress. You should check out her early stuff in "A Different World"

Before "Vinny," I only knew Marisa as Maggie in season 1 of the sitcom "A Different World." She was just as adorable there.

I'm a licensed attorney in the State of Michigan. This movie is very accurate to the law. Besides the time compression required for the narrative, the only thing which is grossly inaccurate is the two defendants being tried at the same time. As one was a principal and the other was an accessory, their defense interests are materially adverse because they could accuse each other as being the actual principal or coercing the other. So they couldn't both have Vinny as an attorney or be tried at the same time for issues related to the fifth and sixth amendment. But it's a great movie and is actually a good tutorial on how to cross examine witnesses effectively.

This and “the rainmaker” are the two movies that are most realistic from a courtroom legal standpoint (according to lawyers I know). You can’t just practice law anywhere in the US. You generally have to pass the bar in each state or be approved by the judge, sometimes sponsored by a local attorney. It mostly depends on the case, judge and local jurisdictions. Again I’m not a lawyer but this is my understanding.

Lawyers apparently love this movie , aside from the quick pacing of the trial it is very legally accurate

Marisa Tomei won an Academy Award for this role🔥 Ralph Macchio is most famous for “Karate Kid”🔥

Marisa Tomei took the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in this movie.

My ex-wife and I love this movie. When ever we would watch it, I would see my ex mouthing along with the dialogue. :D Marisa Tomei fully deserved her Oscar for this, because she carried this film. She was amazing.

Marissa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for this movie

Every time I see this movie I fall in love with Marisa all over again! Lol She's fantastic in this, absolutely deserved that academy award. 👍

This movie is extremely accurate on court procedure, so accurate in fact that it is shown to students in law school to give them an idea of what to expect

Honestly shocked you've never seen this before. Such a classic. One of those movies I can watch over and over!

This has to be one of my favorite movies. It's so out of nowhere, because looking at everything about it you'd expect it to suck. But it's one of the best, and i've seen it dozens of times by now.

It was actually filmed in Georgia, and if the judge looked familiar, it's because he played Herman in the sitcom, The Munsters.

If you love Marisa Tomei, absolutely check out Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead. She stars alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, and Albert Finney, and it’s stunning from start to finish. The Wrestler is another one where she totally nails her part.

George says this movie is driving him crazy? Pssst, George: It is a COMEDY! And you laughed at just about every scene which "drove you crazy". LOL

"Two yutes" is one of my top 5 favorite lines in movie history.

The judge is Herman Munster. He was also the neighbor across the highway in "Pet Semetary"

Another great 90s courtroom film is a "A Few Good Men" starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, & Jack Nicholson. It's less accurate than this movie, but it's written by Aaron Sorkin who's well-known for fantastic dialogue. The actor for the FBI analyst is also in "Scent of a Woman" starring Al Pacino, which has sort of a college courtroom scene of its own. All three films came out in 1992, a great year for dialogue in cinema. Including Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" & David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" also starring Al Pacino alongside Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, & Kevin Spacey.

All the misunderstandings in the beginning had to happen to establish that the judge, sheriff, and prosecuting attorney are just wrong but not corrupt. They legitimately think they have the right people.

My ex loves this movie (don’t ever marry a lawyer). Luckily, I love it too, cuz I’ve seen it a thousand times, but it still stands up. So many great performances, so much hilarious fish out of water comedy, and as a southerner, it’s especially dear to my heart (no, I DO NOT use instant grits!). Just a great flick, great story, great characters, great acting. Love it.

One of the best comedies ever made. Marisa Tomei was GENIUS

It's cool that the Simone knows enough to go as far back as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Now, she needs to go back as far as "The Munsters" (or better yet, "Car 54, Where Are You?"), to learn about Fred Gwynne's previous work. Once you see Herman Munster, it's pretty impressive that Fred Gwynne can also pull off such a stern judge character.

The Judge was played by Fred Gwynne a brute of a man standing 6 foot 5 inches he was best known for his portrayal of Herman Munster on "The Munsters". He was a kind and caring man who also enjoyed illustrating and writing children's books

I would love to see George be a judge. See if he would allow the lawyers to act out in court.

The actor who plays the judge was in the original " The Munsters " tv show & also in the movie " Pet Cemetery ".

Watch "The Wrestler" because Marisa Tomei was great in that also.

Marisa Tomei was soooo awesome in this movie! She deserved that Oscar! 😍

The actor who plays the Judge also played Herman Munster (Frankenstein) in the 60's tv show the Munsters.

For someone who hates “illogic”, this guy was illogically annoyed. To the point of cursing! Dude thinks he’s Spock when he just seems inexperienced

🙋‍♂️ How do you get mad watching My Cousin Vinny? That’s on you.

Marisa absolutely OWNED this role! Soooo snarky and funny...she was brilliant in this 👏👏👏

Marisa shows her range in my favorite movie, The Wrestler. It’s definitely worth checking out

8:10 He's licensed to practice law in New York. Not in Alabama. So, apparently the judge has the ability to reject him as suitable representation. Which is why he's lying about his legal career. To make it seem like he's more experienced than he is.

Academy Award™ Winner Marisa Tomei. Excellent performance!

As far as pure enjoyability, I would put this movie up there with Forest Gump, Groundhog Day, Back to the Future, etc. It's one of those movies that I will watch any time it's on TV and never get tired of it.

Idk if someone else commented this, but When Vinny stays in jail the joke is that the noise and sirens are supposed to be reminiscent of the familiar sounds of New York City. That is why he sleeps so comfortably. Such an awesome movie!!

She won the Oscar for this movie.

I grew up in Alabama (my first 24 years). Regarding the accents, they are mostly accurate. There are plenty of people in Bama who have similar accents to some in the film, but there are many who don't have much of a southern accent at all. Even in Alabama there are regional variations to the accent, and a lot of the variation dovetails with rural v. urban populations. There are a few obvious fake accents in this movie, though. Most of the time when actors fake southern accents they go with a stereotypical Savannah accent (think Foghorn Leghorn but slower), and you can spot a few of those in this movie.