This engaging and hilarious comedy from Clue director Jonathan Lynn, is an absolute delight from start to finish. The direction is top notch, and there is a fresh and irreverent screenplay. The film has plenty of priceless moments, the courtroom scenes were particularly strong, but the gag about Vinny being woken up by something everywhere he sleeps, and the argument about the dripping faucet were hilarious. Plus the ridiculous looking suit Vinny wears in one scene. The plot tells of two youths being accused of first degree murder, and here comes the film's ongoing joke, what is worse than being accused of murder? Why having Vincent Gambini as your lawyer of course! Moving on, there is lovely scenery and photography, but for me the best element of the film was the perfect performance of Joe Pesci as Vinny, a performance that ensures plenty of laughs whether in or out of the courtroom. Out of the supporting performances, Ralph Macchio and Fred Gwynne were both great, but Marissa Tomei was just wonderful here, sexy and feisty is what Tomei does best. I for one never doubted the innocence of the defendants, but the film's conclusion was so exceedingly clever, I felt completely satisfied at the end of the film. Although I didn't see this until recently, My Cousin Vinny is up there with Clue and Oscar as one of my all time favourite movies, that's how good it is. 10/10 Bethany Cox

My Cousin Vinny if it does nothing else sets forth the proposition that it's a good thing to have a lawyer in the family. Can you imagine what a good defense attorney might have cost Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield if Pesci was not Macchio's cousin Vinny?

Of course for a lot of the film that does not seem like a good idea because not only is Pesci a newly minted attorney, but he's a Brooklyn Italian trying a case among the good old boys in Alabama. The culture clash is shocking and Pesci can't seem to do anything, but irritate the judge Fred Gwynne with his manner and dress.

These two 'youts' are in quite a jackpot. Driving through Beechum County, Alabama they stop at a convenience store and Macchio forgets to pay for some twinkies. When the cops stop them, they confess to the accidental burglary, but in fact the convenience store clerk had just been shot and killed by two other 'youts'. Macchio and Whitfield are arrested for murder and armed robbery.

This very serious situation even while the audience never forgets how serious it is for the boys, the film concentrates on the culture clash between Joe Pesci and the residents of Beechum County from whom a jury will be chosen.

Aiding and abetting Pesci is girlfriend Marisa Tomei, a beautician who has an encyclopedic knowledge of auto mechanics having been raised in a family of them. She also is a quick study on courtroom procedure and Alpha male that Pesci is, Tomei really does save him, especially during the trial itself. Not to mention the boys.

So very few Oscars are given for comic performances and I think Marisa Tomei was as surprised as everyone else when she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I'm sure she thought she was there to round out the field, but she won it and she's nothing short of brilliant, especially in her scenes in the courtroom.

I would also take note of prosecutor Lane Smith, the down home southern lawyer who's used to winning and doesn't like being upstaged by a Yankee in his home town. My Cousin Vinny also was the farewell performance for Fred Gwynne who until this last role was best known as Herman Munster. He and Pesci play off each other beautifully.

So if you've got an argumentative sort in your family, encourage him or her in the direction of the legal profession. My Cousin Vinny is the best argument I can make for that proposition.

Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stanley Rothenstein are friends from NYC on their way to UCLA driving through Alabama. Bill accidentally takes a can from a convenience store. When the cops stop them, they think it's for shoplifting. It turns out that they are getting charged with murder. They have no money so Bill's mom gets cousin Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci). Vinny brings his car expert girlfriend Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei). It's Vinny's first murder case and his first trial. He only passed the bar six weeks ago after 6 times trying. He starts lying to Judge Chamberlain Haller (Fred Gwynne) for his approval.

Vinny is not simply a brash Italian New Yorker. He's filled with doubt and trying to bluff his way through it. He's not necessarily the most appealing character at the start but he grows on you. Marisa Tomei was the big discovery at the time. She's absolutely wonderful. She puts a fair comedy over the top.