My Cousin Vinny is a film that is hard not to love. As a hilarious comedy about a murder case that hinges on mistaken identity, it pits neophyte New York lawyer Vincent Gambini against Southern D.A. Jim Trotter in a little Alabama courtroom presided over by the hard-line Judge Chamberlain Haller. The movieÆs comic appeal alone makes it well worth watchingùrepeatedly, in factùbut interwoven into the fabric of the story are themes worthy of discussion: stereotyping, the legal system, family values, and the relationship between the characters played by Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, Vinny and Lisa.
Stereotyping is used in the movie both as a comic device and as social commentary. When the two accused boys, Bill and Stan, make their one allowed phone call to BillÆs mother, he tells her, ôWe think theyÆre trying to set us up as patsies, Ma. You know how corrupt it is down here. They all know each otherö (ôMy Cousin Vinnyö). Not satisfied with this explanation, Stan adds, ôThe KlanÆs here. TheyÆre inbred. They sleep with their sistersö (ôMy Cousin Vinnyö). When the deputy glares at him, he softens the statement slightlyùôSome of them doö (ôMy Cousin Vinnyö). The implication behind the humorous stereotype is that Southerners are racist, corrupt, small-minded cretinsùunlike the nice, family-oriented Italians in BillÆs family.
Vinny and Lisa are typical New Yorkers, arriving in the muddy Alabama town in New York street wearùVinny in a leather jacket with gold around his neck, and Lisa also in leather and a trendy short skirt. In the small Alabama town where the trial is being held, they look like fish out of water, and the contrast makes for an excellent playoff against the slow-moving town with its ôgood ole boysö and rural atmosphere. VinnyÆs appearance in city clothes contrasts humorously with the stereotypical lawyer dressed in a three-piece business suit and tie. His lack of courtroom experience po...