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I'm so glad I finally watched this one! The second Billy's mom sent Vinny down to Alabama, it gave the purest Italian "we've got lawyers at home" energy LOL. Like the legal equivalent of "we don't need McDonald's, there's food in the fridge". I know I've touched on it in the comments when people ask about my heritage, but the 50% of Italian in me absolutely loved the familiar cultural rhythm of family improvising solutions with absolute confidence, even when those solutions aren't always conventional.Joe Pesci absolutely owned this role. I love how he played Vinny with equal parts chaos, brilliance, street smart charm, and accidental hero. His timing? Sharper than a tailor in Little Italy. Every line felt like it came with a cultural wink. And Marisa Tomei... My gooooosh. She didn't act, she just arrived in pure queen form. She walked in, stole the scene, fixed the plot, and looked AMAZING while doing it. There was such a fierce softness to her. A perfect blend of devotion, intelligence, and raw attitude that left me smiling every time she opened her mouth. She was every Italian woman I've ever known, distilled into pure cinematic perfection!By the end of this movie I was charmed, uplifted, and genuinely touched. It's rare to watch a comedy film and still walk away feeling like you've met real people and not just characters on a screen. And as someone with deep Italian roots, it hit every note: loyalty, love, flair for drama, and the absolute conviction that family will figure it out even if it looks like a dumpster fire along the way.Thank you all for the heavy recommendations! I'm falling more and more for these court room movies every time I see another! So, see you in the next one :) Thank you for your support on Patreon!Relax and enjoy 🍿🌿SYNC ALONG LINK: https://youtu.be/ow_rfDEEHWEI watched this on Amazon Prime

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The Dingo

Tonight will be a great Turkey Day Eve!

20 16

What's hilarious is Joe pesci I've known him for comedy from home alone . Until later I come to find out he is most known for his role in Mafia movies . Definitely u need to check out goodfellas and casino . What a 180 of a character personality lol

Fanchman

Some more useless G-whiz information 😁: Apparently, many law schools recommend their students watch My Cousin Vinny due to its accuracy in courtroom procedure, expert testimony, cross examination and courtroom decorum, among other things. Yes the movie is Hollywoodized, but it does get a decent amount of legal stuff right.

Raymond Guerra

Marisa was my teenage crush for sure. This movie is so funny without resorting to being stupid. The situations are relatable. Love the idiot and 200 dollars thread. Every washed up high-school alpha ever.

rubberkidney

do i have a copy of thi...nvm kalis got me. i wont ask the particulars im sure you have it covered.

Richard

There are certain things about law/courtroom dramas that I love, and some that I can't stand. Of course like any normal person I hate the corruption and sleaze that is always below the surface, especially when it comes to defense attorneys for pedophiles, drugs dealers, violent felons, etc. I also don't like that law books are 3,000,000 pages thick when right/wrong and guilty/not guilty ought to be a little more simple than that. I hate that they would rather risk 10,000 violent criminals walking the streets rather than miss one small sub-paragraph of their law. I hate that so many people lie under oath, it means nothing to them. OK so that's a lot of negative but . . . . I looove watching the process of a skilled litigator proving his case, poking holes in the defense attorney's arguments, manipulating the guilty party into confession, etc. I love the stuff that comes before, like the people who gather the forensic, dna, and other evidence and how they skillfully use it during the trial. I like how they use the plea bargain process to obtain the result they want, and the result that will provide peace and justice for the injured party. This movie is hilarious because Vinny seems so inept but makes up for it with passion, fearlessness, and tenacity. Marissa Tomei's accent is to die for haha. It is funny that a lot of folks think you have some Asian ancestry, but Italian totally makes sense. Are you a massive fan of Italian food? (besides pizza lol)

Chris

Lawyer here--you're definitely right that law schools tend to say it's a particularly good representation. One most of the things you listed it's good, but one wouldn't say it's actually accurate--except for, when it comes to cross examinations, it's GREAT. Vinny's cross of the leaf guy is GOATed. He takes such a small thing (there are some minor obstructions to the guy's view), and by draaaawing it out through a series of small, inarguable building blocks, he makes the guy look like an IDIOT. That's how you do a cross.

SultanOfSwing

One of my favorite all time movies.

TheJoeKerr

Ralph Macchio (Billy Gambini) is the main character of the Karate Kid movies I recommended a short time ago. And you also said this was your first Joe Pesci movie, that means you HAVE TO watch the movie Home Alone for Christmas!

Al Batista

Definitely one of my favorite movies. Glad you loved it too. You’ll also be happy to know that Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for that role. Well-deserved.

McShades

I've been called for Jury Duty so many times over the years... basically both lawyers question protentional jurors and they can each excuse like 10 people. (I don't remember the exact number). But if a Lawyer thinks you would vote against their client then they would dismiss you. I don't think the Judge can say if a Lawyer can do the job if the Lawyer practices from their home state, I think it's only when the Lawyer is coming from out of town that a Judge can question their qualifications. You should watch Runaway Jury (2003) for your next Lawyer movie, it gets into the Jury picking process.

kaliwali

Ahhh I'll have to check those out sometime!

kaliwali

Ahh that's pretty neat honestly!

kaliwali

Yess, very smart comedy! I loved Marisa in this so I totally get it!

kaliwali

Of course I love italian food! But I agree this movie was amazing and I really loved it for being such a smart comedy!

kaliwali

Yes! That'd be a fun one to finally see since I finally got my intro to Joe Pesci!

kaliwali

Ooo I'll add Runaway Jury! I've been lucky enough to not have Jury Duty yet (knock on wood)

Joe

Great reaction. Lawyer here, although not criminal, trial, or Alabama lawyer, but I can try with a few questions. Picking juries can vary depending on court, such as state, federal, etc. However generally each side questions potential jurors and then can veto people they think would be too biased to the other side. It can be based on factors such as their experiences (such as have they been sued or been in accidents), it can be based on their jobs (would you want an x-ray tech in a case that relies on x-rays) or demographics (race or would you want a parent on a jury involving a crime against a child.) As you read, as the judge oversees the trial, they also can decide if needed. If someone said "fry him" during that process, you can bet the defendant would veto that person as a juror. In regard to why he would lie about his background, he obviously shouldn't have. Lying to a judge is not a good idea. However, the reason he felt he needed to is that he is not a licensed attorney in Alabama. You can get special permission to try cases in other states, such as for a family member, but the court would have to approve you to do so. So, he wanted to improve his credentials so the court would let him move forward. So glad you are liking these courtroom movies. And you are picking up legal processes from movies to movies! A few more of these and you will be lying to a judge so they will let you try a case. 2 more if you are looking for recommendations are 12 Angry Men (1957 version) and Erin Brockovich, as they show you different aspects of the legal process.

KJ

Other Courtroom Dramas I think you'd really like, which I've mentioned before - The Good Wife (series) - Primal Fear - A Civil Action - Fracture - A Time To Kill - Erin Brockovich - Lincoln

KamikazeCDN

Haven't seen Home Alone? Well you gotta watch those during December, well at least the first 2, since they're Christmas movies and are fantastic. Joe Pesci has been in a bunch of good movies himself. Goodfellas (1990) & Casino (1995) are both good gangster/crime/dramas. He's also in Lethal Weapon 2, 3 and 4. Another series of movies you should check out at some point. Oh and the guy playing Bill is Ralph Macchio., the star of the 3 Karate Kid movies in the 80s. It's been ages since I've watched this movie so it was borderline a first watch for myself. It was nice to have a reason to check it out again after so many years.

Farbod

Fantastic film. Glad you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Raymond Guerra

2 youts to dead on balls accurate. So quotable

Sterling LaLoge

Just a few short answers to your questions... First, the lawyers don't "pick" the Jury but rather have a certain number of 'Strikes' where they can choose who they don't want to be on the jury. So basically, they narrow the pool of people down and the judge picks from the remaining people that neither side declined. So it is slightly more strategic process in that the lawyers are trying to strike jurors they think will favor the other side while maneuvering their own best candidates so that the other side does not vote to take them off. As for the out of state lawyer being used. Technically, Vinnie is not licensed to practice law in the state of Alabama. Because he took the bar in New York. It is a state license. So there is a procedure to practice out of state. You basically have to petition the court to be issued a temp license for that state to be used just for that trial. It does not matter really that Vinnie did not have experience. Except to his ego. When he lied however, he created a situation where not only did he lie to the court, but that falsification invalidated his representation. so technically the prosecution could charge them again, because there are grounds for mistrial. There are also some issues that can be brought against Vinnie in New York for lying to the judge... but that really gets into the weeds as far as what the movie was for. :) I would really like to suggest A Time to Kill with Matthew McConnaughey, Sandra Bullock and Samuel Jackson. An incredible courtroom drama, but I will warn you there are a couple of really tough scenes. Thanks for the reaction! I appreciate the new format. Keep up the great work!

AnthemUnknown

Same. I know him from Home Alone 1&2 and this movie. I've never seen others. I should, though, I hear he's good.

Glen Roberts

I believe there is also a possible issue with it being declared a mistrial due to a lawyer being declared incompetent as Vinny's total lack of experience of trial cases and/or procedure showed. This would also explain why a judge would want to insure an out-of-state lawyer that he does not know was competent so as not to waste the court's time by having to retry the case again.

AnthemUnknown

I was on jury duty once. I can tell you they put us in a big room. Probably several 100 people. They had a dozen or more trials scheduled to start. So each lawyer selected from the pool. I got called into 3 courtrooms, but ultimately not chosen. Lawyers on both sides can ask you questions and get to choose an equal amount. The opposing lawyer can veto a handful. They also might select a few "alternates" that sit in on the trial, but only participate if one of the originals needs replaced for whatever reason. Also, screech owls are real, but despite the name they don't actually make that screech. That sound is a much bigger bird. Potentially a bigger owl, but not a screech owl.

Chris

Anytime Erin Brockovich comes up I have to stump for Michael Clayton. Both good, and on similar topics, but Clayton is one of my very favorite movies.

Glen Roberts

Yeah, those mafia movies are directed by legendary director Martin Scorsese, who also did The Departed. They have stellar casts in them including Robert DeNiro ( who appears in all 3 movies), Ray Liotta, Sharon Stone, Leonard DiCaprio, Matt Damon and James Woods ( The list goes on ) These movies are must sees for sure.

Brad

I didn't know you live in Ohio! Me too! If this is your first Joe Pesci (pronounced Peshee lol) movie, you're gonna have to see a couple others he's mostly known for: "Casino" and "Goodfellas". The Lethal Weapon movies too I guess. Fantastic movies!!

M1 Maz

Thanks to your reactions, I'm very quickly realizing how much I love courtroom movies! Just following all the psychological twists and turns and mind games. Clinging on to every word. I can tell you've been really enjoying them too, so I'm excited to see what else from this genre you discover too! I love Vinny's character! He looks so disheveled and clueless, and maybe sometimes isn't the brightest bulb in the room, but he's so observant, and of course can talk himself out of any situation haha. Actually kinda reminds me of myself a bit LOL. But Lisa stole the show without a doubt. Her testimony was incredible! She did it with both so much intelligence and sass at the same time. And it was completely accurate too :) I'm glad you mentioned the Italian vibe! I was totally thinking it too throughout the movie and then you went and said it at the end haha. Really loved how the movie felt because of that

Robin Holmes

Love as always Kali! As someone who was a defendant and also a juror, if this helps: The jury pool is huge. Both the Prosecution and Defense get to argue if they do or do not want a Juror. Ultimately, the Judge decides, and often in conflict the Judge will interview the prospective Juror. In my Jury Summons, I was heavily biased for the Prosecution (you cannot openly state that as you have to Swear to be objective) but the Prosecution REALLY wanted me and the Defense absolutely did not. The Judge dismissed me on the case of moral bias. Getting a fully formed Jury can take a minimum of 8 hours.

Steve Mercier

This movie came out when I was 15...and here my unrequited love affair with Marisa Tomei began. It took me a few more years to realize how good of an actress she is.

Joseph Olson

Loved the reaction and this movie. I don't know the laws in Alabama, but where I'm from I recently served on a jury in a criminal case and in that case there was a pool of potential jurors. The judge interviewed each juror. The questions were more along the line of background, occupation, place of residence, etc., and didn't have much to do with the jurors thoughts on the law. It seemed a little weird to me. Anyway, afterwards both the prosecution and the defense got to disqualify a certain number of jurors to whittle it down to 13 (12 jurors and 1 alternate). The jury selection procedure probably varies from state to state. Also, a military tribunal is run differently than a trial in a civilian court. Don't know the specifics, but I do know that the defendants in a military trial do not have the same amount of rights or legal protections as a defendant in a civilian trial. Marisa Tomei stole every scene she was in. I believe she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this movie. Can't remember if she won. The "sc" in Joe Pesci's last name is pronounced "sh" rather than "sk". Finally a fun fact: Fred Gwynne, the actor who played the Judge in this movie also starred as Herman Munster in the '60's tv show The Munsters. I remember watching that show as a kid when they aired the reruns on syndication (which dates me to a large extent). It was a fun show about a bunch of monster types living in a suburban neighborhood. Fred Gwynne played a Frankenstein type monster (complete with neck bolts if I remember correctly). He wasn't scary. He was jovial, well meaning and bumbling. Then there was Grandpa, who was a vampire. Can't really remember the other characters, but I do remember loving it as a kid and making a point to be in front of the tv every day when it would come on.

Eric Stewart

Aunt Maye was amazing then.... and amazing now... and without her, this isn't even a movie!

Paul Walker

Marisa Tomei & Joe Pesci can do comedy and drama as well as anyone!! Also you mentioned how small Joe is in stature which is true but he's such a gifted actor he is completely believable as a scary mobster in Goodfellas and Casino. Then there's his role in the Lethal Weapon movies where he plays a completely different character all together. Lastly as many have mentioned I think Home Alone as a holiday watch this year would be perfect! Edit: You smartly group different genre movies for each week's release. But I just realized for a back to back classic comedy watch it doesn't get much better than Planes, Trains and Automobiles and My Cousin Vinny!!! You've been blessed with the incredible streak of different content the last few weeks especially.

Phil Stubblefield

Yes, Kali, this is not even an option. Home Alone is required Christmas viewing! 😁

Phil Stubblefield

Oh, my gosh, Kali, what a blast! 😁 Others have answered most of your questions, but I'll join with those who have admitted to having a massive crush on Marisa Tomei after seeing this film. What an incredible character: beautiful, intelligent, spirited, *and* stylish! That backless, floral one-piece she was sporting at the old cabin was to die for! 🤩 Something I had never noticed was the irony of the opening song "Way Down South": Way down south, almost to the border; Way down south, don’t need no law and order. Now once you get down there then you’ll see Nothing like southern hospitality! Those lyrics hit quite differently in the context of this movie! 😂 Now that you've seen this film and A Few Good Men, you have to watch the third entry in the courtroom drama trilogy: Legally Blonde. It's not listed on your letterboxd page, and given how you felt about My Cousin Vinny, you'll love it! BTW, I hadn't seen the entirety of this movie in years, so thank you for the opportunity to experience it again with someone new!

Wil Castillo

Please tell me you're watching Home Alone 1 and 2 for Christmas. Joe Pesci is awesome in those films alongside Daniel Stern. Pesci has always been good at playing a tough bad guy or a mob gangster. It's good to see him portraying a protagonist. This is my first time watching My Cousin Vinny. I can't believe I've never seen this. It was a good watch. Also, I think The Sopranos would be a great series for you to get into. It's about an Italian mob boss. It's a really good show.

Paul Wright

I second 12 Angry Men, as well. That was my high school U.S. Government film example on jury duty. Really good film.

Paul Wright

There are 4 Home Alone movies, but no one I know talks about the fourth. The first and second films are classic, and the third is a reboot with larger stakes, so I would recommend those three.

Milton Reduxed

Save the sequel for the following year though

Jagodina

Why do some of these get unedited reactions and some watch alongs?

Jonathan Martin

You need to watch "runaway jury" and you will learn all about Jury selection

Milton Reduxed

Despite being a comedy My Cousin Vinny is regarded as being one of the most procedurally accurate courtroom movies The part when they were deciding whether Mona Lisa could testify as an expert witness was a 'Voir Dire'—a process in law that involves a legal hearing to decide the admissibility of evidence or witness competence

La Baanga

Re: hilly driving, southern Ohio, and southeast particularly has some great hills for driving over. Amish County has roads that feel like old roller coasters and you climb each one at a crawl because you don't know if there's a slow-moving horse and buggy on the other side.

kaliwali

guess I gotta take some trips way down South sometime 🤣

kaliwali

I love that it's actually accurate!

kaliwali

Adding to the list, thank you!

kaliwali

Like Noblegut said. Some of the older ones will be converted to the newer format over time. I only just started this version a couple weeks ago!

kaliwali

Definitely watching Home Alone! And I think I may add Jingle All The Way because I'm told Arnold is in it!

kaliwali

LOL it's so true 🤣 and aaaay!

kaliwali

Yesss! It's funny you mention the song in the beginning being ironic because I noticed that as I was testing the sounds out for this edit and watching the intro again lol. I love it and def makes the lyrics hit differently knowing what we know 🤣 Guess I need to add Legally Blonde to my list! I have definitely heard of it, but never gave it a watch! I'm glad you enjoyed the rewatch of this one, it was very good! Happy Thanksgiving ✨

kaliwali

That's insane! But honestly not surprising. My dad's brothers were all short but very angry and loud men 🤣😅 So I can honestly see it haha. He was such a great actor in this tho! I loved his role so much. Home Alone is definitely going on the holiday list this year! I can't wait to see him in that role. I feel like I've seen so many memes of that movie so it might be a little spoiled? But I'm still excited to officially watch it now! I'm glad you're loving the different but somehow similar genres we've been watching here! I've definitely been enjoying it too!

kaliwali

Ahh yes you're right! A Few Good Men was probably very different since it was Military vs. Civilian. Good points! Thank you! And thank you for the Pesci pronunciation! I should have known being 'italian' and all hahaha. Oop! As for their roles, I totally agree! They were both absolutely incredible!

kaliwali

Thank you for explaining! I guess I've been lucky to not be called in for jury duty (knock on wood haha)

kaliwali

I definitely need to see more of his mafia roles! Through these comments I'm seeing he's very good in those types of roles so now I'm interested!

Dave M.

Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York deserve to be watched by you this Christmas season. I met Macaulay Culkin last year at a meet-and-greet and it was sooo great!

kaliwali

Ahh, awesome info!! Thank you for sharing! It's interesting picking up legal information from a movie and not really knowing what is true/false or in between lol. So I appreciate your input and recommends!

Patrick Reynolds

A good list, but there is one other that is mandatory. "!2 Angry Men."

James Park

Definitely my all time favourite courtroom movie

DontBmad

joined bc of this movie. what a legend cant wait to watch more

Bruce Steve

“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is a very good and underrated Horror and Courtroom drama flick

Onno Smits

I finally got around to watching this. Had never seen it before, it was amazing! Marisa Tomei's outfits in this movie were killer!