History Film / MyCousinVinny

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Stanley meets with the public defender, the man has a very brief and mild stutter. Nothing compared to his ''severe'' breakdown in the courtroom.

Two college kids from New York, Bill Gambini (Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Whitfield), are driving through Alabama when they are arrested for the armed robbery of a convenience store and the shooting of its clerk -- due to a misunderstanding for why they were being questioned (Bill forgot to pay for a can of tuna and thinks he's being arrested for shoplifting), Bill accidentally "confesses" to the crime and the two are put on trial for first-degree murder and accessory. Fortunately Bill has an attorney in the family, [[TitleDrop his cousin Vinny]], and Vinny soon comes down to Alabama with his argumentative fiancée Mona Lisa Vito to help the boys [[ClearTheirName clear their names]]. HilarityEnsues.

* SherlockScan: How Lisa (and presumably Vinny) realize that the car driven by the real killers isn't of the same make as the car driven by the protagonists, simply by examining a picture of the tire marks it left.

** During his meeting with Trotter, Vinny's BlatantLies about his legal history include arguing with a traffic cop until he admitted to wrongfully giving Vinny a ticket. During the first day of the trial, Vinny finds a discrepancy in Mr. Tipton's testimony and badgers him until he admits the truth.

Two college kids from New York, Bill Gambini (Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Whitfield), are driving through Alabama when they are arrested for the armed robbery of a convenience store and the shooting of its clerk -- due to a misunderstanding for why they were being questioned (Bill accidentally shoplifted a can of tuna from the store), Bill accidentally "confesses" to the crime and the two are put on trial for first-degree murder and accessory. Fortunately Bill has an attorney in the family, [[TitleDrop his cousin Vinny]], and Vinny soon comes down to Alabama with his argumentative fiancée Mona Lisa Vito to help the boys [[ClearTheirName clear their names]]. HilarityEnsues.

Two college kids from New York, Bill Gambini (Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Whitfield), are driving through Alabama when they are arrested for the armed robbery of a convenience store and the shooting of its clerk -- due to a misunderstanding for why they were being questioned, Bill accidentally "confesses" to the crime and the two are put on trial for first-degree murder and accessory. Fortunately Bill has an attorney in the family, [[TitleDrop his cousin Vinny]], and Vinny soon comes down to Alabama with his argumentative fiancée Mona Lisa Vito to help the boys [[ClearTheirName clear their names]]. HilarityEnsues.

* CourtroomAntic: The bulk of the movie centers around a murder trial. Notable that the antics that ''would'' get a lawyer in trouble in real life ''do'' get Vinny in trouble here.

* OmnidisciplinaryLawyer: Subverted. Vinny is a personal injury lawyer who's never tried a case, and gets called on for a murder trial. He goes through with it anyway (not without complaints) and he still had to [[CourtroomAntic fool the judge into thinking he was experienced enough for the trial despite being a completely new attorney.]]

* ShownTheirWork: The film's depiction of the legal process is very accurate. The director has a law degree and insisted the courtroom scenes be how real cases are presented. The movie is ranked #3 by the American Bar Association's ranking of 25 greatest legal movies (just behind ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' and ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'', respectively). Even a court reporter is present, who sits right behind the prosecutor during several scenes scribbling on a flip-up notepad and looking very excited.

* CorruptHick: All of the New Yorkers assume that they'll be treated unfairly because they're not {{Good Ol Boy}}s, but their arrest was a genuine misunderstanding based on circumstances that ''really'' make them look guilty, and they're charged based on actual evidence. Other than the public defender being pretty bad at his job (which is often TruthInTelevision), the legal system is completely fair to them. [[spoiler:In the end, the sheriff helps to prove their innocence, and the prosecutor and judge dismiss the charges without argument.]]

* PintsizedPowerhouse: Vinny's fairly short (Joe Pesci's 5'4" in height), but manages to beat up a [[CorruptHick stingy redneck]] who was easily twice his size.

*** The look on his face, after Lisa's testimony that the boys' car couldn't have been the getaway vehicle, George Wilbur's confirmation of such, and Sheriff Farley's report of a similar car with the right abilities (with look-a-like drivers, ''and'' a matching murder weapon), shows him about to say, "Mr. Trotter, if you don't dismiss the charges, I will."

* BluffTheImpostor: Subverted. When Vinny puts Lisa on the stand as an automotive expert, Trotter assumes she's exaggerating her experience and asks her a detailed technical question. When she protests that the question is "bullshit" and claims that nobody could answer it, he assumes he's proven that she lacks expertise. Then she explains that he'd specified a vehicle configuration that didn't actually exist, corrects his question, and answers it correctly.

-->'''Bill:''' There's a lawyer in the family!\\
'''Stan:''' Who?\\
'''Bill:''' My cousin Vinny!

* RantInducingSlight: Lisa complaining about her biological clock inspires a bout of BrooklynRage from Vinny.

* {{Corpsing}}: Stan puts his head down on the table, "sobbing" as his stuttering defense lawyer presents his case. [[http://abnormaluse.com/2012/03/abnormal-interviews-my-cousin-vinny-actor-mitchell-whitfield.html In fact, the actor was trying to hide his laughter]]. Didn't help that the director was corpsing behind the camera at the same time.

-->"There's a lawyer in the family!"
-->"Who?"
-->"My cousin Vinny!"

* SnobsVersusSlobs: There's a bit of this in the clash between Vinny the working-class Brooklyn mook vs. the Southern prosecutor and judge, who are genteel and well-educated.
** WordOfGod from the (English) director says he saw the character clash in the terms of the [[UsefulNotes/ATouchofClassEthnicityandReligion British class system]].

** Lisa testifies about the tire tracks she saw at the crime scene, and says "The defense is wrong" about the theory that a car identical to the defendants' was involved in the shooting, [[spoiler:because it had to be a different make of car altogether, just similar looking]].

** Anyone who works as a defense lawyer will tell you that this is TruthInTelevision, as they know referring to a victim by name will make the jury more likely to sympathize with their death and find the defendant guilty.

* AdultFear: Leaving aside the comedy of the NewhartPhonecall, imagine the sheer terror of Bill and Stan's families when they learn that their children are on trial for first-degree murder...

-->'''Vinny''': Lisa, I don't need this. I swear to God, I do not need this right now, OK? I got a judge that's just aching to throw me in jail. An idiot who wants to fight me for $200. Slaughtered pigs. Giant loud whistles. I ain't slept in five days. I got no money. A dress-code problem. And a little murder case which, in the balance, holds the lives of two innocent kids. Not to mention your... ''(rhythmically stomps foot three times)'' ...biological clock, my career, your life, our marriage--and let me see, what else can we pile on? Is there any more shit we can pile onto the top of the outcome of this case?! Is it possible?!

* NoPronunciationGuide: An in-universe example. Bill's unbelieving question "I shot the clerk?" is taken as a [[MistakenConfession confession]] and turned into a statement of fact when it's read out in court.

* OnlyBadGuysCallTheirLawyers: Deconstructed when Stan and Bill talk to the cops after being arrested. They think they've just been hauled in for accidentally swiping a can of tuna, so they're happy to talk with the police and try to explain things. Which gets them charged with murder, because Stan's incredulous "We shot the clerk?!" is treated as a straightforward admission of guilt. There's a very good reason you don't talk to law enforcement without your lawyer present, even if everyone involved is working in good faith and trying to get to justice.

** Vinny comes up with a reasonable objection to the judge, pointing out that he's had no time to interview this surprise witness or review the evidence that will be presented, and wants it thrown out. The judge admits he's right, but overrules Vinny anyway. Any lawyer can tell you that not every judge is fair and unbiased and can easily have a case hit a brick wall if the judge is an asshole.

!!There have been many trope example lists that have glorified the Great American Legal System. This is not one of them:

** It also helps that he's from Brooklyn, and so, presumably, the sounds of a riot are at '''closer''' to sounds he's used to sleeping through (yelling, shouting, banging, occasional gunshoots, and so on)