An index of characters from the 1992 courtroom comedy My Cousin Vinny.
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New Yorkers
Vinny
Vincent LaGuardia "Vinny" Gambini
"Everything that guy just said is bullshit. Thank you."
Played By: Joe Pesci
"Nobody - I mean nobody - pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini, especially this one."
A street-smart lawyer from Brooklyn who gets called to help his cousin escape a murder wrap in Alabama.
- Ambulance Chaser: Vinny intended to be a personal injury lawyer. When he notices a man wearing a neck brace, he immediately starts questioning him of the circumstances, but loses interest once he realizes there's no case.
- Book Dumb: Vinny took six tries to pass the bar exam and often gets tripped up by basic legal procedure, but he's very skilled at debunking evidence, has a keen eye for details and is talented at putting together arguments against the prosecution.
- Brooklyn Rage: He's from Brooklyn and has the attitude to match.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Vinny is a street-smart guy with a great talent for putting together and presenting an argument. He also required six tries to pass the bar exam and somehow managed to do it without understanding basic aspects of law and trial procedure. He defends himself by saying that he barely had time to study while working in a garage.
- Character Title: He's the titular Cousin Vinny.
- Deadpan Snarker: Mostly in response to Lisa and Judge Haller.Haller: I don't like your attitude.
Vinny: So what else is new?
Haller: I'm holding you in contempt of court.
Vinny: Now there's a fucking surprise. - Ditzy Genius: Vinny is very astute and good at thinking on his feet. He's also shown to be pretty knowledgeable when he applies himself to it.
- Fish out of Water: It's not a stretch to say Vinny is very out of place in rural Alabama, and it takes him a while to adjust to his new surroundings. For instance, he is incapable of getting any rest in a cabin in the middle of the woods, but sleeps like a baby through a prison riot while spending the night in jail.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Wears a leather jacket to his first appearance in court, before Judge Haller makes him change it out for a suit.
- Large Ham: Joe Pesci's clearly having a ball in the part, particularly in the courtroom scenes.
- Omnidisciplinary Lawyer: He's a personal injury lawyer defending Bill and Stan in a murder trial (and this is his first time serving an attorney in court).
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's a fairly small guy (Joe Pesci stands 5'4"), but managed to punch out a redneck at least twice his size, and holds his own against Trotter and Haller in court, both of whom tower over him.
- Stage Name: He claims that he practiced law under the stage name Jerry Gallo, but it's a bluff. He's barely practiced law at all, and the experienced lawyer he got his name from had recently passed away, with Vinny then claiming he said his name was Jerry Callo.
- Self-Made Man: Well, he did put himself through law school by working in an automotive garage.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: While he starts off with a casual leather jacket and doesn't seem to understand the importance of attire in a courtroom, he does switch to a very snazzy suit later on and looks good in it.
- Sherlock Scan:
- Can tell a lot about a car just from a photograph of tire tracks. According to Bill, he isn't limited to automotive knowledge in this, as he was able to heckle a magician by figuring out all his tricks in real time.
- Also he notices tiny details when interviewing the three witnesses (time it took to prepare breakfast, view out their window, thickness of their glasses), allowing him to counter their testimony.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: He starts out wearing casual clothes, which illustrates his inexperience as a lawyer. When he starts wearing a more formal suit and tie, he comes into his own as an astute attorney.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Surprisingly not as much as one would expect from a character played by Pesci, but he does swear quite a bit at times.
- Tacky Tuxedo: At one point he is forced to show up in court wearing a hideous old maroon tux, though it's not like he had much of a choice.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from being inexperienced and completely out of his element into a competent lawyer.
Lisa
Mona Lisa Vito
"It's called disclosure, you dickhead!"
Played By: Marisa Tomei
"You wanna know what I'm nervous about? I'll tell you what I'm nervous about! I am in the dark here with all this legal crap. I have no idea what's going on. All I know is that you're screwing up and I can't help."
Vinny's girlfriend, an out-of-work hairdresser who accompanies him to Alabama.
- Behind Every Great Man: Let's face it, while Vinny is not dumb, he would be completely lost without Lisa to look after him. She also gives him the heads-up that Jerry Gallo (the lawyer Vinny is posing as) is dead, which keeps Vinny from being found out later when Judge Haller faxes the law office in New York about it. Then, when Vinny claims to really be Jerry Callo, Lisa notifies Vinny's friend Judge Malloy to speak on his behalf to Haller.
- Book Smart: In contrast to Vinny, who lacks any knowledge of the law and whose strength is arguing, Lisa actually reads the legal books to gain an understanding of the process.
- Brainy Brunette: Dark-haired and intelligent, especially in the automotive field.
- Brooklyn Rage: Like Vinny, she's from Brooklyn with the accent to match and is very no-nonsense and argumentative.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Who'd have thought an out-of-work hairdresser would be such an expert on cars?
- Chekhov's Hobby: Her knowledge of cars is mentioned offhand by Vinny in their first scene and later proves crucial to winning the case.
- Deadpan Snarker: Quite a few times, but notably after Vinny is sent to jail a second time and tells her a little encouragement would be nice, prompting her to retort:Lisa: Support? Is that what you want? I'm sorry, you were wonderful in there! The way you handled that judge... ooh, you are a smooth talker! You are, you are!
- Friend to All Living Things: She loves animals and is horrified at the prospect of Vinny killing a deer while hunting.
- Hidden Depths: She turns out to be much smarter than she looks, able to read and easily understand Vinny's legal texts and having an extremely extensive knowledge of cars that proves crucial to Vinny's defense.
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: She turns out to be more adept at the law than Vinny. In the end, she teases him for the fact that he didn't win his first case on his own.
- I Have Brothers: She attributes her extensive knowledge of automobiles to coming from an entire family of mechanics: her father, her brother, and her uncles all worked as mechanics and she herself was in the business for a while before becoming a hairstylist.
- Lady Swears-a-Lot: She has a very colorful vocabulary, to the point that even Vinny asks her, "What is it with you and that mouth?"
- Large Ham: Particularly when advocating against shooting a harmless baby deer or complaining about her biological clock running out before Vinny can win a case.
- My Biological Clock Is Ticking: Vinny promised to marry her as soon as he won his first case. It's been 10 years.
- Older Than They Look: Her references to her biological clock, her niece getting married and the fact that she's been dating Vinny for over 10 years imply she's supposed to be older than her looks would indicatenote .
- Plucky Girl: She's very feisty.
- Rambunctious Italian: Even more than Vinny; she's very passionate, argumentative, and emotional, but still a nice and caring person underneath it all.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She puts up with a lot from Vinny throughout the movie, even when genuinely trying to be helpful, and decides to bolt just before the final act. Luckily Vinny catches her before she can leave and it's her testimony that plays a crucial part in saving Bill and Stan.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Vinny and Lisa are constantly arguing, but as seen with the "leaky faucet" discussion they seem to prefer it that way. Though even she has her limits, as shown when Vinny chastises her for not being helpful.
- Smarter Than You Look: She's a brash, loudmouthed New Yorker who has an extensive knowledge of cars and instantly grasps the legal procedure and can read and understand law books easily.
- Straight Man: She's got a good head on her shoulders and even comes across as sharper and more sensible than Vinny.
- Surprise Witness: She ends up the witness Vinny needs to dress down the testimony of George Wilbur.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Works as a mechanic in her father's garage but is also a fashionista hairdresser, hence a wide variety of colorful outfits and amazing hair-dos.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: She's definitely out of Vinny's league looks-wise, but they clearly love each other nonetheless.
- Unlimited Wardrobe: She wears a different outfit in each of her scenes.
- Wrench Wench: She comes from a family of mechanics and worked in her father's garage, which explains her extensive knowledge of cars.
Bill
William "Bill" Gambini
"I shot the clerk?"
Played By: Ralph Macchio
"Stan, I've seen your parents argue. Trust me, they're amateurs."
Vinny's college-bound cousin, who finds himself getting charged with murder while passing through Alabama with his friend Stan.
- Ambiguous Syntax: "I shot the clerk?"
- Decoy Protagonist: He and Stan are the main characters for the first 15 minutes of the movie, which show how they got arrested for murder and armed robbery. Once Vinny and Lisa show up, they are largely relegated to the background.
- Thicker Than Water: Due to them being cousins, he is reluctant to replace Vinny with another, more qualified, lawyer, even though losing the case will cost him and Stan their lives. He believes Vinny has what it takes to win the case, and is ultimately proven right.
Stan
Stanley "Stan" Rothenstein
"You're fired! I want him!"
Played By: Mitchell Whitfield
Bill's friend, who doesn't have much faith in Vinny's legal expertise.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Not a jerk, but his initial mistrust of Vinny is completely understandable, given that Vinny has had no prior courtroom experience and ends up getting himself sent to jail twice before finally turning the situation in the boys' favor.
- Lovable Coward: He is very anxious regarding the situation he and Bill find themselves in.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: He babbles about how corrupt, racist and backward the people of the South supposedly are while surrounded by many of the townsfolk (which almost certainly didn't win him any favors in court).
Alabama
Haller
Judge Chamberlain Haller
"What is a 'yute'?"
Played By: Fred Gwynne
"I tell you this, because I want you to know that when it comes to procedure, I'm not a patient man. I advise your, sir, that when you come into my courtroom, you are to know the letter of the law. I react harshly when you don't."
The judge of the case.
- And Starring: Fred Gwynne receives the "and" billing in the opening credits.
- The Comically Serious: Never loses his composure and the majority of his funny moments comes from reacting as any normal judge would to Vinny's outrageous and wildly inappropriate behavior.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments, particularly when he finds out Vinny and Lisa are engaged: "Well, that would certainly explain the hostility."
- Hanging Judge: His size, basso voice, and initial hostility to Vinny certainly make him appear this way at first. He's not.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Displays his Yale diploma in his chambers, as a stark contrast to Vinny, who graduated from the dodgy-sounding Brooklyn Academy of Law.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He comes across as unfair to Vinny and his cohorts, but is only trying to follow courtroom procedure and warms up to Vinny by the end and praises him for his work.
- Large and in Charge: He's a Judge and played by the 6'5 Fred Gwynne.
- Not So Above It All: While he's very professional most of the time, he has one moment of admitting Vinny raises reasonable objections to a witness and articulated them very well but still denying him just out of frustration. Even fair Judges have their limits when dealing with difficult lawyers.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite his stern, seemingly humorless attitude, he's actually a respectable judge who comes to respect both Vinny and Lisa and is generally fair to the defendants.
- Stern Old Judge: He's a stickler for proper procedure who repeatedly has Vinny jailed for contempt of court when he fails to follow said procedures. That being said, once Vinny starts following the rules, he turns out to be perfectly fair and reasonable.
Trotter
Jim Trotter III
Played By: Lane Smith
"I like the competition. You like competition, too? Makes things kinda fun, doesn't it?"
The prosecutor. An affable sort of fellow who enjoys a healthy bit of competition and proves a worthy adversary to Vinny in the courtroom.
- Friendly Enemy: Despite being Vinny's rival in court, he's actually a nice guy who invites Vinny out to go hunting and offers his cabin in the hopes that Vinny can get a good night's rest.
- Graceful Loser: Once the evidence for Bill and Stan's innocence becomes overwhelming, and two likely perpetrators have been apprehended, he cheerfully moves to dismiss all charges and even compliments Vinny on his work afterwards, letting him know he's welcome to come back anytime he wishes.
- Hero Antagonist: Honestly believes that Bill and Stan are guilty and does his job accordingly. The closest he comes to doing anything jerkish is when he tries to get Lisa dismissed as an expert witness.
- Hidden Depths: He reveals to Vinny that he used to have a better paying job as an attorney in the private sector, but after having to defend people who were genuinely guilty one too many times he decided to quit and become a state prosecutor so he could truly serve justice.
- He's also surprisingly knowledgeable about cars, enough to come up with a (trick) question to test Lisa off the top of his head.
- Nice Guy: Outside the courtroom, he's a very friendly and pleasant man.
- Punch-Clock Villain: He's trying to put the two boys in jail but he is otherwise perfectly pleasant, never does anything illegal or unethical and sincerely believes they are guilty and drops the charges with no issue when it's shown they are innocent.
- Southern-Fried Genius: Downplayed. He's very Southern, but also a skilled lawyer and adept public speaker - his opening statement in particular is worthy of study, where he lays out a clear and concise bullet-point view of his case with some smart rhetorical flourishes to help it stick in the minds of the Jury.
- Worthy Opponent: He develops a lot of respect for Vinny and compliments him on his defense.
