My wife is a lawyer, and I've been working on cars since the '60s. This is one of our favorite movies in large part because the script writer did their homework. The courtroom scenes were so accurate that her Criminal Procedure professor used it as an example, and using the similarity of the Buick Skylark and Pontiac Tempest while pointing out the difference in limited-slip and IRS was brilliant. The casting and acting were wonderful also, it's just about as perfect of a comedy movie as you're going to get.
My daughter graduated from law school in 2015. She said this movie, as well as Anatomy Of A Murder, were both used extensively during one of her semesters.
Fred Gwyn was battling cancer and in severe pain while filming. He was determined to finish the movie so he tolerated the pain. He died not long after this movie. Great actor.
It just hit me that not only does Vinny realize he can put his fiancee up there as an expert, she's canny enough to give an example of a standard vs slip diff that the jury can understand. They were made for each other.
Here's what most everyone misses. I did the first couple viewings. The night before, Vinnie is looking at the shots she took with her little pink camera. He's studying the pictures because he knows the secret is there. Gotta be there somewhere. And then, he finds it! But he doesn't tell her. That's what everyone misses. He knew, and he knew she knew. Before that, he was ragging on her pictures. Remember that? "What's this? A picture of a bush!"
@@LeonAllanDavishe needed her as an expert witness, because he couldn't be one himself. She was great in the work with the jury members, because they need to be convinced, not the judge.
Also, something I only realized recently: This exchange is a verbatim repeat of the exchange they had between themselves earlier in the movie, in the motel, when they were arguing about the faucets. This takes on a lot more significance when we realize that - at this point all animosity between them drains away, and they proceed on the same page.
Agreed, had she left it at the slip differential the jury would have zoned out. By describing what that means in such a clear manner it made the fact the wheels didnt work that way really stick in the mind of the jury.
My favorite part of Miss Vito's testimony is whenbhexfirst calls to the stand and asks the judge to treat her as a 'hostile' witness to which she responds "If you think I'm hostile now, wait 'til we get back to the motel."
The more modern movies I watch, the more I go back to the classics. My Cousin Vinnie is one my personal favorites and Marisa Tomei is one of the main reasons this movie is so re-watchable.
@callaghy2634 That's an important time of discovery in a young man's life. You have chosen well!! P.S. - I'm a bit older, but for me it was when I first saw Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. Holy Cow!!!
@@dennismonk9559 yeah, that might come under "witness tampering" but you do have to ask permission to approach the witness, according to a gazillion law and order episodes :)
I must have watched this clip about 30 times. It's like an irresistible piece of music. And like a piece of music, it has "moments" you wait for. "Dey wuh!" Priceless.
Nice thought, but, as the attorney, he can not also be a witness. He needed someone other than himself to give testimony and that someone just happened to be his girlfriend. He also could not tell her what he was thinking because she would need to come to the final determination on her own. Otherwise, it would be witness tampering. She saved his butt, and he loved and appreciated her for that. ❤
My friend and i were talking about our favorite English accents, and i said mine was this East Coast hardass accent. Maybe it's because my dads side of the family is from New Jersey
@@shawnjohnson9763 - It's usually ground-up corn, rehydrated after grinding, to make a fine-grained starchy material that is quite edible. Depending on just how much rehydration has occurred, it can be mushy like a cereal, or it can be clumpy. It is served in place of potatoes in many southern USA restaurants and homes.
@@ssgta8082 If I was the prosecuting attorney I'd probably have raised an objection, "Objection, your honor! Badgering the witness." I forgot about the 5 minutes and no good, self-respecting gritter 'gonna make his grits with instant grits. And, the laws of physics ceasing to exist on *HIS STOVE*! Yes, that's a pretty good one, I admit.
@@ryanshannon6963 if I was being honest, the entire movie was one of the best I’ve ever seen. To try to call one scene the best, that’s REALLY hard to do. The entire cast was perfectly chosen and the interaction between them all was spot on.
And the writing was brilliant because it wasnt expected that she would be the one to bring so much expert testimony, it was written to sway people into thinking it was supposed to be Vinny. Well done
This scene is the type that every screen writer and director aim to create; a few succeed, most do not! The casting made this movie, everyone played their part perfectly!
Law schools use this scene for two reasons: 1. Mona Lisa applies empirical facts in easy-to-understand terms to differentiate the two cars. 2. Vinny never asks a question where he doesn't already know the answer.
Thing is I cant remember if I picked up on Vinny already having the knowledge the FIRST time I watched the movie. (theres been so many times) It probably was a couple times in before I realized that he had to have car knowledge to discover how significant the picture was. So I dont know if its made deliberately slick by the writer of if it was supposed to be obvious. Still written brilliantly.
@@TuneStunnaMusic We are made privy to the fact that Vinny & Lisa both have mechanical ability when we hear at different times that they have both worked in her fathers garage.👍🏼🍿
@@DIESEL0759 Earlier in the film when he keeps getting held in contempt for bungling procedures. Lisa asks didn’t they teach you that in law school . Vinny replies you learn by attending court & watching but with working in her fathers garage he hasn’t found the time yet. At least that’s what I remember….
Actually Vinnie didn't know cars, Lisa knew cars. That point was IMO the only sour note in the scene. Vinnie should not have been the person to recognize the significance of the photo.
@@LLewis-vu9qf The defense attorney is allowed to present exactly what she said as testimony without her being on the stand but having an "expert" lends more weight to the argument.
@@humantacos9800 Where did that info come out? I was wondering about how vinny knew about cars, I dont remember them giving any info of that in the movie.
My sister owned a 1963 Pontiac Tempest with a 327. Sounded like a jet taking off. Power brakes but no power steering-it was backward. I had a '65 Catalina. Ignition key was interchangeable 😅
The best part about this scene is that technically they didn't even need the information about the Pontiac. The car in the police impound had neither Positraction nor independent rear suspension which means the photo clears them on that alone.
I can only speculate that the info about the pontiac was actually needed to drive home the point that the car that actually made the tire marks was the tempest, to connect it to the arrest of the actual shooters out of state.
People complain about Marisa Tomei getting the Oscar nod for this performance but she did an excellent job with the character. Plus, it was a really good year for supporting roles and the vote was spread out as a result. When you've got Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave, Judy Davis and Miranda Richardson nominated it would be hard for the voters to pick a favorite. Plus, in fairness, the movies the other actresses were in were Oscar bait dramas that no one outside of a film school class cares about. If you were old enough you might remember Howard's End from that year but does anyone really remember Husbands and Wives, Enchanted April or Damage.
I would say that if after so many years this move and especially this scene still delight as if seen for the first time...her Oscar win was well earbed!
If Judi Dench (an excellent actor, of course) can win a best supporting Oscar for playing Elizabeth I in what amounted to a cameo role in Shakespeare in Love, I don't see why people complain about Tomei winning for this role....
No there’s MOAH!! You cut the clip 2 seconds too soon. She makes an adorable gesture with both hands after the kisses. It says “Job done” and “Look at me, ain’t I at least as cute as I am clever?” all with the minimal of movement and a beaming smile.
The whole sequence starting from his introducing her as a witness, to the DA saying (in rapid Southern) "The State'd lahk t'dismiss ahl chahdges" is just scriptwriting perfection.
Marisa spent many an hour trying to lose her accent. She attended speech classes as well. The irony is her authentic accent is what put her on the map.
@@DIESEL0759 Last time I checked the map, New York City consisted of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. However, colloquially, NYC or "The City" refers to Manhattan, and the other 4 boroughs are chopped liver.
This is true. The Pontiac of that time had positraction. 😊 It was very impressive that the Pontiac had a number of innovation s. It's to bad they stopped making Pontiacs. My Dad bought Pontiacs for decades. I remember when he would get the 455 cubic inch Pontiacs. 😊. They would fly like the wind.
ironically, when GM first made these "intermediate size" cars, they did so off Chevy's Corvair chassis pan. Buick and Olds had a turbo V8 option on these cars. Had GM brought them back in 1973, they would have had a great competitor to the foriegn cars beating the "yank tank gas hogs" of that day.
I had a Pontiac Grand Prix for a while. Nice car until it developed thermostat issues. After that, sustained operation at interstate highway speeds would ALWAYS overheat. By comparison, my Chrysler products never overheated. For them, it was the electrical system that seemed fragile. Our family's Ford? Bearings wouldn't last despite the car being primarily used for groceries and around-town shopping. Every car brand seems to have their private little weakness.
Damn I love the scene in this movie. She lays down a lot of automotive knowledge and her attitude as the character really match well with the delivery in this scene. A great movie with great performances in each character
This film was the greatest film in its time. And Mali’s a was fantastic in it. The character shows how a smart woman can show more savvy and intelligence even if she doesn’t dress as a educated people in tweed dresses
The part about the Tempest (and what the sheriff presents in the next scene) is actually just extra. When he proves his clients' car couldn't be the one used as the getaway car after the murder, he won the case. That's enough to get reasonable doubt.
this is a perfect testimony... she even states a fact that everybody in the jury is familiar with, the mud in the tires thing, to gain status with them and believability.
What most people miss is that this is supposed to be obscure technical mechanical knowledge that only an expert, or even a SUPER expert, would know, even down to what color models of cars in previous years were available in. But Pesci figured it out first, and had to lead Marissa to it. What, is EVERYONE in New York a super car mechanical expert? Having said that, I love this movie. My one word justification is "yutes".
You're right, I missed it where Vinny says he worked in her father's car shop. She did obviously. Even so, I wonder if working in the car shop was enough to know all this information; but I didn't work as a mechanic in any capacity, so I wouldn't know. @@TuneStunnaMusic
Not only Vinny and Mona Lisa knew this stuff, but when the DA turns to his expert witness while the testimony is happening, that expert also nods "yes, she's correct." I would feel so dumb sitting in that courtroom.
I drove a 63 Pontiac Le Mans Tempest. Gold, 2 door, It had a 2-3 inch lever on the dash to shift the automatic transmission in the rear with the transaxle. (the transmission and rear axle were combined) 326 engine that could burn the tires if you wanted too. It was to easy to over drive it. Which I did repeatedly.
He worked in her family's garage. He had to be as knowledgeable as her and had to know that she would pick up on the same facts that he did. Not a softball at all.
Watching her later body of work, you start to realize how this movie wronged Marisa Tomei for so long and why her acting in this movie is actually worthy of the Oscar she received for it. Even with the incredibly talented actresses she was in consideration with for that Oscar. But sometimes, someone is such a great actor that you're actually forgetting they're playing a character, not themselves.
