Admitting to accidental shoplifting, young, carefree travelling New Yorkers Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) are shocked to find themselves imprisoned in a sleepy Alabama town, charged with murder.
Gambini’s one phone call summons his cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), a badly dressed rookie lawyer (and former auto mechanic from Brooklyn) who has managed to pass the bar exams after five failures and is looking forward to his first court case.
Pesci has great fun with his role – a character inspired by the character of Joey La Motta in Raging Bull(which Pesci played a dozen years earlier) and a huge departure from his Oscar-winning turn as a gangster in Goodfellas (1990) – and he makes light work of befuddling Fred Gwynne’s sleepy Alabama judge.
But the biggest surprise is Marisa Tomei, who plays his coarse leather-clad girlfriend, Mona Lisa Vito.
Although she’s great in what was her first major role, there was widespread surprise when she walked off with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, beating three British nominees, including Miranda Richardson for her role in Damage.
Vinny Gambini
Joe Pesci Mona Lisa Vito
Marisa Tomei Bill Gambini
Ralph Macchio Stan Rothenstein
Mitchell Whitfield Judge Chamberlain Haller
Fred Gwynne Jim Trotter III
Lane Smith John Gibbons
Austin Pendleton Sheriff Farley
Bruce McGill Sam Tipton
Maury Chaykin Constance Riley
Pauline Meyers Ernie Crane
Raynor Scheine George Wilbur
James Rebhorn JT
Chris Ellis Neckbrace
Michael Simpson Grits cook
Lou Walker Jimmy Willis
Kenny Jones Hotel clerk
Larry Shuler
Director
Jonathan Lynn
Video
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Gambini’s one phone call summons his cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), a badly dressed rookie lawyer (and former auto mechanic from Brooklyn) who has managed to pass the bar exams after five failures and is looking forward to his first court case.
