My Cousin Vinny is a 1992 American legal comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Dale Launer. It stars Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield and Fred Gwynne in his final film appearance before his death in 1993. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and released in the United States on March 13, 1992.

Plot

While driving through Alabama, New York college students Bill Gambini and Stan Rothenstein stop at a convenience store, where Bill absentmindedly pockets a can of tuna. After they leave, the store clerk is found robbed and murdered, and the boys are pulled over and arrested. At the police station, Bill assumes he has been caught shoplifting and confesses, leading to his being charged with murder in the first degree and Stan as an accessory. Lacking the money for a private attorney, Bill calls on his cousin, Vinny Gambini, a personal injury lawyer from Brooklyn, who agrees to take the case. Unbeknownst to them, Vinny has only just passed the bar after multiple failed attempts and has no trial experience. He travels to Alabama with his fiancée, Mona Lisa Vito, to defend the boys.

Awards