My Cousin Vinny

Before playing the title character in director Jonathan Lynn's 1992 My Cousin Vinny, Joe Pesci turned in a couple of other notable comic performances (such as the hapless thief in Home Alone), but this lightweight courtroom comedy is arguably his best funnyman role. Vinny is a New York street kid turned rookie lawyer (he passed the bar on his sixth try) who has never even tried a case in court when he's called to defend his collegiate cousin (Ralph Macchio) from a murder charge in a small southern town. Vinny's a wise guy in a milieu that doesn't appreciate his Brooklyn style, casual fashions, or New Yawk accent. Marisa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her lively, colorful, and very funny performance as Vinny's acerbic girlfriend. The film plays the culture clash for humor, but ultimately everyone, from the D.A. to the sheriff to the presiding judge (Fred Gwynne) who keeps citing the excitable Vinny for contempt of court, is more interested in justice than winning, and by the end the mutual respect comes across as genuine. Pesci's punchy, pugnacious personality sustains this crowd-pleasing if admittedly slight comedy, which bows on Blu-ray with an audio commentary by Lynn. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)