Exuberance at its best... total FEEL-GOODer. Review on My Cousin Vinny Movie

On a pleasant friday night, after a thirty minute futile hunt through the action and thriller aisles, I ended up in the Oscar aisle of Hollywood Videos where I came across ''My Cousin Vinny'', a 1992 comedy featuring Joe Pesci,(the private investigator Leo from the Lethal Weapon series) and Marisa Tomei (her recent role in In the bedroom last year), standing in a courtroom on the cassette cover. I had heard about this acclaimed movie which hurled Marisa Tomei into stardom with a surprise Oscar for a supporting role. I did recollect a few frames from the movie which I might have accidentally glanced while browsing through the HBO channels and some famous dialogues like ''My biological clock is ticking'' and ''the two utes'', quoted by my friends. I decided to give it a shot and that was the best publishable thing I did that weekend.

The side-splitting comedy starts with two teenagers from NewYork driving to California through a small town in Alabama, where they are arrested for the alleged murder of a store clerk. The only defense lawyer that they can afford is one of the boys' cousin - Vinny - a lawyer from NewYork. The street-smart lawyer drives to Alabama with his fiance, Lisa, both clad in leather from head to toe, with a distinct yankee accent and looking like foreigners among the Southerners. Something about the couple strikes you as odd at the beginning but without your knowledge, you fall in love with them at first sight.

The roller-coaster ride takes you through a tough judge, a surprise breakfast menu, a broken faucet, a hustler, contempts of court, some highly entertaining courtroom scenes, a stammering public defense lawyer, some expert automobile testimonies and of course, Lisa's biological clock. To give you an insight, let me quote something that vinny says to lisa in a forest cabin in the middle of the forest

''Lisa, I don't need this. I swear to God, I do not need this right now, Okay? I got a judge that is just achin' to throw me in jail, an idiot who wants to fight me for two hundred dollars! slaughtered pigs! loud giant whistles! I haven't slept in five days! I've got no money, a dress code problem, and, ... a little murder case, which in the balance holds the lifes of two innocent kids. Not to mention, your [stomps thrice] ''biological clock,'' my career, your life, our marriage, and lemme see... what else can we pile on? Is there any more sh** we could pile on to the top of the outcome of this case? ..... Is it possible?''.

This dialogue will make more sense to you after you have watched the movie and is sure to stay in your head for a very long time. I cannot give out anything more about the movie lest I should spoil your fun when you watch the movie.

Two-Thumbs Up to the director and the writer...

The best things about the movie are the ingenious script and the astute direction. The dialogues tickle your funny bone in every frame and yet they go down further into your heart and touch you subtly at the same time. The chemistry amongst the characters is incredible. Everyone fits perfectly well in the script. The clear and tasteful mixture of the flavours of the Southerners and the Yankees is beautifully handled by the director. The background score blends into the movie so well that you almost fail to notice it. Hats-off to the crew for providing two hours of unadulterated movie-watching ecstacy.

Vinny and Lisa - The epitome of screen zest

I don't recall seeing a more handsome couple on the silver screen in a very long time. Their love and affection is subtly sprinkled all over the movie without the use of a single romantic dialogue. Simply Brilliant.

Joe Pesci

Joe Pesci is a very talented actor. He brings to life the clumsiness of an out-of-town, smart-talking lawyer and manifests the goodness of his heart at the same time. The pride on his face while Marisa gives her final testimony says it all. I really wish Mel Gibson had chosen someone else to pick on!

Marisa Tomei

Which guy will not fall head-over-heels in love with Marisa Tomei for her role as Lisa? Inside a teasing and sarcastic exterior, Marisa Tomei portrays the most adorable female persona to have hit the movies in the 90s. The spectrum of her personality includes a sagacious automobile authority, a quick-witted yankee and an extremely loving and caring fiance. This movie earned her the rightful Oscar that she deserved but her career never really took off.

I can keep going on about the movie and still feel like there is so much more to write. This movie is worth more than just watching once. It is every bit worth owning a personal copy. The feel-good-factor that you are left with at the end of this rip-roaring comedy is just too elusive to fit in a few words. Watch the movie and experience it yourself.

P.S: This is my first attempt at writing a review and I wanted to start on a pleasant note. The recent movies I saw really didn't have anything to write about ( Transporter, Tuxedo(in spite of being Jackie fan), XXX, Sweet Home Alabama, BABA(tamil)). My review is primarily the reflection of my feeling toward the movie two months after watching it. Hope you enjoyed it.