Lawyers Still Love “My Cousin Vinny”

The quarter of a century that has passed since “My Cousin Vinny” hit theaters has done little to diminish the affection that lawyers feel for Vinny Gambini, the smart-aleck attorney played by comedian Joe Pesci. “Vinny” has been quoted or referenced in more than two dozen judicial rulings, including this month by U.S. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown. Professors at elite law schools have shown the film in class to demonstrate evidence and trial advocacy. Late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was quoted as saying he could watch it “over and over again.” “The movie is actually a paean to the American system of justice,” Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., told the Wall Street Journal. Gambini, a mechanic-turned lawyer, is an unusual legal figure. He flunked the bar exam five times before passing it, quickly earns jail time for contempt, and calls his fiancé to the stand as an expert witness. But the movie serves to many as a reminder “that a good lawyer can make a difference,” said U.S. Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski.