Joe Pesci is one of the very few actors who can play either the comedy role;i.e a slightly dimwitted yet funny character, or the serious role as a violent, erratic henchman/psycho; i.e in Scorcese's Goodfellas and Casino. In My Cousin Vinny, he excels as Vincent Gambini: a so-called stereotypical New Yorker, of whom travels to the South with no prior knowledge in legal affairs, faking his way as a lawyer, as he attempts to defend his cousin and his friend, Stan on their behalf, in his efforts to clear their name. One of his clients is a relative from Vinny's family named Bill, played by 'the original Karate Kid' himself, Ralph Macchio, which was interesting to see. <br /><br />Joining Vinny in this travels to Alabama is girlfriend, Mona Lisa Vito played by Marisa Tomei, who undoubtedly steals the show. I cannot fathom exactly why,like the majority of film actresses, she hasn't received so many film offers to date. The term 'underrated' springs to mind when describing this actress, not to mention 'under-used'. And yet with Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, she brings to her performance an endearing quality, as well as a feisty attitude as Mona Lisa Vito- the fast talking, smart, no-nonsense woman with a Brooklyn accent to match. Her much coveted Oscar win was well deserved. Remarkably enough, she bears a striking resemblance to another actress going by the name of Amy Pietz. <br /><br />One of the funniest lines uttered by both Pesci and Tomei was this one: Vinny: What about these pants I got on? You think they're OK? Mona Lisa Vito: Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along. You get thirsty. You spot a brook. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool clear water. BAM! A f***in bullet rips off part of your head. Your brains are lying on the ground in little bloody pieces. Now I ask ya, would you give a f*** what kind of pants the son-of-a-b**** who shot you was wearing? <br /><br />Unlike many of his Scorcese roles to name for example, Pesci as Gambini comes across to audiences as likable, humorous and sociable. For once, you want to sympathise with him but also, you want him to succeed in the end and Pesci has given this character a lot of credibility and scope to work with. There are some great scenes such as when the freight train disturbs Vinny's sleep in the early hours of the morning; when Vinny is wearing a white tracksuit and a pair of white sneakers and he slips on mud whilst pushing the car, and thus, his outfit and his suit for the court case is ruined, as a result. When Mona Lisa was in court sitting on the witness stand, having to testify and had to describe, visualise and identify in detail the models of the cars and everyone Apart from Vinny was left astounded by her knowledge of motor vehicles. Another great moment was when the lawyer was about to read out his opening statement- only for him to stutter along the way. It was so funny, the reaction from the jury based on their facial expressions said it all. That was just hilarious. <br /><br />British director Lynn has worked wonders on this movie and the cast, particular the supporting actors all shine in their roles. 'My cousin Vinny' delivers on all accounts, successfully taking what is perceived to be a serious and somewhat complicated situation and subject area, and turning it into something that is farcical- yet entertaining. <br /><br />This is a great film with fantastic acting and comedic moments brilliantly thrown in and utilised for good measure