Joe peso excels in this piece of courtroom comedy where he takes his first murder case as an out of town lawyer in the deep south. there are the usual errors of a new lawyer. though the judge is suspicious, the judge accepts Vinnie the lawyers assurance of an impressive record of some wins and losses and permits Vinnie despite reservations to try a case where the ultimate penalty hangs over both defendants.<br /><br />Fred Gwynn a long time comic actor plays the part of a Superior Court Judge eloquently with reserve and detachment.<br /><br />while this is a romantic comedy, the comic aspects of the story are adjunctive to the seriousness of the charges for which both defendants face death. though utterly inexperienced before an hostile court, Vinny manages with a little help from his girl friend Mona to draw victory in a case of mistaken identity from the jaws of defeat.<br /><br />the harshness of the new yawk accent is tastefully in this film executed as the perfect counterpoint to the sense of dignity and propriety of the ever staid southland. <br /><br />the film qualifies as a classic comedy as it ends with a promise of marriage.