You can learn a lot from Vinny
I absolutely love the film My Cousin Vinny and, in particular, I love Vinny. We all know Joe Pesci can play terrifying, intimidating characters but this movie reminds you what an accomplished comedy performer he is too.
Vinny took seven times to pass the bar and at the outset is a blustering, know-nothing character – but what I like about him is his perseverance. Law, like a lot of professions, rewards hard work – it is by far the best way to ensure you have a successful day in court. Vinny is resilient and doesn’t let the many knocks he takes get him down.
The trial is the climax of the film and is actually very interesting from a legal perspective, too. The wrongly accused duo leave a shop, the murder scene, accidentally, but a car similar to theirs is seen by witnesses although it’s circumstantial case with no eyewitnesses to the crime.
It also involves a contentious confession – when police question them about the murder, the two think they’re confessing to taking the tin of tuna. In criminal trials it’s common to have a wholly circumstantial case and is not unusual to have eyewitnesses wrongly identifying things or witnesses saying something different to their previously given police statement. I love how Vinny changes during the trial; at the start, when he questions witnesses he’s unsure what to do and asks all the wrong questions.
Yet, by the end of the trial, he quizzes people in a way a real lawyer might – with short, direct questions. He makes sure he gets the answer he wants before moving on to the next question.
Despite being seen as a legal comedy, some law schools in the US actually study My Cousin Vinny as it’s so instructive, particularly in relation to cross-examination and the use of experts at trial.
I don’t know if I’d copy Vinny’s style. He’s a little over-the-top for a Scottish courtroom. As for Vinny’s colourful suit – I’m not sure what I’d do if I had to wear that...I’m just glad I get to wear silk.