If Pesci’s gut-busting conflict with Fred Gwynne as the local judge is not enough to get you to revisit this long ignored masterpiece, how about Maris Tomei, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Vinny’s motormouth fiancée Mona Lisa Vito?
With his Oscar-winning role in Goodfellas, Oscar-nominated role in The Irishman, and times Martin Scorsese made him out to be a tough guy, Joe Pesci’s comedic talent has gone far overlooked, unless you count his performances in the Home Alone and Lethal Weapon franchises.
However, I believe that his all-time funniest role is also one that does not get the attention it deserves today: the title role of My Cousin Vinny, in which he plays an inexperienced Brooklyn attorney who comes to rural Alabama to defend his cousin (Ralph Macchio) and his friend (Stan Whitfield) who are wrongly accused of murder, clashing with the locals over his unusual methods in the process.