Alternative to What: "My Cousin Vinny" (1992)

Joe Pesci

Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified. 

THIS WEEK:

My Cousin Vinny (1992)

- Alternative To -

The Judge (2014)

This weekend marks the return of Robert Downey Jr. to a role that is likely supposed to get him some prestige. There's even assumptions that the film is supposed to be his shot at an Oscar nomination. Well, reviews are not so hot and he is probably going to walk away empty. Even then, it is a family drama about the legal system and the appeal is very limited. True, it stars two very big names, including Robert Duvall, but it still plays like familiar, sappy territory. Not to mention it is David Dobkin's follow-up to The Change-Up, which is factually one of the worst movies of the decade.

Then there's another court film that actually received an Oscar nomination and won for Best Supporting Actress (Marissa Tomei). It was film that was not too far on the heels of Joe Pesci's success in Goodfellas and played well into the stereotypical role. He was a short loudmouth whose humor was derived from being candid. Thankfully, it was in the period where this sort of Pesci worked. Along with a legitimately compelling mystery in the center of the film involving two youths murdering someone in Alabama, the film actually has remained a cult classic for some time. It may play into New York stereotypes a bit, but when the rest of the writing is that good, it doesn't matter.

There isn't much to say other than that the courtroom dramas are a little bit on the stale side. There hasn't been much new territory to explore, especially with TV's Law & Order taking up a lot of plots and the average verdict being guilty or innocent. It all comes down to the performances. Maybe Downey and Duvall will be great. However, there needs to be something more refreshing from these films to make you care. For my money, My Cousin Vinny has plenty going on that beyond the solid murder case, allows for the characters to develop in interesting ways and just be an overall delightful film that strikes a solid balance between comedy and drama.