My Cousin Vinny Director Responds To Rudy Giuliani’s Mention Of The Movie

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The director of My Cousin Vinny responded to Rudy Giuliani's mention of the movie during a press conference. My Cousin Vinny was released in 1992 and starred Joe Pesci as Vincent "Vinny" Gambini, an inexperienced, down-on-his-luck lawyer who represents his cousin Bill (Ralph Macchio) who is falsely accused of first-degree murder. The film covers Vinny's slapstick attempts to win the murder trial, where he is constantly antagonized by the rigid Judge Haller (Fred Gwynne) and assisted by his fiancée Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei). My Cousin Vinny became a commercial and critical success, grossing nearly six times its budget at the box office and even earning Tomei an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

The movie was directed by Jonathan Lynn, who had previously established himself with the cult film Clue and the caper comedy Nuns on the Run. What most My Cousin Vinny fans don't know is that Lynn also studied law at the University of Cambridge, which is primarily why the film provides a surprisingly accurate portrayal of courtroom proceedings despite the movie's overall comedic tone. Many prominent U.S. attorneys, like President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, have praised My Cousin Vinny for this accuracy, with Garland even calling it an excellent depiction of cross-examination. Now, another prominent lawyer has publicly expressed affection toward the movie.

Jonathan Lynn responded to a My Cousin Vinny reference made by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who now leads President Trump's legal team, during a press conference Thursday. During the conference, Giuliani noted the movie as one of his favorites since Vinny hails from Brooklyn and re-enacted the scene where Vinny questions a near-sighted elderly woman about how many fingers he's holding up. The former mayor referenced the scene to argue that poll watchers similarly couldn't keep an eye on voters because they were too far away. Lynn told THR he appreciated Giuliani's affection for the film because Giuliani himself has been giving a hilarious performance in 2020. Here's the director's dig at Giuliani below:

Quote:

I regard Giuliani's praise of My Cousin Vinny as generous from the man who is currently giving the Comedy Performance of the Year.

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Jonathan Lynn's comment also comes on the heels of recent controversy surrounding Rudy Giuliani's appearance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat sequel that was released late last month. The film incited a media firestorm when Giuliani was unknowingly caught on film lying on a hotel bed in front of Borat's daughter, Tutar, and putting his hand down his pants, implying a sexual advance. Despite Giuliani claiming the scene was fabricated, the behavior certainly looked suspicious, leaving viewers to make their own judgments regarding his behavior.

Many filmmakers and showrunners don't shy away from vocalizing concern over how politicians or political organizations co-opt their creations. For example, back in 2018, Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur blasted the NRA on Twitter when the gun rights group tweeted a GIF of his show's main character Leslie Knope. Though Lynn's comment regarding My Cousin Vinny was far more innocuous, it continues to show a unique kind of dissonance between Hollywood creators and the American political system.