Sure I've Heard Of A Grit: My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Many a films end up standing the test of time because of their earnest simplicity and carefree attitude.  When set up against other like-minded works they often do not compare, however, it is something about their moment and a perfect combination of factors that allows for them to be absolutely mesmerizing even twenty years detached from their original inception, at least this is the case with My Cousin Vinny, a film that has more heart and sincerity than most pictures and manages to make viewers feel totally totally embracing towards the otherwise impish and virulent Joe Pesci.  I would venture to guess that much of the success and timelessness associated with this classic finds its place in the every popular fish-out-of-water narrative, particularly when the individual who is in the new setting is not necessarily of a level of cultural superiority, but is equally absurd for a different set of reasons.  It is a film that is firstly concerned with accruing a set of well-earned laughs and rolled eyes, but also exudes a certain degree of consideration for the underdog story, one in which the desire for the American Dream to be obtain proves quite challenging, not as a result of an individual's own lack of self-direction or motivation, but simply because a set of obstacles exist that are in no way logical or fair.  A film like My Cousin Vinny works, and continues to work two decades later because it is a familiar situation, all be it most people will not find themselves in the situation of having to defend a group of "yuffs" for a wrongful murder accusation, it is quite true that many have found themselves defending or justifying actions in front of a person or group in which they are clearly the one in the right, despite facing a very determined and detrimental mob rule.  Perhaps some of the humor in My Cousin Vinny does predicate it self on accidentally topical material and Joe Pesci certainly could not deliver this role today, but there is something poetically probable  and indirectly ironic of the scenario of a Yankee being forced to maintain justice in a backwards Southern town that is and always will be film perfection.

My Cousin Vinny begins with two young guys making their way through the backroads of Alabama on their way from a tough semester at college, the boys Billy (Ralph Macchio) and Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) stop off in a convenience store to buy a variety of different cheap foods to placate their hunger during the trip and it is is with his hands full that Billy accidentally pockets a can of tuna without paying for it, leading to a cop pulling them over only moments later.  Assuming that he has only been arrested for petty theft, Billy admits that "he did it" when the officers ask of his guilt, yet when Billy discovers that they are actually being pinned for a murder that happens moments after they leave the entire situation changes and the two kids attempt to contact everyone they know with the hopes that they can spring bail, unfortunately, the hefty price tag of $200,000 means they must call in a lawyer and the only person free at the moment is Billy's cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), whose credentials are less than stellar, in fact, it is not certain whether the new lawyer has even passed his bar.  Along with Vinny comes Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei) a foul-mouthed, young woman who possesses a surprising expertise in cars, as she has worked in a mechanics shop her entire life.  Vinny enter into the world of Alabama law only to realize that the minutia of procedural work, as well as the less than welcoming traditions of the town.  Of course, much of the narrative also revolves around Vinny and Mona attempting to navigate a town whose traditions and simplistic way of thinking are somewhat frustrating, particularly considering the incessant noise and distractions occurring at all hours in the town, although Vinny is from New York so this plot point seems a little unusual.  Regardless, Vinny continues to face insurmountable odds as the judge often rules against the northerner simply out of spite, while the jury clearly sides with local favoritism, yet when with the help of Mona, Vinny is able to provide the jury and the judge with the perfect set of evidence to prove his clients innocence the prosecution drops the case and the who gang flees from the town back to normalcy, although Vinny has certainly gained the respect of his peers and has successfully won a case in the process.

For a film that is set in The South, and involves the acting of Joe Pesci, My Cousin Vinny is considerably poignant on its advocation of challenging tradition and undermining normalcy in the face of obtaining truth.  While the film is in no way a hearkening back to the civil rights era, one cannot ignore that the two young men in question for a murder in this film are of Jewish and Italian-American identities respectively, two groups whose presence during the sixties freedom rides cannot be ignored.  Yet, the town in which the case is to be held does not appear to suffer from any surface racism, as the African-American and white community seem to intermingle just fine within the narrative, as is reflective of the jury in which the trial chooses, although anybody familiar with such towns in the rural south can attest to the performative elements at play in such a situation, yet for the sake of this film it is not a racial issue, it is purely a distrust of those not from their world, paired problematically with a death and a desire to find a culprit.  Yet it is not simply the issue of entrenched social mores, as they relate to things like "appropriate dress" for a courtroom, or is it about the language of litigation, it has so much more to do with the assumption of who can be a lawyer.  The prosecutor in the film Jim Trotter (Lane Smith) represents a traditional, genteel southern man whose whole family is tied to law and, as such, has nearly unquestioned sway in the towns affairs, both legally and perhaps politically.  Vinny represents a by-the-boot-straps young man whose career in law is less prestigious and certainly not part of some lineage, therefore, making him an outsider to the process and, as such, a victim to mocking and mistreatment.  This separation is two-fold when it comes to Mona who even Vinny deems as being irrelevant and useless when it comes to assuring the case is a success, yet in a last scene of challenging the tradition, Vinny, as well as the community, are forced to take notice of a woman's very real ability to serve as a key witness and an expert in something traditionally associated with the man's realm.

Key Scene:  The grits scene is quite good and a classic moment in comedy, and is, assuredly, the moment that sets up the jokes for the rest of the film, not to mention the inspiration for Vinny's turn of events within the courtroom.

This movie is cheap enough to obtain and well-worth having in your collection, buying a DVD will suffice and should make for a great viewing experience.

It's Like A Crippled Tree Reaching For Heaven: Cyrus (2010)

When I engage with independent films that use handheld camera work and mumble dialogue, I become weary.  Usually, it is a sign of a mumblecorp film that will either deliver something brilliantly profound, as is the case with Tiny Furniture, or miss the mark completely and come off as distantly pretentious, as is the case with Dance Party, U.S.A.  Cyrus, while possessing far more notable actors than either of the previously mentioned films provides an air of mumblecorp that makes seeing Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei seem humanly close.  It is a film about interactions done so minimally and believably that it is hard not to mistake the work for something of a documentary.  Directors and writers Mark and Jay Duplass provide a heartfelt piece of film that is clearly made with some distant memory in mind, suggesting that those viewing are being allowed a glimpse into a persons dearest thoughts, without effectively invading the narrative with judgment.  Cyrus is so well scripted, filmed and directed that you are lost when it ends, because as a viewer you attach yourself to its characters and follow them through their spells of failure and success, as one man learns to grow up while another learns to be young.

Cyrus follows John, played with clear ease by John C. Reilly, as he deals with the rather shitty state of his life.  John is a professional film editor, whose best friend is his ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener) and latches on to his comfort with her despite the clear disdain of Jamie's new fiance Tim (Matt Walsh).  As a gesture of both kindness and desperation, Tim and Jamie force John to tag along to a party with the hopes that he will meet someone new there and his irregular attachment with Jamie will end.  It appears as though the part will be as bust as John quickly becomes intoxicated off Red Bull and Vodka and finds himself peeing in the bushes outside the party.  It is at this point that he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) a sultry woman who displays clear interest in John.  After a night of intimacy, John is infatuated with Molly, but despite her clear interest in him, she is incredibly evasive.  Desiring to make things work with Molly, John follows her home one evening only to pass out across the street.  When he awakes, it is the morning and he approaches the house with the hopes of talking to her.  Instead, John is approached by Cyrus (Jonah Hill) the unusually old son of Molly.  Cyrus is incredibly welcoming to John and shares his house and music with John and things seem to be going well until Molly returns and is incredibly distraught to discover John waiting.  The relationship between Cyrus and Molly becomes awkward quite quickly as it is apparent that there is an unhealthy attachment between the mother and son.  John attempts to play it cool to the entire situation, but Cyrus plots to separate him from his mother and for most of the remaining narrative, he is successful at causing the two to end their relationship, only after John has attacked Cyrus and ruined his former wife's wedding.  However, in a moment of recognition to his own mother's sadness, Cyrus returns to apologize to John and the two end their disputes.  Cyrus removes himself as a divisive force and John and Molly finally engage in their clearly promising future.

I find one of the best features of the mumblecorp genre to be its honest approach to unusual narratives.  Having read my fair share of commentaries on suppressed narratives, it is great to see a film like Cyrus.  While it is clearly concerned with only well to do white individuals they are nonetheless a divergent narrative.  Cyrus is a young man with obvious mental problems that are overlooked by current psychiatric means.  John is a divorced male who is struggling to approach life, despite being clearly out of the loop.  He has an ex-wife that he is still close with, which posits a rather unusual and unconventional commentary on the status of marriage, and while it is clear that Tim is uncomfortable with their interactions, he realizes it would be selfish and oppressive to ask them to cease.  It is seemingly irrelevant and simply a means to add characters to the plot, but it is likely that the directors realized their social statement upon release.  The film also portrays a single mother in an unusual light.  Molly is clearly a woman struggling with little to no success to deal with her trouble son.  While it is obvious that she takes her duty very seriously and champions her cause quite respectably the film makes not intentions to glorify her.  In fact, the film approaches Molly in a very critical manner making it quite clear that she is oblivious to many of the events occurring in her own life.  In a sense, Cyrus is a film that concerns itself with highlighting unusual situations and drawing viewers into accepting that such possibilities occur, however, it is careful not to over idolize the quirky situation and instead approaches it quite honestly and with much criticism, hearkening back to my previous statement of the film existing as more of a documentary than actual narrative piece.  A rare outcome in contemporary filmmaking.

Cyrus is a solid film that is well worth viewing.  However, unless you are particularly keen on independent cinema it is a rental only.