Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) are two college friends from New York who are heading to graduate school in Los Angeles. They decide to drive across the country and take a more southern route to California. A big mistake.

In the middle of rural Beecham County, Alabama, they are stopped by police and are accused of murder. Obviously, this is a case of mistaken identity, right? But how can the two young men defend themselves in court, in what seems to them to be an alien and possibly hostile environment? Enter Bill's cousin, Vincent "Vinny" LaGuardia Gambini (Joe Pesci), who is straight out of Brooklyn. He arrives in town accompanied by his fiancee, Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei). Can Vinny save the boys from the electric chair? And will Lisa ever find a place in the area that serves good Chinese food?

This plot is a multiple fish-out-of-water story, gleefully emphasized, over and over again. And yes, it pits North versus South. Stereotypes abound. It also capitalizes on the primal fear of being accused of doing something, and not being able to prove that you didn't do it. Despite the seriousness of the charges against Bill and Stan, we still recognize that this is a comedy. We still cheer Vinny on with the hope that he can somehow find a possible way to win the case, even with his unconventional approaches. We have faith in him, even if others -- and especially Lisa -- might not.

Just about every role here is a good and memorable one. In addition to the actors previously mentioned, Lane Smith is believable as county district attorney Jim Trotter III, and Bruce McGill is also perfect as Sheriff Farley. One surprise stealer of the show is Fred Gwynne, playing Judge Chamberlain Haller. Do I have to mention what a shock it can be at first, to see Herman Munster in full color, without a square head, without white makeup and lipstick, and wearing a black robe? This film turned out to be Gwynne's last one, too, so it's terrific that he left us with a solid farewell performance.

The second show-stopper is Marisa Tomei. You almost have to deliberately remember that this was one of her first movie roles, coming in the early years of her career on the screen. And for this one, she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress. Boom. Because she deserved the recognition.

One day, a friend and I reminisced about the cars we had learned to drive in, back in the early 1970s. He had driven his father's car, a Pontiac Tempest. I quickly thought of the reference to this model in My Cousin Vinny, and I told my friend so. Amazingly enough, he hadn't seen the movie. So I loaned him my VHS copy. (Yes, this is the format I still have it in.) When he returned the tape to me, he told me that he had enjoyed the story. And almost sheepishly, he said that his father had ALSO once owned a Buick Skylark, too. Hah! Neither one was metallic green, though. You have to see the movie to understand the connections.

My Cousin Vinny is just a lot of plain fun. Nearly every scene contains a memorable moment that you may want to repeat or to reenact with your friends. From Vinny's fondness for black leather, to the ticking of Lisa's biological clock; and from the judge's sly smile and two finger beckonings, to Vinny's Brooklyn accent on words like "youths" -- some of the scenes have become imbedded and referenced in our popular culture. You probably should be warned that a lot of f-bombs drop in the script, too. Thus does the dialogue reflect the setting and the circumstances, and mostly, it reflects the personalities in it.

In any case: If you haven't ever seen My Cousin Vinny, you probably should. Find out what others have been talking about for decades.