A Few Good Men Vs. My Cousin Vinny (Ep. 0038)

You'll be hard-pressed to find real-life subject matter more exaggerated and glamorized in film than the courtroom. Hollywood has taken lots of liberty representing the legal system over the years. 1992 was arguably the most significant year for courtroom films. Widely regarded as two of the best courtroom films ever made, we analyze A Few Good Men and My Cousin Vinny. Although they represent two different genres, they have a long list of commonalities. We also get to explore the performances of two prolific actors in Tom Cruise and Joe Pesci. Although they don't necessarily possess the same range as other greats, they have seen their talents utilized in various genres. Help the Movie Wars crew determine a verdict for these amazing courtroom films. 

Click here to become an executive producer on Movie Wars by supporting us on Patreon! A measly $7 gets you access to Kyle’s new 20-minute film retrospectives which are deep dives into the films we cover(and Patron Requests), interviews with legendary filmmakers, Host Q and A, and bonus content.

About A Few Good Men(courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes)

Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is a military lawyer defending two U.S. Marines charged with killing a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Although Kaffee is known for seeking plea bargains, a fellow lawyer, Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), convinces him that the accused marines were most likely carrying out an order from a commanding officer. Kaffee takes a risk by calling Col. Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) to the stand in an effort to uncover the conspiracy.

• Rating:
• R
• Genre:
• Drama
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Rob Reiner
• Producer:
• Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, David Brown
• Writer:
• Aaron Sorkin
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Dec 11, 1992 Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• May 6, 2003
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $141.3M
• Runtime:
• 2h 18m
• Distributor:
• Columbia Pictures, Columbia Tristar

About My Cousin Vinny(Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes)

New York lawyer Vinny has never won a case. When his teenage cousin Bill and his friend Stan are accused of murder in a backwater Alabama town, it's up to the nervous Vinny to save him from jail, even though he's only ever tried personal injury cases before, and none of them successfully.

• Rating:
• R
• Genre:
• Comedy
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Jonathan Lynn
• Producer:
• Dale Launer, Paul Schiff
• Writer:
• Dale Launer
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Mar 13, 1992 Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Jan 30, 2007
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $50.9M
• Runtime:
• 1h 59m
• Distributor:
• 20th Century Fox