My Cousin Vinny

The New York Times
March 22, 1992

"A Director's British Eye on the South"
By Bernard Weinraub

With his impeccable British credentials, Jonathan Lynn was an improbable choice to direct "My Cousin Vinny."

After all, the successful, low-budget comedy about a profane, streetwise fledgling New York lawyer with barely a shred of legal experience who finds himself tangling hilariously with Southern justice, is a considerable stretch for a director who has a law degree from Cambridge University and a distinguished career as a theater director and co-author of one of the most successful series on British television.

But Mr. Lynn shrugs off any cultural gaps in his own experience and says, in fact, that being British - as opposed to American - actually helped him direct the film, which stars Joe Pesci.

"Americans, somehow, seem to regard the South as a different province," he said, seated in his studio office. "The South seems to be what India is to the British. A source of torrid drama. A different place in the empire somehow. There always seems to be a sort of Southern stereotype in American films, and I did not want to fall into that trap. There are really no bad guys in that movie, the Southerners are perfectly nice people, but what does manifest itself in the film are class distinctions."

The main character, Vincent Gambini, played by Mr. Pesci, and his girlfriend, Mona Lisa, played by a newcomer, Marisa Tomei, who almost steals the picture, are a gum-chewing, tough-talking couple from New York. They arrive in rural Alabama to help defend two college students, one of whom is Vincent's cousin, played by Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield, who are mistakenly held on a murder charge. It's as if two North Koreans took on a case in Argentina.

"Everyone I know asks me how did I like the South, as if it's a foreign country," Mr. Lynn said. "Well, it doesn't seem very different from the North or the West. And in a funny way, what was interesting in the film are the class distinctions, not the regional ones. Vinny and Lisa are smart, blue collar people from New York. And they encounter Southern old money, Southern aristocracy."

Observer of Behavior

It was Mr. Lynn's last film, "Nuns on the Run," about two British con men hiding from the mob in a convent, that led to his current film.

Joe Roth, chairman of 20th Century Fox, said in an interview: "I thought 'Nuns on the Run' was hysterically funny. We had worked together on that film. Jonathan's a really good observer of behavior, British or American. And I had confidence that if he spent some time in the South he'd come up with an accurate portrayal. It's really difficult to find good comedy directors, and Jonathan's one of them."

"My Cousin Vinny" is now vying with "Wayne's World" for the No. 2 spot across the country after the violent melodrama "Basic Instinct." "Vinny" has buoyed the spirits of the studio, which has endured such big-budget financial failures as "For the Boys" and "Shining Through." The movie, written and co-produced by Dale Launer, cost $11.6 million, a comparatively small sum.

For the 47 year-old Mr. Lynn, the movie's success is especially sweet. In Britain he is widely known as the co-author of the acclaimed comedy series "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister," about the testy relationships between civil servants and politicians. The series was not only one of the most honored on British television, but was also watched weekly by the entire political establishment.

His books "The Complete Yes, Minister," and "Yes, Prime Minister" sold a million copies in hard cover and were on the top 10 best-seller lists for three years. Mr. Lynn is also an actor and a theater director, having served as artistic director of the Cambridge Theater from 1977 to 1981 and directing his own company at the National Theater.

Made Some Mistakes

But an earlier foray into Hollywood was less successful. His first film, "Clue," which he wrote and directed in 1985, was a comic whodunit, based on the popular board game, had an ensemble cast and was released with three different endings - and it failed.

"It was my first attempt as a film director and I made some mistakes," he said. "The real problem was there was this idea for releasing a whodunit with multiple endings. Everyone thought it was the most brilliant marketing ploy in the history of cinema. It had never been done before. Well, when we did it we discovered why it hadn't been done before. People didn't know which ending to go to - so they didn't see the film at all. People said why should they go see a movie if the film makers can't even decide how to end it."

The key experience he gained from "Clue," Mr. Lynn said, was that a failed picture is pinned squarely on the director. "If you have a successful film you have all kinds of people willing take credit," he said with a laugh. "If you direct an unsuccessful film, you're on your own. That was the single most important lesson I learned. I'm much more cautious now."

For four years after "Clue," he did not direct a movie. Some projects dried up, several offers failed to interest him, and he returned to London to direct some National Theater productions and write the "Yes, Prime Minister" book and series. In 1990, "Nuns on the Run," which he wrote and directed, stirred considerable Hollywood interest again.

Comedy in the Courtroom

"What appealed to me about 'Vinny' was it was a courtroom comedy," Mr. Lynn said. "A lot of my favorite movies are courtroom drama, but I've never read a courtroom comedy or seen one. An awful lot of the scripts you read are a bit the same as other scripts. A lot of the scripts you read feel as if they've been produced by committees - and probably have been. This had a certain unique voice."

Mr. Lynn's next film, "The Distinguished Gentleman," was written by Marty Kaplan, a former Washington journalist and speechwriter for the former Vice President, Walter F. Mondale. Set to begin production in May, it deals with a con man, played by Eddie Murphy, who decides that the biggest scam going is to be elected to the House of Representatives. The current bank scandal in the House adds considerable resonance to the movie.

Mr. Lynn, who lives in the hills above Sunset Strip with his wife, Rita Lynn, a psychotherapist, said he had no plans to return to London. Their son is about to start college in the United States. He said his life had not changed appreciably, except for more offers to work. "I've been in this business too long for success or failure to change my life in any way," Mr. Lynn said. "I have not got a personal trainer now or anything like that."

"Everyone in the world seems to have an ambivalent attitude toward Hollywood except me," Mr. Lynn said. "Actually, I love it." And then he laughed, adding," Now, I do."