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50 free My Cousin Vinny trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
38 free My Cousin Vinny trivia questions with answers. My Cousin Vinny turned a fish-out-of-water courtroom comedy into a film that real lawyers screen for their students. This quiz covers all of it: the New York attorney out of his depth in Alabama, his sharp-tongued fiancee whose car knowledge wins the case, the judge in his final screen role, the grits, the two "yutes", and the surprise Oscar that people still argue about. Expect the cast and their characters, the famous scenes, the automotive testimony that cracks the case, the Georgia filming locations that stood in for Alabama, and the film's remarkable reputation in the legal profession. It suits movie-trivia nights, law students and anyone who can quote the tuna-can scene from memory. Every answer is checked against Wikipedia's articles on the film and its cast, and the source sentence appears under each question, so you can settle any argument about positraction on the spot.
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Q 01In what year was My Cousin Vinny released?
1992
It was distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Q 02Which actor plays Vincent "Vinny" Gambini?
Joe Pesci
The studio first wanted Andrew Dice Clay, and considered De Niro and DeVito, before casting Pesci.
Q 03Who plays Vinny's fiancee, Mona Lisa Vito?
Marisa Tomei
Lorraine Bracco was approached for the role but Tomei got it, and an Oscar with it.
Q 04Playing Mona Lisa Vito earned its actress which award?
An Oscar
A persistent urban legend that the wrong name was read out is false; she won it.
Q 05Which actor plays the judge, Chamberlain Haller, in his final film role?
Fred Gwynne
Gwynne was best known for a 1960s monster sitcom.
Q 06The actor who plays the judge was famous for playing which 1960s TV monster?
Herman Munster
He also played Officer Muldoon in Car 54, Where Are You?
Q 07Which young actor, fresh from The Karate Kid, plays the accused nephew Bill Gambini?
Ralph Macchio
His friend Stan Rothenstein is played by Mitchell Whitfield.
Q 08Who is the prosecutor, District Attorney Jim Trotter III?
Lane Smith
He presents a strong but entirely circumstantial case.
Q 09Austin Pendleton plays public defender John Gibbons, whose courtroom problem is what?
A severe stutter
His nervousness and stutter undermine Stan's defense.
Q 10The trial is set in which fictional Alabama locale?
Beechum County
The Alabama scenes were actually filmed in Georgia.
Q 11The Alabama-set film was actually shot in which state?
Georgia
The courthouse interior used the In the Heat of the Night set in Covington, Georgia.
Q 12How do the two accused students first get into trouble at the convenience store?
Bill absent-mindedly pockets a can of tuna
When the clerk is later found murdered, Bill assumes he is only being questioned about shoplifting and confesses.
Q 13Vinny discredits one witness's timeline using his knowledge of the cooking time of what food?
Grits
No self-respecting Southerner uses instant grits, as the scene famously establishes.
Q 21Screenwriter Dale Launer got the idea from a real lawyer who passed the bar on which attempt?
His 13th
That inspired the running joke of a barely-qualified Vinny defending a murder case.
Q 22Which Oscar-winning film did Joe Pesci finish shooting around the time he took the Vinny role?
Goodfellas
He had also just wrapped Lethal Weapon 2.
Q 23Attorneys have praised My Cousin Vinny especially for its accurate depiction of what?
Criminal procedure and evidence
A federal judge even wrote an article calling Vinny's cross-examination a "textbook example".
Q 14Mona Lisa's testimony proves the tire tracks came from which car, not the defendants' Skylark?
A 1963 Pontiac Tempest
The Tempest's distinctive drivetrain and rear-end were the giveaway.
Q 15What two features of the 1963 Tempest does Mona Lisa cite as proof?
Independent rear suspension and Positraction
The defendants' Buick Skylark had neither, so it could not have left the marks.
Q 16What model of car do the defendants actually drive?
A 1964 Buick Skylark
Vinny first gets the FBI analyst to admit its tyres are among the most common in the country.
Q 17What alias does Vinny use to convince the judge he is an experienced attorney?
Jerry Callo
He starts as "Jerry Gallo", then switches to "Callo" when the real Gallo turns out to have died.
Q 18For what does Judge Haller repeatedly hold Vinny in contempt, jailing him briefly?
His attire and courtroom conduct
Vinny's brash big-city manner clashes badly with the reserved Southern courtroom.
Q 19What legally correct process does Mona Lisa remind Vinny he can use to obtain the prosecution's evidence?
Discovery
Vinny had at first tried to trick the prosecutor into simply sharing it.
Q 20Director Jonathan Lynn holds a degree in what subject, which shows in the film's accuracy?
Law
His Cambridge law background is often credited for the film's realistic procedure.
Q 24A federal judge noted the film seemed to predict a Supreme Court ruling on which topic?
Expert-witness testimony
Mona Lisa's expert testimony neatly anticipated the Kumho Tire standard.
Q 25Which studio distributed My Cousin Vinny?
20th Century Fox
It opened on March 13, 1992.
Q 26Roughly how much did the film gross worldwide against an $11 million budget?
About $64m
It was much more successful than anticipated.
Q 27In a 1998 comedy album, Joe Pesci reprised the character with a song titled what?
Yo, Cousin Vinny
The album cover shows Pesci in a red suit like the usher outfit from the film.
Q 28What is the murder victim's job in the film?
Store clerk
He is found robbed and shot after the two students leave the store.
Q 29What is the full name of Vinny's character?
Vincent LaGuardia Gambini
The middle name LaGuardia nods to the famous New York mayor.
Q 30The actress who plays Mona Lisa was born and raised in which New York borough?
Brooklyn
She grew up in the Midwood neighbourhood there.