In honor of its 25th anniversary, the 1992 feature My Cousin Vinny will be screened on Sunday, May 7, in the theater of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. The film is the next installation of Newtown Cultural Arts Commission's ongoing Someday Cinema Series.

There will be two opportunities to enjoy this modern classic: the 4 pm matinee, which will be subtitled for the benefit of the hearing impaired; and a 7 pm evening show. Those planning to attend the evening show are encouraged to arrive earlier than usual for the popular film, according to series organizer Jen Rogers.

Tickets to both screenings are free of charge, courtesy Ingersoll Auto of Danbury.

The premise is this: Bill (Ralph Macchio) and Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are two UCLA students from New York who have decided to drive via a southerly route to school. After a quick stop for provisions in rural Alabama, they are arrested and accused of murder.

Conveniently, Bill's cousin Vinny is a lawyer and available to take the case. Circumstantial evidence looks damning and Alabama law permits the death penalty.

Joe Pesci plays street-smart New Yorker Vincent Gambini, who has finally passed the bar exam after six tries. He and his stylish, sharp, and supportive fiancé, Mona Lisa Vito - Marissa Tomei, who won an Oscar for her work on this film - look like fish out of water in the small town.

"You stick out like a sore thumb," Vinny observes, dressed all in black. "Oh yeah, you blend," Lisa retorts. Pesci and Tomei give standout performances, whose couple chemistry is full of witty repartee. Their occasional foul language, though integral to their characters, earned the film an R rating.

Sure of the young men's innocence, Vinny does his best, but working against him are his lack of knowledge about courtroom etiquette and legal procedure, a disagreeable judge (Fred Gwynne, in his final on-screen appearance before his death one year after the film's release), an inability to sleep through the night, and, well, Alabama mud.

While Stan has serious doubts, Bill believes in Vinny because he is a Gambini, and for the Gambinis, arguing is an art. Stan replies that his "parents argue too, it doesn't make them good lawyers," but Bill counters, "Stan, I've seen your parents argue. Trust me, they're amateurs."

The Law Offices of Lawrence M. Riefberg chose to sponsor this month's film.

"My Cousin Vinny is a favorite among many attorneys, maybe it is because attorneys like to think of themselves as never having sounded like Joe Pesci's character," said Atty Riefberg. "The reality is often different. Every lawyer struggles in the beginning.

"In a field where staying serious is critical to productivity, it a great reminder to let loose and laugh. The arts are a perfect escape," he continued.

Atty Riefberg understands this well, as he played Tevya in the United Jewish Center's production of Fiddler on the Roof. "My Cousin Vinny will allow viewers to escape and reflect on our justice system. This film catches courtroom intensity at its best. It is hard to believe Vinny Gambini is part of the same profession that once wrote the Constitution. Whether you're seasoned or a…'Yute,' you'll enjoy this film!"

In June, the Someday Cinema Series will present The Philadelphia Story (1940) on Thursday, June 1; and then The Princess Bride (1987) on Sunday, June 25.

Visit bit.ly/SomedayCinemaSeries or fb.me/somedaycinemaseries for details on the entire series.

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