There’s nothing like a deadly legal drama to tap our most potent emotions, rally us for the “good fight” and simply entertain us as lawyers–particularly for those of us in small departments, whose lonelier grind tends to generate a higher craving for escapist legal entertainment and inspiration. So summon yourself to a recliner one of these hot, lazy summer days and enjoy one or more of my all-time fun favorites:
My Cousin Vinny (1992)–Enjoy it for the goofy, escapist humor alone. Joe Pesci (a lawyer who has never won a case) and Marisa Tomei (his sassy girlfriend) are two black-clad, thick-accented New “Yawkers” who trek down to Alabama to defend a murder case. As Tomei sarcastically opines, referring to Pesci’s glaring outsider status, “Oh yeah. You blend.”
