The movie, My Cousin Vinny, was a perfect mixture of court room drama with slap stick comedy. Though the elements of criminal justice and court room policies and procedures deviated somewhat from reality, the movie incited constructive debate for years to come. In the movie, Bill and Stan are pulled over and arrested. They had inadvertently taken a can of tuna without paying for it and they thought they were being arrested for shoplifting but little did they know, that was far from the case. The first thing that I noticed during the arrest is that the sheriff had his weapon pulled. The sheriff was arresting them because he thought they had committed a felony. He had every right to have his weapon drawn in this case. During the initial arrest Bill and Stan were not informed about what crime they had been arrested for, which they should have been. Once the young men were transported to the police station they were still not read their Miranda rights but they were asked if they knew their rights prior to being interrogated by the sheriff. After a few misleading questions and an obviously coerced confession they were made aware of what they were being accused of. Bill and Stan get implicated as suspects in a murder case. The booking process was unconventional at best, downright illegal at worst. The movie did not show whether or not they were formally booked which consists of positive identification, being informed of the charges against them and providing fingerprints and photographs. They were given the one phone call that they were entitled to which they used to call family members and get legal representation. Then they were placed in a state corrections holding facility where they would remain for the duration of the trial.
             The proceedings take place in an Alabama court. Vinny, Bill's lawyer cousin comes from New York to defend Bill and Stan as a favor to their family. The case involves the murder of a convenience store clerk ...