With the exception of technical honors, there’s still probably no Academy Winner as surprising as Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. To be fair, Tomei’s performance is absolutely delightful — funny at times, forceful at others, and the perfect counter for Joe Pesci’s endless barrage of conversation — but movies like My Cousin Vinny don’t typically take home Academy Awards for anything, least of all performances. That award speaks to the soft spot everyone has in their heart for that film; it may not be the most prestigious work of either Tomei or Pesci’s careers, but it’s a hard movie to say no to after a long day at the office.
As it turns out, rumors of Joe Pesci’s involvement in The Irishman have not been greatly exaggerated. Although Pesci’s name has been attached to reports about Martin Scorsese’s mob drama since its inception several years back, recent updates cast some serious doubt on the actor’s involvement. That changed today, as Pesci — along with Bobby Cannavale and Harvey Keitel — has officially joined the cast of The Irishman, which marks his fourth collaboration with Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
I now invite you to take a break from staring out the window and wondering what the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie with Daniel Day-Lewis is going to be like, and rotate in your chair to stare out of a different window and wonder what the new Martin Scorsese movie with Robert De Niro is going to be like. It’s been just about a year since we learned that Scorsese’s new mob drama (featuring the all-star team of De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, and Bobby Cannavale) was for sure happening, and as if in commemoration of that anniversary, today brings the news that production will soon get up and running.