What My Cousin Vinny's Director Had To Say About Rudy Giuliani's Press Conference
In case you missed it, Rudy Giuliani gave an eyebrow-raising press conference on Nov. 19, 2020. That was just the latest in the long, long line of controversial press conferences given by President Donald Trump's close friend and attorney. But let's back up, shall we?
After a long and messy campaign season marked with headline-making debate interruptions, poorly timed insect encounters, and stints in the hospital, the 2020 election finally got called in favor of the Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden. The ex-VP surpassed the 270 electoral college threshold on Nov. 7, 2020, when he won the state of Pennsylvania. Celebrations across the country. Everywhere but the White House that is, and in the face of defeat, Trump has kept public appearances to a minimum. That hasn't stopped him from tweeting up a storm, though, eagerly alleging election fraud (of which there is no evidence).
The president also took up legal fights in battleground states (most of which he has lost) where he believes he got cheated out of a win (once again, there is no evidence to suggest this is the case). Heading up Trump's army of lawyers is former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Some of his press conferences in support of the president sparked criticism, like when he referenced the 1992 movie My Cousin Vinny. So what did the director of the film have to say about the remark? Keep reading to find out.
Rudy Giuliani suffered an awkward hair mishap
Rudy Giuliani's press conferences on behalf of President Donald Trump have been something of a spectacle. Time and time again, Giuliani has taken the stage to allege widespread election fraud and cheating by the Democrats, despite having no evidence to back up the allegations. "[The media] don't decide the election," he yelled at a reporter on Nov. 7, 2020.
At yet another press conference on Nov. 19, 2020, Giuliani spouted the same baseless claims of voter fraud, despite ongoing chaos at Trump headquarters. Just days before Giuliani dramatically fired three top attorneys on Trump's team, and handled a Pennsylvania hearing himself, something he hasn't done in nearly 30 years, according to CNN. "I'm in charge of this investigation," he said to an overcrowded room. The press conference was one for the books, not least because of Giuliani's apparent intent to reverse the outcome in Pennsylvania, a crucial state in Biden's victory.
However, it wasn't the ongoing election drama or Giuliani's scheming that caught the press' attention on Nov. 19, 2020. People were more interested in the man himself, as to put it bluntly, the former mayor appeared to be melting on stage. A long line of hair dye dripped down Giuliani's face and settled squarely on his chin as he yelled into the microphone. Yikes. But what really gave people a chuckle, though, was Giuliani's classic film reference and the film director's burn when he heard about the moment.
'My Cousin Vinny' director shades Rudy Giuliani
One of Rudy Giuliani's claims about widespread election fraud is that poll watchers allegedly weren't able to watch the votes getting counted. Giuliani maintains that poll watchers in Pennsylvania were purposefully kept at too far of a distance to see whether the votes in question were being counted fairly and accurately, per The Independent.
At a press conference on Nov. 19, 2020, Giuliani referenced a famous courtroom scene from My Cousin Vinny to drive home his claim. "Did you all watch my cousin Vinny?" Giuliani asked the room at large. "It's one of my favorite law movies because he comes from Brooklyn," he added. Giuliani then halfheartedly reenacted the scene in which Vinny (Joe Pesci) asks a witness how many fingers he's holding up, and the witness incorrectly replies "three," when, in fact, he's holding up two. "How many fingers do I got up," Giuliani said in a deep voice that was evidently supposed to be an impression of Joe Pesci. "And she says three," he continued, "Well she was too far away to see that it was only two."
When the film's director, Jonathan Lynn got asked for his thoughts about the reference, he didn't hold back. Lynn told The Hollywood Reporter, "I regard Giuliani's praise of My Cousin Vinny as generous from the man who is currently giving the Comedy Performance of the Year." Drop the mic.