Probate Court
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — My Cousin Vinny
JosephASpadaro — 10 years ago(November 07, 2015 08:14 PM)
At the end of the film, Fred Gwynne (the Judge) steps out of the courthouse, and we see that the door behind him reads "Probate Court".
Do you think this was a goof on the part of the film-makers?
Or were they taking a jab at small-town hicks and their backwards sense of "justice"? In other words, they felt it was fine and dandy to have a lowly Probate Court Judge decide a high-profile death penalty murder trial. As if it were all pretty much the same thing. -
doowop14 — 9 years ago(June 21, 2016 03:32 PM)
I'm well aware. But then why did you ask the question about the courthouse in the first place? Just because the movie is a comedy, it doesn't mean that everything is a punchline. If you wish to take it that way, be my guest. But don't ask seemingly serious questions about your observations and then pompously try to put down a person's response. Your smart ass reply isn't appreciated and I guarantee that you wouldn't have made it to my face but instead, cowardly made it behind the anonymity of your keyboard. Snarky isn't cool. It's immature and annoying.
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JosephASpadaro — 9 years ago(June 21, 2016 06:12 PM)
You are being overly defensive. And you are being overly sensitive. Get real. This is an internet chat board. And I don't wear my kid gloves when speaking to people who I presume to be adults.
I'm well aware. But then why did you ask the question about the courthouse in the first place?
Because it's a legitimate question. And I wanted to get the thoughts of other people. You know, that's the very reason that this chat board exists. Am I right?
Just because the movie is a comedy, it doesn't mean that everything is a punchline. If you wish to take it that way, be my guest.
It's quite obvious that the director (or whoever) made a very deliberate choice to show the words "Probate Court" as Fred Gwynne stepped outside the door.
This is very intentional. It clearly was not some oversight or fluke. So, my question was driving at what other people thought were the intentions of the director.
If the phrase "Probate Court" were not important, they could have had a door that had no writing on it whatsoever. Or they could have had the actor (Fred Gwynne) stand in front of the words, so that the words are not even visible to the audience. Obviously, the director went out of his way to use these specific words
and
to make these words visible to his viewing audience. (And, if I recall, all in a close-up shot, to boot!)
So, let's explore the director's possible intentions. (Which was what my question was asking us to do.)
Possible scenario "A":
The director is poking fun of these small-town hicks and their backwards sense of justice. That would seem to me to fit right into the entire theme of the comedy. Plus, it's funny. Funny! Humor. You know? The whole point of producing a comedy. And spending millions of dollars to do so, in the hopes of making millions of dollars in profit.
So, to make a successful comedy and a funny comedy it's possible that they (the film director and/or executives) were taking a jab at small-town hicks and their backwards sense of "justice". It's possible that they were portraying that these backward hicks felt it was fine and dandy to have a lowly Probate Court Judge decide a high-profile death penalty murder trial. As if it were all pretty much the same thing.
In other words, the great disparity and discordance provide for a certain degree of subtle humor. In a film that is, again, a comedy. (And a classic comedy, at that.)
(The discord being: "Hey, let's try our big-time all-important life-or-death high-profile capital punishment murder trial in the probate court.")
That above possibility (Scenario "A") all fits right into the theme of the comedy.
Possible scenario "B":
This is a small town and they only have one court house, which is "multi purpose".
Wow, now that's a barrel full of laughs! That's pure comedy right there! (Note sarcasm.) How on earth would that be funny? And how would that advance the humor in the comedy?
Also, if this were the case that this small town only had one "multi purpose" court house why would they label it as their "Probate Court"? Makes no sense. They would just label it as "Beechum County Court House" or "Beechum County Municipal Court House". Or some such generic phrase. They would not label it "Probate Court".
Also, why would the director make an intentional display of the wording? As a comedy, I will presume for laughs. Not for some mundane (i.e., boring) "real life" reason, such as "Oh, this is a small town. And they only have one court house."
Also, by the way, all of the court scenes were filmed on a set. Which means that the director (or set decorator or whoever) very specifically designed the set and very specifically designed the door to say "Probate Court". It was no fluke or coincidence. It was quite deliberate.
But don't ask seemingly serious questions about your observations and then pompously try to put down a person's response. Your smart ass reply isn't appreciated and I guarantee that you wouldn't have made it to my face but instead, cowardly made it behind the anonymity of your keyboard. Snarky isn't cool. It's immature and annoying.
Get over yourself. You read quite a lot into a short six or seven word post of mine. You are "looking" to be offended. And calling me names? I used to call people names, too. When I was in third grade or so. -
JosephASpadaro — 9 years ago(June 21, 2016 09:02 PM)
Your smart ass reply isn't appreciated and I guarantee that you wouldn't have made it to my face but instead,
cowardly made it behind the anonymity of your keyboard.
Hmmmmm. My user name is my real name. So, please explain where the anonymity is? And where the cowardice is?
And speaking of anonymity and cowardice can I conclude that your real name is "Doo Wop 14"?
How ironic.
I
am the one being anonymous and cowardly, by posting with my real name.
And you Mister Doo Wop 14 are not?
Do I have all that straight?
LOL.
You can't make this stuff up. You simply can't.