Original artwork, not a still
Did you say 'yoots'? / Yeah. 'Two youths.' What is a yoot?
— My Cousin Vinny ‧ 1992
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the film's culture clash in one word. Vinny, a New Yorker who has never been in a court, has to say it again to a Southern judge who has never heard Brooklyn say 'youths'. The judge's dry confusion is what makes it land. Fans still quote it whenever accents collide, and 'yoot' works as shorthand for the whole movie.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for My Cousin VinnyShow the scene
Vinny is cross-examining Sam Tipton, the eyewitness who says he saw the two defendants walk into the Sac-o-Suds, in Judge Chamberlain Haller's Beechum County courtroom. Pressing whether the defendants could have done their shopping and left in the time Tipton claims, Vinny asks about "the two yoots" in his Brooklyn accent. The puzzled judge, played by Fred Gwynne in his final film role, stops him: "Did you say yoots?" Vinny explains that he said "two youths", the judge asks what a yoot is, and Vinny apologises and starts the question again. He goes on to push Tipton on how long the shop visit took.
Sources (2)
- My Cousin Vinny (1992) transcripttrial, cross-examination of Mr TiptonReference checked
- My Cousin Vinny, Wikipediacast list and introductionReference checked
Context reviewed
