MT

Marisa Tomei turns 50 today.  This is not a great birthday for an actress in Hollywood. Neither is 40.  Or 30.  Actually, there are no good birthdays except the ones you erase from your bio.  But even if she's been kicked upstairs to mother roles, she's still doing pretty well.

I was thinking about Tomei recently when I watched My Cousin Vinny, a great courtroom comedy.  Joe Pesci is the star, and there's some fine support work from the cast, especially Fred Gwynne, but Tomei steals every scene she's in.



Many were shocked when she won the Oscar.  She was a nobody in a low comic role up against four distinguished British actresses.  In fact, some believed a drunk Jack Palance read the wrong name that night.  But, for those who didn't get it then, time has shown the Academy got it right.  Her competition did decent work, but her performance as Mona Lisa Vito is the one that's still remembered.