Moonstruck (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Moonstruck' (directed by Norman Jewison) is a wonderful romantic comedy box office hit from 1987 that also nabbed 3 Oscars, to boot. Dean Martin gets the narrative ball rolling by singing "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's ... amore". The characters in the story believe that they are in control of their lives; that is until, as scripter John Patrick Shanley puts it, "... a mischievous moon appears over NY and ignites new passions within them". With great humanity & zany humor, Shanley offers up a marvelously entertaining look at love & betrayal within two Italian-American families.
Cher stars as Loretta Castorini, a dowdy 37 yr. old widow living in Brooklyn with her parents. A part-time bookkeeper, Loretta grasps at what she thinks is her only hope for marriage & motherhood -- an engagement to one, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), a pleasant-enough, but weak-willed, oafish 42 yr. old bachelor with no great merits or prospects. While Johnny is away in Italy to confer with relatives about his pending marriage, free-spirited Loretta tracks down his estranged, younger bakery worker brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage), to invite him to the upcoming wedding.
Unforeseen to her, the wacky, but wildly passionate Ronny sweeps Loretta off her feet. Adding further emotional complications, Johnny had been good friends with Loretta's deceased husband. Meanwhile, the light of the moon strikes again; as Loretta's mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis), finds out that her plumber husband, Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia), is having an affair. And so, from the opening "That's Amore" to the last scene in which the Castorinis gather in the kitchen to sort out their romantic misadventures, 'Moonstruck' explores the different shadings of love in both funny & endearing ways.
'Moonstruck' is propelled by sturdy direction, a great script and, most of all, a cast full of winsome, heartfelt performances. Cher is sensational as Loretta and, she warmly deserved her Best Actress Academy Award over some stiff competition. Olympia Dukakis wins Supporting Actress as Loretta's tough-minded, but warm-hearted mother. And John Patrick Shanley wins Best Original Screenplay. Also stellar are Cage, Gardenia & Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as the grandfather. The film gets a bit heavy-handed, at times; at bit 'too much'. But overall, it's a thoroughly enchanting comedy classic for all to enjoy.
Cher stars as Loretta Castorini, a dowdy 37 yr. old widow living in Brooklyn with her parents. A part-time bookkeeper, Loretta grasps at what she thinks is her only hope for marriage & motherhood -- an engagement to one, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), a pleasant-enough, but weak-willed, oafish 42 yr. old bachelor with no great merits or prospects. While Johnny is away in Italy to confer with relatives about his pending marriage, free-spirited Loretta tracks down his estranged, younger bakery worker brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage), to invite him to the upcoming wedding.
Unforeseen to her, the wacky, but wildly passionate Ronny sweeps Loretta off her feet. Adding further emotional complications, Johnny had been good friends with Loretta's deceased husband. Meanwhile, the light of the moon strikes again; as Loretta's mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis), finds out that her plumber husband, Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia), is having an affair. And so, from the opening "That's Amore" to the last scene in which the Castorinis gather in the kitchen to sort out their romantic misadventures, 'Moonstruck' explores the different shadings of love in both funny & endearing ways.
'Moonstruck' is propelled by sturdy direction, a great script and, most of all, a cast full of winsome, heartfelt performances. Cher is sensational as Loretta and, she warmly deserved her Best Actress Academy Award over some stiff competition. Olympia Dukakis wins Supporting Actress as Loretta's tough-minded, but warm-hearted mother. And John Patrick Shanley wins Best Original Screenplay. Also stellar are Cage, Gardenia & Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as the grandfather. The film gets a bit heavy-handed, at times; at bit 'too much'. But overall, it's a thoroughly enchanting comedy classic for all to enjoy.