Moonstruck (1987)

Why so much hype?

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

This is such a pleasant movie, yet never ignores the difficulties within love and family. The whole thing is classy, bubbly goodness, and the dinner scene at the end is beyond wonderful.

When a bit of Dino wakens you up after a ton of previews followed by the MGM lion's roar, you know that's amore as you enter the Brooklyn neighborhood of sultry widow Cher and her outrageous family. She's sending her fiancee Danny Aiello off to Italy to visit his dying mama and promises to visit his estranged brother (Nicolas Cage) to get him to come to their wedding. Cage blames Aiello for the loss of his hand, distracting him while cutting bread and losing the woman he loved in the process. The embittered Cage, obviously adored by his female co-workers, perhaps isn't worthy of all that love, but it's obvious he needs a bit of mothering, being estranged from the elderly woman back in Italy. Cage manages to "snap out of it" long enough to seduce Cher ("OK. Take me to the bed. I don't care"), and then to the Opera at Lincoln Center, even causing her to darken the gray coming in. Cher plays kick the can as she returns home, only to find Aiello has returned and missing money from her job working for relatives. It's a luscious and subtle romantic comedy that, like the moon, will hit your eye like a big pizza pie.This isn't all about Cher who was at the height of her film fame, appearing in the courtroom drama "Suspect" and dark horror comedy "The Witches of Eastwick" the very same year, winning an Oscar for this and going from camp music star to serious actress. She is the lead in an ensemble which she shares generously, with plaudits going to on-screen parents Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis. If being Archie Bunker's neighbor on "All in the Family" wasn't enough, Gardenia is a delightful curmudgeon who may love his wife, but still isn't any less of a man for having a woman on the side (Anita Gillette, ultra middle aged chic in her showy but small role), and he too gets hit in the eye as he has to decide himself what is more important: his male ego or the woman who has stood by him through thick and thin. I had already known whom Olympia Dukakis was when I saw this in the theater, having thought her very unique when she appeared on the soap opera "Search For Tomorrow". It is Dukakis who introduced me to the "Bird's Nest", a breakfast dish where the center of a huge chunk of bread is cut out so an egg can be dropped in the center and fried along with the bread. Dukakis is loving, no-nonsense, and absolutely loyal to her marriage, even if she secretly knows that her husband is stepping out on her.Even if you are estranged from family, I doubt you will not feel the love inside this adorable family, almost operatic in its passion for each of the members. Although they fight, it is with love, and you can tell that every member of this family is on each other's side, even when they make mistakes. It holds up 30 years after its release completely. Minor characters all have moments that show their passion which doesn't diminish as they pass middle age. Even the cantankerous grandfather who has old fashioned morals that make him disgusted by what he sees (a moment between daughter-in-law Dukakis and a complete stranger that he misinterprets) speaks through his eyes without uttering a word, and various other relatives are included by having little moments where their own hopes, dreams, desires and failings are exposed. An aging Sicilian matron putting a curse on her sister as Cher watches Aiello take off for Italy gets the ball rolling. This is Sicily and the Italian mainland New York 1980's style, and anybody who has a large ethnic family, whether Italian or not, can relate to these character's personalities. It is one of the best original screenplays ever written, directed passionately by Norman Jewison, very much in the style of Woody Allen (particularly "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Radio Days"), yet standing out as a fresh viewpoint that time hasn't yet stamped out.

Moonstruck is good entertainment that fits the bill as a movie for various ages and tastes. The sexual indiscretions are treated with humour. The Italian neighbourhood in New York where the movie is set is more like an urban village. One amusing scene shows Loretta played by Cher, as a 37 year-old widow and daughter of an Italian family, as she makes her confession to the parish priest, who speaks to her on a first name basis. Then she runs into her mother, Rose, played by Olympia Dukakis, praying in church. This typifies the close society of her neighbourhood where the restaurants, churches, delis and corner groceries are meeting places for neighbours and family. The locale is New York City near the Metropolitan Opera, which enters the story when Loretta and her new boyfriend, played by Nicholas Cage, go on a date. Coincidentally, they happen to spot her father, Cosmo, played by Vince Gardenia, with a girlfriend. Loretta has become engaged to Johnny, performed by Danny Aiello, who she fears will find out about her new boyfriend after his return from Italy. The new boyfriend also happens to be the brother of her fiancé. Things seem to unravel and then be resolved for the family, friends and neighbours under the influence of a full moon. Nicholas Cage and Cher seem to be made for each other in this movie as the still young widow and the hard-luck, angry butcher. It is in fact a group of people who have all seen their share of tragedy, success, and strained family relationships. Good luck and good sense does not always win the day. Yet, the movie is full of heart and is something of a lesson on how to put egos aside and let our best instincts work things out. Norman Jewison directed this delightful movie. Recommend.

When the above line is uttered by a tearful, elderly character at the end of this wonderful, funny, charming romantic comedy, I laughed so hard, my ribs hurt. The film is a heart warming look at a quirky Italian-American family in Brooklyn that happens to be going through some relationship issues. It is a multi-layered story with some terrific vignettes and the script, cast and performances are all first rate. Cher, Olympia Dukakis (both Oscar winners), Vincent Gardenia and Danny Aiello have rarely, if ever, been better and the tuneful and romantic score is an added treat. This is a must-see and another gem from the great director Jewison.