Product: Moonstruck (1987)
Rating: 5.0
A Romantic, Sensual Delight!
This film's premise that one's spirit somehow knows when you are about to marry the wrong person rings true to my romantic heart. Cher plays the once-married Italian New York accountant Loretta, who believes that her first marriage was doomed (her husband died when he was hit by a bus) is entirely attributable to the "bad luck" that came from having a non-traditional wedding. Danny Aiello plays Cher's fiance, Johnny Cammareri, who asks Cher to do him the favor of inviting his younger brother, Ronny (played by Nicolas Cage), to the wedding. He makes this request because he is flying to Sicily to be at the bedside of his dying mother, and because some kind of "bad blood" passed between the brothers five years earlier -- and Ronny hasn't spoken to Johnny ever since.As you might guess, things begin to get interesting when Loretta (Cher) phones Ronny (Nicolas Cage) to invite him to the wedding and is hung up on abruptly. "What an ANIMAL!" Loretta exclaims to her mother, as she grabs her coat and leaves to go see Ronny in person where he works at a bakery. As luck would have it, Loretta gets much more than she bargains for when she finally gets a chance to have a one-on-one discussion with Ronny about why he hasn't spoken to his brother in five years. The moon is full that day, which "brings the woman to the man".One of the things I love most about this movie is the way that Loretta and Ronny have an intuitive feel for what motivates the other. In one such discussion, Loretta likens Ronny to a wolf who would prefer to chew it's own paw off than make the mistake of marrying the wrong woman. In another, Ronny comments to Loretta, "Playing it safe is just about the most dangerous thing a woman like you can do."I love everything about this movie -- the setting in New York (including the Metropolitan Opera theater) is stunning, the script is thought-provoking and intelligent, the actors are sensual, and even the supporting actors are outstanding! Olympia Dukakis plays Rose, Loretta's mother, and John Mahoney (of Frasier fame) plays Loretta's father. There is a strong sense of family in this film, albeit a less-than-perfect family.In short, this is one of a handful of films I love to watch again and again!