Product: Moonstruck (1987)
Rating: 5.0
"When the moon hits your eye..."
"Moonstruck" is a movie that I enjoy more every time I watch it. It may be the perfect romantic comedy, although I think it's far too good to be boxed into that genre. No one writes New York City characters better than John Patrick Shanley, and this saga of a passionate Italian-American family makes you wish he wrote for the screen more often. Shanley found the ideal interpretor in Norman Jewison, who directs the film with perfect precision. He also assembled a flawless cast, and two members of it, Cher and Olympia Dukakis, won Oscars for their work, as did John Patrick Shanley for his screenplay.The movie concerns Loretta Castorini and her eccentric extended family. As played by Cher, Loretta is a slightly frumpy widow who is getting married to an rather ridiculous older man (Danny Aiello). While her fiancee is away in Sicily at his mother's deathbed, Loretta falls for his intense, opera-loving, one-handed brother Ronnie, played with gonzo insanity by Nicolas Cage. Other plots include the lives of Loretta's parents, Cosmo and Rose, played by Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis. Cosmo is having a midlife crisis and is seeing another woman. The wise Rose knows this and decides to try and find out "why men chase women." She finally determines that it's because they fear death.The characters in "Moonstruck" really do feel like a family, and it is pure joy to watch them interact. All of the Castorini's go through life with big emotions, with equal parts joy and sadness. There is a lot of inspired comedy in this film, most of which is dialogue-oriented. "Moonstruck" also functions as an examination of the wonders of love, as each character is awakened into passion by the arrival of the full moon. There is one famous scene where Loretta, after a night with Ronnie, walks home kicking a can across the street, completely lost in the bliss of being in love. It's marvelous. The climax, featuring all of the major characters gathered around a kitchen table, is superbly executed, moving, and hysterical.I cannot recommend "Moonstruck" highly enough. It's characters will feel like old friends, and almost everything about the movie is perfect. For much of the cast, the film marks a high point in their careers. Cher was never better than as the lovestruck Loretta, Nicolas Cage was never so free and crazy, and character actors like Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, and Olympia Dukakis finally got parts that they could bite into with relish.Just see it. You'll fall in love, too.