Moonstruck (1987)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writer:

John Patrick Shanley (written by)

Release Date:

18 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

Life. Family. Love.

Plot:

A widowed Brooklyn book-keeper is torn between her fiancé and his brother.

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Love | Marriage | Opera | Proposal

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Cher	...	Loretta Castorini
Nicolas Cage	...	Ronny Cammareri
Vincent Gardenia	...	Cosmo Castorini
Olympia Dukakis	...	Rose Castorini
Danny Aiello	...	Mr. Johnny Cammareri
Julie Bovasso	...	Rita Cappomaggi
John Mahoney	...	Perry
Louis Guss	...	Raymond Cappomaggi
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Old Man (as Feodor Chaliapin)
Anita Gillette	...	Mona
Leonardo Cimino	...	Felix
Paula Trueman	...	Lucy
Nada Despotovich	...	Chrissy
Joe Grifasi	...	Shy Waiter
Gina DeAngeles	...	Old Crone

Also Known As:

The Bride and the Wolf (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG (#28740) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

19 Cranberry Street, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Olympia Dukakis is only 15 years older than her on-screen daughter Cher.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the movie, Rose's hairstyle changes between shots as she goes to answer door.

Quotes:

Cosmo Castorini: You'll have your eyes opened for you, my friend.
Johnny: I have my eyes open.
Cosmo Castorini: Oh yeah? Well, stick around. Don't go on any long trips.
Johnny: I don't know what you mean.
Cosmo Castorini: I know you don't. That's the point. I'll say no more.
Johnny: You haven't said anything!
Cosmo Castorini: And that's all I'm saying.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Jeff Goldblum/Aerosmith (#19.3)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

La Bohème

Let's Hear it for Families

This movie is still an all time favorite. Only a pretentious, humorless moron would not enjoy this wonderful film. This movie feels like a slice of warm apple pie topped with french vanilla ice cream! I think this is Cher's best work ever and her most believable performance. Cher has always been blessed with charisma, good looks, and an enviably thin figure. Whether you like her singing or not - who else sounds like Cher? Cher has definitely made her mark in the entertainment industry and will be remembered long after others have come and gone. She is one of the most unique artists out there. It's funny, because who would have thought of Cher as such a naturally gifted actress? She is heads above the so-called movie "stars" of today. Cher is a real actor on the same level as Debra Winger, Alfre Woodard, Holly Hunter, Angela Bassett and a few others, in that she never seems to be "acting," she really becomes the character convincingly. She has more than earned the respect of her peers and of the movie-going public.

Everything about Moonstruck is wonderful - the characters, the scenery, the dialog, the food. I never get tired of watching this movie.

Every time single time I watch the scene where they are all sitting around the dinner table at Rose's house, I pause the remote to see exactly what delicious food Rose is serving. I saw the spaghetti, mushrooms (I think), but I can't make out whether they are eating ravioli, ziti? What is that main course? It looks wonderful and its driving me nuts!

Everybody in that family was a hardworking individual and they respected and cared about one another. The grandfather wasn't pushed aside and tolerated, he was a vital part of the family and he was listened to and respected for his age and wisdom. He seemed to be a pretty healthy, independent old codger too.

Loretta's mom wasn't "just a housewife," she was the glue that held the family together and was a model example of what a wife, mother, and home manager should aspire to be. She was proud of the lifestyle she had chosen but she didn't let it define who she was. High powered businessmen aren't as comfortable in their skin as Rose Casterini was. Notice the saucy way she said "I didn't have kids until after I was 37. It ain't over 'til its over." You got the sense that she had been the type of young woman who did exactly as she pleased and got her way without the other person realizing what had happened. She was charming, quick witted, and very smart. What a great mom!

I didn't actually like Loretta right away because she seemed like a bit of a know--it-all who wasn't really as adventurous and as in control of herself as she wanted others to think. She could tell others about themselves and where they had gone wrong, but she really didn't apply common sense to her own life. She was going to marry a middle-aged mama's boy simply because she wanted a husband and a sense of identity and purpose to her life. She was more conventional than her own mom. She dressed and wore her hair like a matron at a house of detention and seemed humorless and bored, but underneath you sensed that she was vulnerable and lonely and had a lot of love to give the right man. She would probably end up making an awesome mom too.

I could see in the future, a house full of Loretta and Ronnie's loud, screaming happy kids and Rose and Cosmo enjoying every minute of it.