Amazon.com Essentials:
Remember the outfit Cher wore to the Oscars when she won an
Academy Award for her performance in this 1987 film? Ay-yi-yi. The
actress' more retiring character in this infectious comedy leaps
several psychological hurdles just giving her hair a permanent. But
then the original screenplay by John Patrick Shanley (Joe Versus the
Volcano) is a wonderful, gently satirical tale of an
Italian-American family dealing with repression and dissatisfaction
against a backdrop of cultural expectations. Cher is focused and funny
as a widow who feels she should marry an older fellow (Danny Aiello),
but then falls for his black-sheep brother (Nicolas Cage). Olympia
Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia are perfect as her parents, and John
Mahoney (of TV's Frasier) has a memorable, small role as a
middle-aged man on the make who gets a lecture from Dukakis's
character. Shanley's dialogue is comically stylized in a way that
makes one appreciate how much words can inform an actor's
performance. Taking its cues from him and director Norman Jewison (And Justice for
All), the cast immerse themselves in a pool of hilariously
operatic emotion. The special-edition DVD release has a full-screen
presentation, Dolby sound, commentary by Cher, Jewison, and Shanley,
theatrical trailer, closed captioning, booklet, optional French
soundtrack, and optional subtitles in English, French, or
Spanish. --Tom Keogh
