Written by my Guest blogger, my mom: Jackie
Thank you Jen for giving me the opportunity to talk about my favorite film of all time, “Moonstruck”. It’s safe to say I’ve been quoting this movie since the movie debuted in 1987. If I met the writer, John Patrick Shanley today, I would buy him a drink or two and pick his brain. It is a classic masterpiece.
Maybe you have to grow up in Brooklyn to love it. I’ve watched it with friends in the Midwest and they didn’t really appreciate the film. They only humored me through because I loved it so. In my opinion, a good glass of merlot, a nice Italian meal and Moonstruck make for a perfect evening.
Cher is incredible as Loretta Castorini. Frances Ford Coppola’s nephew Nicholas Cage was miscast in the role of Ronnie Camareri, but the film still captures my heart.
One can’t help but cheer Loretta on as she tries to do everything right in planning her wedding to avoid the bad luck she had in her first marriage. When her fiancé Johnny, played by Danny Aiello, leaves for Italy to visit his dying mother, he leaves Loretta with the request to reach out to his estranged brother Ronnie. Loretta and Ronnie are destined to fall in love.
But the best part about this film isn’t the romance. It’s the strong family ties. I love when Cher sits down with her father Cosmo, played by Vincent Gardenia to tell him of her engagement. His response is hysterical. When they awake Rose, Loretta’s mother, played by Olympia Dukakis, to tell her, she opens her eyes and asks, “Who’s dead?” When they tell her the news she asks, “Do you love him Loretta?” Loretta says, “No.” “Good,” responds Rose, “when you love them, they drive you crazy….cause they can.”
Loretta has such a tender, loving relationship with her parents, her grandfather and her aunt and uncle. The ties of this extended Italian family living in Brooklyn are both hysterical and touching. The scenery makes for a perfect backdrop. One of my favorite quotes is Rose yelling at Loretta, “You’ve got a love bite on your neck, your life’s going down the toilet!”
While Loretta develops this forbidden relationship with the brother of her fiancé, her father, Cosmo is cheating on her mother with another woman. There are several twists and turns in the film which lead to the affair being uncovered and Rose confronting Cosmo.
The last scene of the movie solves many relationship problems within a few minutes. If you’ve seen the film, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, you’re in for a real treat. Around the breakfast table in their classic Brooklyn Heights brownstone, husband reunites with wife, brother with brother, aunt and uncle with niece and father with son. All ends with a toast and a celebration of family. That’s what I really love about this film. The best times, the most emotional peaks and valleys in our life, all come back to family, with or without a beautiful moon to caress the evening, family has more substance than anything else.
Thank you Jen for giving me the opportunity to talk about my favorite film of all time, “Moonstruck”. It’s safe to say I’ve been quoting this movie since the movie debuted in 1987. If I met the writer, John Patrick Shanley today, I would buy him a drink or two and pick his brain. It is a classic masterpiece.
Maybe you have to grow up in Brooklyn to love it. I’ve watched it with friends in the Midwest and they didn’t really appreciate the film. They only humored me through because I loved it so. In my opinion, a good glass of merlot, a nice Italian meal and Moonstruck make for a perfect evening.
Cher is incredible as Loretta Castorini. Frances Ford Coppola’s nephew Nicholas Cage was miscast in the role of Ronnie Camareri, but the film still captures my heart.
One can’t help but cheer Loretta on as she tries to do everything right in planning her wedding to avoid the bad luck she had in her first marriage. When her fiancé Johnny, played by Danny Aiello, leaves for Italy to visit his dying mother, he leaves Loretta with the request to reach out to his estranged brother Ronnie. Loretta and Ronnie are destined to fall in love.
But the best part about this film isn’t the romance. It’s the strong family ties. I love when Cher sits down with her father Cosmo, played by Vincent Gardenia to tell him of her engagement. His response is hysterical. When they awake Rose, Loretta’s mother, played by Olympia Dukakis, to tell her, she opens her eyes and asks, “Who’s dead?” When they tell her the news she asks, “Do you love him Loretta?” Loretta says, “No.” “Good,” responds Rose, “when you love them, they drive you crazy….cause they can.”
Loretta has such a tender, loving relationship with her parents, her grandfather and her aunt and uncle. The ties of this extended Italian family living in Brooklyn are both hysterical and touching. The scenery makes for a perfect backdrop. One of my favorite quotes is Rose yelling at Loretta, “You’ve got a love bite on your neck, your life’s going down the toilet!”
While Loretta develops this forbidden relationship with the brother of her fiancé, her father, Cosmo is cheating on her mother with another woman. There are several twists and turns in the film which lead to the affair being uncovered and Rose confronting Cosmo.
The last scene of the movie solves many relationship problems within a few minutes. If you’ve seen the film, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, you’re in for a real treat. Around the breakfast table in their classic Brooklyn Heights brownstone, husband reunites with wife, brother with brother, aunt and uncle with niece and father with son. All ends with a toast and a celebration of family. That’s what I really love about this film. The best times, the most emotional peaks and valleys in our life, all come back to family, with or without a beautiful moon to caress the evening, family has more substance than anything else.
One of my favorite movies too. Of course my favorite line was "snap out of it!"--I've used it several times in real life situations!!!!
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