Moonstruck: Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.
Widowed Loretta has recently become engaged to her boyfriend, Johnny. When Johnny’s mother falls gravely ill, he has to return to Italy, but he asks Loretta to track down his younger brother, Ronny, and invite him to the wedding. Johnny and Ronny have been estranged for quite some time, but family is important to Johnny, so Loretta agrees. As Johnny is away, Loretta and Ronny fall into a passionate romance that is complicated with Johnny’s return.
Upon its release, the movie was a critical and commercial success. It won three Oscars out of six nominations, including a Best Actress Oscar for Cher, and is one of the most celebrated romantic comedies in the genre’s history.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen Moonstruck, but rewatching it for this blog reminded me why I enjoyed it so much. This romantic comedy skillfully circumvents the usual rom-com formula, generating an odd but charming comedy about finding love in the most unexpected places.
Cher has a magnetic screen presence in Moonstruck, world-weary and no-nonsense. She is the grounded member of the Castorini family but begins to let her hair down – metaphorically and literally – after meeting Nic Cage’s Ronny. Cage is still a great actor, but there is something so charismatic about his earlier roles. Cher may have won the Oscar for this movie, but I feel like Cage gives Moonstruck the passion and energy that make it such a successful romantic comedy. Ronny is intense and maybe a little chaotic, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling it off without coming across as a psychopath.
Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia play Loretta’s parents, Rose and Cosmo. Their love story is just as complicated as Loretta’s, as Rose correctly suspects Cosmo of having an affair. Dukakis and Gardenia were both nominated by the Academy for their supporting roles, with Dukakis winning in her category., deservingly so. Her performance is so beautiful. It is subtle and devastating, and yet she has some of the funniest lines in the movie.
“I just want you to know no matter what you do, you’re gonna die, just like everybody else.”
Moonstruck does not shy away from heavier topics like family estrangement, death, and infidelity, but it doesn’t make light of them. Instead, it presents these issues with a simplicity that, thankfully, won’t send us into a spiral of depression. These things just are. It’s life. We accept them just as Loretta accepts that she’s fallen for Ronny, as complicated as it may be.
Sometimes, I felt the movie dragged a little, and perhaps the ending is a little too neat for my tastes, but you could say those are minor nitpicks. Ultimately, Moonstruck is a sharply written movie about the kind of love that is messy and complicated, the kind that can be both joyful and painful, and I think that is what sets it apart from so many other romantic comedies. It may not be for everyone, but I think it’s absolutely worth a watch for the performances alone.
Watched: 01/18/2024
Notable Song: That’s Amore by Dean Martin
