Mystic Pizza Synopsis: Three teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.
In Mystic Pizza, Daisy (Julia Roberts) and Kat (Annabeth Gish) are sisters who work with their best friend Jojo (Lili Taylor) in a small pizza shop in the town of Mystic, Connecticut. As Kat prepares to start her freshman year at Yale, she takes up a babysitting job to help pay for the expenses (her fourth job, according to her mother).
Unprepared for “’til death do you part”, Jojo has just fainted at her wedding to Bill (Vincent D’Onofrio) and has put the marriage on hold, although she is still hoping to get his pants down at every opportunity. And Daisy⌠well, she feels a bit lost, not entirely sure what to do with her life while her sister goes off to an Ivy League school and her best friend is (maybe) getting married.
Let’s deal with the obvious right now: Daisy and Kat are meant to be Portuguese. The actresses are not Portuguese. It’s clearly an issue because it’s an issue in the movie, but… it was Hollywood in 1988. I’m not making excuses, but whitewashing was still (and is still) a thing.
Mystic Pizza deals with all three women and their love lives. Kat falls for the father of the little girl she is babysitting. His wife is in England, and it becomes clear the two have a fairly rocky marriage. Kat is young… nineteen, perhaps? He’s in his thirties. Kat’s infatuation with this mature older guy is understandable, but as Daisy points out, the father boffing the babysitter is a really old story that happens all the time.
Tim’s (William R. Moses) attraction to Kat is questionable and problematic for many reasons, but I feel like he got off the hook for his behavior unless his punishment is to remain in an unhappy marriage. It was a learning experience for Kat, who seemed desperate to be more like her sexy, free-spirited sister, Daisy. Gish’s performance is the most vulnerable of the bunch but also very understated and subtle compared to Roberts’s contagious laugh and Taylor’s sarcastic one-liners.
Daisy falls for Charlie (Adam Storke), a preppy rich boy with daddy issues. The two are attracted to one another, but the differences in their lifestyles may be too much for them to overcome and have a healthy relationship. Daisy also deals with her mother’s expectations and constant disappointment in her choices. Daisy constantly feels inadequate, especially compared to Kat’s responsibility and academic successes.
Mystic Pizza was Roberts’s first substantial role in Hollywood, and her star power is evident in this movie. She is charming and flirtatious but can also dial up the drama, especially when faced with the suspicion that Charlie is cheating on her. Charlie is also a pretty well-rounded character, and he and Daisy probably have more in common than they think they do. Storke and Roberts were sizzling on screen together, and it’s a shame Storke didn’t have more leading man roles after this movie.
Jojo struggles with her future and is uncertain about marrying her longtime boyfriend, Bill. She wants to get married, and she wants children… she just isn’t sure she wants them now. Her attraction to Bill is strong; he seems in love with her enough to forgive her for passing out at their wedding. It’s an interesting turn of events here… having the woman wanting the sex without the real commitment and the man wishing for more. D’Onofrio and Taylor have such fantastic chemistry. They’re adorable together, and not just because of the insane height difference. And holy moly, was Vincent D’Onofrio hot in the ’80s or what? Whew!
Mystic Pizza is most definitely a romantic dramedy, leaning a bit more towards drama than comedy, though there are plenty of moments that will make you chuckle – mostly credited to Jojo and Bill’s lust-filled relationship.
Donald Petrie manages to direct what very easily could have been a melodramatic schmaltz-filled movie into something genuine and touching. There are some loose ends, and frankly, the plot isn’t anything eye-opening or different, but the performances of Gish, Roberts, and Taylor make this movie what it is. Together, they imbue enough chemistry and familiarity to make you believe they have truly been friends since childhood. Just try to ignore the truly horrible Photoshop at the beginning of Mystic Pizza when it gives you a montage of photos chronicling the friendship from childhood onward.
I love the seaside town of Mystic, the performances, and the romances (excluding Kat and Tim, because ew, why). Watching this movie, it’s clear why the three main actresses went on to do bigger and better things in their careers. They all show something special in this film. Mystic Pizza is definitely a comfort film for me and one of my favorites to watch in the fall.
Watched: 10/26/2019
Notable Song: These Are the Times to Remember by Jill Colucci
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