Moonstruck (1987)

Nicolas Cage Film Fest Movie #1 (Please click the links to read my reviews of The Family Man, Rumble Fish, The Thin Red Line, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Windtalkers).

Synopsis: It’s like The Godfather…except nobody gets whacked, and only Cupid does the shooting.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: "Fall under the delightful spell of Moonstruck, the mesmerizing romantic comedy from director Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof) and Oscar winner John Patrick Shanley."

What Did I Learn?: There are three kinds of pipe: 1) “garbage”, 2) bronze, “which is pretty good, unless something goes wrong - and something always goes wrong,” and 3) copper, which costs money because it saves money.

You Might Like This Movie If: You’ll watch anything that involves a warm-hearted, Italian-American family.

Really?: I had a bit of trouble believing Ronny would seem so blasé after hearing that his mother is on her deathbed, even if they are estranged. 2) It certainly is convenient when Johnny informs Loretta he can’t marry her right before she tells him she’s in love with his brother.

Rating: While it won three Oscars and many rave reviews, Moonstruck is a good-but-not-great movie featuring fine performances from Cher, Cage, and the supporting cast (some of the best scenes involve Olympia Dukakis enjoying dinner with a pre-Frasier John Mahoney). Moonstruck is certainly charming, but it isn’t funny enough to work as a comedy, and the ending is so cloying and pat that it’s tough to take the drama or the characters too seriously. Oh - and did it have to use Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” not once, but twice? That damn song’s still running through my head! 7.5/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093565/