Moonstruck (1987)
This film wasn't really my cup of tea. Cher, as Loretta Castorini, puts in a good performance. I'm not sure if it's worthy of the Oscar she won for it, which is fortunate as I'm not often asked to give out Oscars, but I didn't particularly like her character. She's a hot-headed Italian-American, because it seems that Hollywood think Italian-Americans are always hot-headed. They always seem to be shouting at each other. Loretta's first husband died in a car accident a few years earlier. Now, 37, she gets proposed to by her nervous-but-nice boyfriend Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello). You kind of get the feeling she's not really into him. And, it turns out, she probably isn't. While he goes off to Sicily to be with his dying mother, Loretta hooks up with Johnny's brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage)
Johnny and Ronny haven't spoken for five years, after Ronny lost his hand in a freak baking accident. He also lost his fiance. I'm assuming she just finished with him, and that the baking accident didn't claim her as well as his hand. Johnny asks Loretta to contact Ronny and invite him to their wedding. His hot-headedness leads him to slamming the phone down on her, so she hunts him down instead. And after a scene or two of him being bitter and angry and resentful, he lures Cher into his bed. It seems that Cher must be attracted to the bitter and angry and resentful type as she willfully goes along with his invite.
Despite a bout of remorse the following morning, she agrees to go on an opera date with Ronny that evening. They enjoy the show, she's clearly conflicted and confused (whether it's about the show she's watching or her relationship status), but she eventually gives in to Ronny's relentless pleas to "get on my bed".
While all this is going on, it seems that Loretta's dad Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) is also getting up to no good. He's a plumber who, for some reason, only works with copper piping. He says it's because it's more durable, but it's more than likely because it earns him more from his customers. Not sure why that's relevant. I was trying to come up with a way of making a reference to Super Mario somewhere here, but can't think of one. Anyway, Cosmo's plunger appears to be getting some action with a lady called Mona (Anita Gillette). Loretta's mum Rose (Olympia Dukakis) has her suspicions, and there are a few scenes of characters offering musings and insight into love and romance and fidelity, but they really don't seem to actually say anything. It's like words but no real meaning.
And then there's Loretta's aunt and uncle, who are simply a randy elderly couple who seem to find their mojo under the light of a very large, very full moon.
To prevent this review from being an entire spoiler, things resolve in a fashion in the final scene, but they also kind of don't. The film's plot takes place over a period of three days. During that period of time, Loretta gets proposed to, sees her fiance off, and has her dalliance with Ronny. It seems implausible that Loretta and Ronny can fall in love as passionately as they appear to do, although it might simply be raw passion, and not romantic chemistry. Neither are particularly pleasant people, but perhaps that’s why they’re better suited than Loretta and Johnny.
The film looked ok. There are some nice shots of 1980s Little Italy, although the interior scenes did feel like sets rather than a real home. It is meant to be a comedy, although often uses the apparent volatile tempers of Italian-Americans to achieve this. It was ok, but not a must watch.