Moonstruck (1987) - Review

Moonstruck is a 1987 romantic comedy film starring Cher, Danny Aiello, and Nicolas Cage. Cher plays Loretta, a 37 year old widow living with her Italian family in Brooklyn Heights. She and Danny Aiello's Johnny get engaged before he must fly to Italy to be present for his mother's impending death. Before he leaves, he asks Loretta to help him reconcile with his brother Ronny (Cage) so that he appears at their upcoming wedding. While trying to reconcile the siblings, Loretta begins to fall in love with Ronny, and must figure out what she really wants for love. Meanwhile, various members of her family are grappling with their own understanding of love and how that affects their lives. 

I am an absolute sucker for movies that show a slice of life. There is minimal exposition, and it is fun to learn more about the characters as they go on about this moment the movie selected. The movie walks its way through a normal day for Loretta and her various family members before throwing in complications that show both how normal and abnormal the family is. The dialogue is real and actually funny at times, which is not the primary intention that modern movies have grown accustomed to. Moonstruck explores some complex themes, like love, family, and guilt/shame in a very human way. As stated above, the characters have to navigate their issues on screen and come to their own conclusions and it is charming to see them all grow and discover the relationships that mean the most to them- even in such a time frame as short as a few days. Not only do Cher and Cage give fantastic
performances, but the supporting cast does as well. It is really difficult to manage that feat, regardless of what era of film you observe.

Moonstruck is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think that it is one of the more perfect movies that I have ever come across. It is a movie about romance that shows perspectives of love and life with love, allowing someone to empathize with at least one of the characters. In an earlier review I stated that there are few movies that I am willing to watch again given enough time in-between, however this movie I have seen on my shelf many times over the years and I not only have a fondness for it in the moment, but I lament that there are few opportunities that I have to watch it. I truly do recommend that anyone watch this movie if they haven't already. Not only are the themes simple and universal, the performances of anyone on screen tend to suck you into the action. Even being removed from the release of the movie by almost 40 years and I have never visited anywhere near the setting's location, it breeds feelings of nostalgia and familiarity. This lends to the timelessness of the movie; and I am certain that this movie will hold up in this way for many more years to come.