Description: Fall under the delightful spell of Moonstruck, the mesmerizing romantic comedy from director Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof) and OscarÂ(r) winner* John Patrick Shanley. Academy AwardÂ(r) winners** Cher, Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis excel in this explosively funny tale which also features flawless performances by Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia and Frasier's John Mahoney. Cher is "devastatingly funny, sinuous and beautiful" (Pauline Kael) as Loretta, an unlucky in love Italian widow who finds romance through the intervention of the Manhattan moon. With her wedding to a close friend just weeks away, she meets and falls hopelessly in love with his younger brother (Cage)! Her dilemma and her equally passionate and hilariously eccentric family make for an unforgettable film you'll find "beguiling" (Time), "enchanting" (Newsweek) and "irresistible" ("Today Show").
Amazon.com essential video: Remember the outfit Cher wore to the Oscars when she won an Academy Award for her performance in this 1987 film? Ay-yi-yi. The actress' more retiring character in this infectious comedy leaps several psychological hurdles just giving her hair a permanent. But then the original screenplay by John Patrick Shanley (Joe Versus the Volcano) is a wonderful, gently satirical tale of an Italian-American family dealing with repression and dissatisfaction against a backdrop of cultural expectations. Cher is focused and funny as a widow who feels she should marry an older fellow (Danny Aiello), but then falls for his black-sheep brother (Nicolas Cage). Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia are perfect as her parents, and John Mahoney (of TV's Frasier) has a memorable, small role as a middle-aged man on the make who gets a lecture from Dukakis's character. Shanley's dialogue is comically stylized in a way that makes one appreciate how much words can inform an actor's performance. Taking its cues from him and director Norman Jewison (And Justice for All), the cast immerse themselves in a pool of hilariously operatic emotion. The special-edition DVD release has a full-screen presentation, Dolby sound, commentary by Cher, Jewison, and Shanley, theatrical trailer, closed captioning, booklet, optional French soundtrack, and optional subtitles in English, French, or Spanish. --Tom Keogh
Caricatures All the men are stupid jerks who screw up their own lives and the lives of those around them. Fortunately for the safety of New York City, all of the women are wise, patient and nurturing, and manage to get the bozos back on track. No wonder my wife thinks this is the best movie of all time!
Classic film stands up 21 years later I have always loved this film. This has not changed in the years since it was released.
I have a question for the film makers. Why did it take until 2006 until this wide screen edition of the film was available? New York City is a character in the film. Landscape shots make it so.
I waited until I got this DVD, keep watching for it to come out.
Great script. Cast perfect except for Cage. I am NOT a fan of his.
I remember years ago that Olympia had her Oscar stolen. She deserved it. Cher did as well along with the script.
1 thing I do NOT like about this edition of the film. NO chapter search list or ANY INFORMATION ON THE FILM PROVIDED INSIDE. Instead you get a recipe cards? IS THIS a cooking DVD? I do NOT think so. THOUGHT IT WAS A CLASSIC, OSCAR WINNING FILM.
moonstruck dvd i love the movie, the quality and etc, etc. very happy with my purchase!
I'll admit; I'm a little moonstruck... `Moonstruck' tells the all too familiar tale of a woman who falls in love with a man whom she is not promised to. Yes, we have seen this story told before, at times better, at times worse. What makes `Moonstruck' so entertaining is that it takes the age old formula and spices it with wonderful performances that capture a deeper sense of meaning than just merely whether or not one person is meant for one person.
The film tells the story if widow Loretta Castorini, a beautiful yet unkempt woman who feels as though she is unlucky, and that lack of luck has convinced her that the only way to be happy is to marry the older `nice' guy Johnny Cammareri. While Johnny is away visiting his dying mother though, Loretta meets his brother Ronny, the black sheep of the family, and (you guessed it) falls in love with him. Her passion for Ronny contradicts her insistence on marrying Johnny even though she knows that Johnny will never fulfill her the way that Ronny would. While she deals with this inconvenience she also has to contend with her parents, Cosmo and Rose, as they struggle to make their marriage work.
Yes, I'll say this now, `Moonstruck' is slightly clichéd and lays heavy on the Italian stereotypes, but it's done in that innocent jesting way, much like `My Big Fat Greek Wedding'; never in a shameless and irritable way like say, a Tyler Perry movie (don't hate). I actually thought that the little Italian touches helped the film blossom into something memorable as apposed to just another `same old same'. I am half Italian myself and while I can see how some may take offence to some of the blatant stereotypes I found that it was all done in fun, not malicious in anyway, and only added layers to the films script.
The acting is also noteworthy. Cher and Olympia Dukakis both took home acting Oscars for their performances in this film, and both were truly the standouts. I can't say that Cher deserved to win (I'm leaning more towards Glenn Close) but she was truly wonderful here (not what I expected) and her nomination alone was well deserved. Dukakis was even better, and I have to say that I totally agree with her win. She handled her character, which could have been nothing more than stock, with so much grace and maturity. Her conversation with John Mahoney alone is the single best scene in the entire film. Vincent Gardenia was effective, if not the biggest stereotype in the bunch (it's always the father, right?) and Danny Aiello is a bit lost. I tell you, I was most impressed with Cage, since I normally find him rather bland. He turned out a very good performance. His accent was right on and his emotional connection was, while still a tad muted, much deeper than most his performances and his detachment from serious emotion actually aided in the films humor.
There may be a lot familiar or clichéd about this film, but there is also a lot to enjoy and remember. The acting is mostly rich (especially from the female stars) and the script is written with enough gusto to make even its most clichéd moments entertaining and somewhat fresh. Like I said, it's not highly original and it does overdo the stereotypes at times, but its all in fun and sometimes `fun' is just what we need.
I DON'T GET MOONSTRUCK! I know that this is a very popular film, but I never understood why. To me this tale of infidelity and ethnic caricatures, borders on offensive! I would love to see how people would react if African American families were handled the same way. Yeah, I can see it now everyone in the film is picking cotton, eating fried chicken, watermelon and talking with a speech impediment! Or maybe Asian families with everyone running laundry up and down the street with a rickshaw and.......... talking with a speech impediment!
Please don't start hitting me with hate comments, I am not a bigot, but I like equality for all people and the Italian's are taking it pretty hard in "this-a dull-a un-a-romantic comedy". There are a few good scenes scattered through this film, but overall it baffles me why people love it so. This film didn't offend me, but I don't see any difference between doing a caricature of Italians or any other stereotype! .....except that it seems you can get away with it, if it's done to Italians???? It just doesn't seem fair to me. I only bring this to reader's attention because with all the censoring being done, it just seems to me only certain groups are taboo!
OK now about the DVD, I have the older edition and the transfer seems fine as far as full screen being the correct ratio, I didn't notice anything missing or looking off center. My rating for this film is 2 1/2 star...... translation "The film-a is-a mediocre-a at-a best-a!" ....Now that's Italian!.....Yeah right! ;-b
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