Moonstruck (1987)

Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writer:

John Patrick Shanley

Stars:

Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis

Won 3 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cher	...	Loretta Castorini
Nicolas Cage	...	Ronny Cammareri
Vincent Gardenia	...	Cosmo Castorini
Olympia Dukakis	...	Rose Castorini
Danny Aiello	...	Mr. Johnny Cammareri
Julie Bovasso	...	Rita Cappomaggi
John Mahoney	...	Perry
Louis Guss	...	Raymond Cappomaggi
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Old Man (as Feodor Chaliapin)
Anita Gillette	...	Mona
Leonardo Cimino	...	Felix
Paula Trueman	...	Lucy
Nada Despotovich	...	Chrissy
Joe Grifasi	...	Shy Waiter
Gina DeAngeles	...	Old Crone

Storyline

No sooner does Italian-American widow Loretta accept a marriage proposal from her doltish boyfriend, Johnny, then she finds herself falling for his younger brother, Ronny. She tries to resist, but Ronny lost his hand in an accident he blames on his brother, and has no scruples about aggressively pursuing her while Johnny is out of the country. As Loretta falls deeper in love, she comes to learn that she's not the only one in her family with a secret romance.

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Plot Keywords:

brother | love | proposal | marriage | bookkeeper | 

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Taglines:

Life. Family. Love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

15 January 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bride and the Wolf

Filming Locations:

Caroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$127,599, 20 December 1987, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$80,640,528

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),Star Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The despondent moan that Olympia Dukakis repeats to herself throughout the film is a direct homage to the same moans that Dustin Hoffman delivers throughout "The Graduate".

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Goofs

In the beginning of the movie, as the La Boheme poster is being put into the glass display, the Premeire opening date reads November 15th. But the tone of the movie has already been set as "near Christmas". We have seen a man carrying a Christmas tree, and later we see Christmas cards strung in the dinning room on Cranberry St.

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Quotes

Loretta Castorini: [after spending the night with Ronny] I'm gonna marry him.
Ronny Cammareri: What?
Loretta Castorini: Last night never happened, you hear me? I'm gonna marry him anyway and last night never happened, and you and I are gonna take this to our coffins!
Ronny Cammareri: I can't do that.

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Connections

Referenced in Smash: The Producers (2013)

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Soundtracks

That's Amore
Performed by Dean Martin
Courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc.
Music by Harry Warren (uncredited)
Lyrics by Jack Brooks (uncredited)

User Reviews

So warm

So wonderful, so quirky, so romantic, so Italian. The film is so feather -light you float off into its refracted reality and you never want to return to the humdrum again. A kitchen sink world of bakeries, and hairdressers, and plumbing, but one that shimmers with a soft luminescence. Should the credit go to the screenplay or the direction? Take your pick -- they're both faultless. Let me get back to that New York City that lies just beyond the looking glass.