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:

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$127,599, 20 December 1987

Gross USA:

$80,640,528

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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 film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

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Goofs

Loretta mentions that she is 37 years old with no children. Rose then says she didn't have children until she was older than Loretta. That would make Rose at a minimum around 75 years old.

Olympia Dukakis was 56 years old when she made this film. No way she looked 75.

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Quotes

Chrissy: This is the most tormented man I have ever known. I'm in love with this man, but he doesn't know that, 'cause I never told him, 'cause he could never love anybody since he lost his hand and his girl.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Mike Myers/Aerosmith (1997)

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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

Beautiful, romantic

Wonderful romance comedy drama about an Italian widow (Cher) who's planning to marry a man she's comfortable with (Danny Aiello) until she falls for his headstrong, angry brother (Nicholas Cage). The script is sharp with plenty of great lines, the acting is wonderful, the accents (I've been told) are letter perfect and the cinematography is beautiful. New York has never looked so good on the screen. A must-see primarily for Cher and Olympia Dukakis--they're both fantastic and richly deserved the Oscars they got. A beautiful, funny film. A must see!