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 storefront that once housed the famous Cammareri Bros. Italian bakery became Maybelle's Cafe for awhile. That has since closed and a new restaurant (Purbird Flame Grilled Chicken of Park Slope?) opened in 2015. The original bakery equipment that is still stored in the basement of the building; it's too big & expensive to remove.

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Goofs

When Rose and Perry are saying goodnight in the street, his coat lapel is alternately open/closed between shots.

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Quotes

Johnny: [Bobo shows up with the dessert cart] Would you like some dessert?
Loretta Castorini: [looks at the cart] You know I really shouldn't.
Johnny: Will you marry me?
Loretta Castorini: Bobo, take the cart away.
Bobo: Veddy good, miss.

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Connections

Referenced in Modern Family: Aunt Mommy (2012)

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Soundtracks

It Must Be Him
Performed by Vikki Carr (as Vicki Carr)
Courtesy of Liberty Records
Written by Gilbert Bécaud and Maurice Vidalin (uncredited)
English lyrics by Mack David (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!