Mystic Pizza (1988)

Three teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.

Director:

Donald Petrie

Writers:

Amy Holden Jones (story) (as Amy Jones), Amy Holden Jones (screenplay) (as Amy Jones)

Stars:

Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Annabeth Gish	...	Kat
Julia Roberts	...	Daisy
Lili Taylor	...	Jojo
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Bill (as Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio)
William R. Moses	...	Tim
Adam Storke	...	Charlie
Conchata Ferrell	...	Leona
Joanna Merlin	...	Mrs. Arujo
Porscha Radcliffe	...	Phoebe
Bucky Walsh	...	Manny (as Arthur Walsh)
John Fiore	...	Jake
Gene Amoroso	...	Mr. Barboza
Sheila Ferrini	...	Mrs. Barboza
Janet Zarish	...	Nicole Travers
Louis Turenne	...	Everyday Gourmet

Storyline

Sisters Kat and Daisy work along with Jojo at the pizza parlour in Mystic, Connecticut. Kat, shortly off to Yale, finds herself drawn to a local architect she is babysitting for, while her more tearaway sister starts dating a guy from the money side of the tracks. Jojo leaves her man at the altar; she loves him but shies away from commitment. Meanwhile the fame of the pizza continues to spread; it seems to contain something almost ..... mystic.

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Plot Keywords:

pizza parlor | pizza | small town | marriage | cleavage | 

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Taglines:

A romantic comedy with the works.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mystic Pizza

Filming Locations:

73 Water Street, Stonington Borough, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,163,939, 23 October 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,793,213

Company Credits

Production Co:

Night Life Inc., The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Virgin Vision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A sequel called "Return to Mystic Pizza" was in development in the early 90s, with a script by Jenny Tripp and Albert Innaurato.

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Goofs

When Kat returns home wearing Tim's sweater - as she's exchanging dialogue with Daisy you can see a crew member leaning low while holding a boom mic cable in the mirror.

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Quotes

Daisy: I fucked up.
Charles Gordon Windsor, Jr.: Yeah... but you gave it a 100% effort!

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World/Eat Pray Love/The Expendables (2010)

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Soundtracks

Serious
Written by Ashley Hall and Stephanie Tyrell
Published by Tyrell Music Co. (BMI) / Special Friendship Music (BMI)
Performed by Steve Tyrell

User Reviews

Spend some time in Mystic.

Simply put, it is easy to get into this movie. The characters are diverse, and each has the chance to tell her part of the story, so there is plenty for the audience to relate to. It is very refreshing that the characters have individual values and standards, as opposed to many more recent movies who assign characters generic standards of conduct, and it gives the characters and the film depth. Each of the girls has these standards challenged, making it a rich coming-of-age story. The film is not about the ending, but rather about every moment of the girls' lives that the viewer is there to see. It is worth the extra bit of concentration that it takes to untangle all of the different plot lines.

Incidentally, Mystic Pizza is a real pizzeria and much of the filming was done on location, so if you find yourself vacationing in the area, you can stop by and pick up one of the trademark t-shirts that the girls wear in the movie, and of course taste some of the famous fare. The home-grown feeling of the restaurant in the movie is part of the fun, and it's even more fun to see it in person.