Moonstruck (2006, DVD)

I know this movie originally came out in like 1987 and I admit, I've avoided it til now. I don't know why. I suppose because it won 3 Academy Awards and well, you can't always tell a good movie by it's awards, plus I'm not one to jump on something just because others say it's a hit. So I avoided it for 15 years until this weekend when DH and I watched it. He's seen it before, I hadn't, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cher plays a woman named Loretta Castorini Clark that hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to love, men and marriage. When her long time boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) asks her to marry him, she wants the proposal done right, for good luck you understand. She tells him to kneel, through his protests that it was his best suit, he does and gives her his favorite pinky ring again with a protest but she insists and wins. Their relationship is, to say the least, like mother and son with her telling him what he should do and complying but hey, if it works for them, so be it.

That night, Johnny has to fly out to see his dying mother back home in Italy. He asks Loretta to contact his estranged brother (played by Nicholas Cage) and invite him to their wedding. There's bad blood but he wants to make a right out of something that went wrong and she agrees to do that.

The scene where she breaks the news of her engagement to her parents is heart warming. She first tells her father Oscar (Vince Gardenia) who acts like a big curmudgeon refusing to pay for it and protesting that she was already married, why marry again. Her mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis) is happy when she asks "Do you love him?" and hears "no" and she replies "good, otherwise they drive you crazy".

Loretta contacts Ronnie (Johnny's brother) who definitely has the bad blood brewing in his veins. He blames his brother for ruining his life when he had it all and it seems like an impossible task. Loretta persists and they end up, of course, eventually in a passionate kiss, which leads to other things and the next thing you know she's in confession telling of her indiscretion with her future brother-in-law.

The movie takes a fairy tale twist from here on out since Ronnie is hopelessly in love with Loretta who is as well, but confused. What is marriage after all? Is it about taking care of your spouse? Or loving your spouse? She wants to be faithful to Johnny but now loves Ronnie and oh, what is a bride-to-be to do?

Meanwhile we learn that her father, Cosmo is having an affair, her mother knows and Loretta even sees the evidence with her own eyes. Meanwhile, in a very touching scene Rose ends up having dinner with a nice enough man who's been unlucky in love throughout the movie and oh, you can see there could be more, couldn't there? And why shouldn't there, after all her husband IS cheating on her. But alas, all the characters in this charming movie end up doing the right thing in an ending scene that is surprising without being surprising at all. I won't spoil it for you but you see family all together doing what family does best, being themselves, making it work and showing that the bond of family is all there is.

So... what about the moon, eh? Oh, the moon.... see, all this craziness, this fairy tale happens during a very beautiful, bright full moon. Old loves are rekindled, new loves go to full bloom and those unlucky in love find at least a little bit of hope. All attributed to they fullness, the beauty and the mesmerizing radiance of the full moon.

So... are you wondering who does Loretta end up marrying? Sorry, not gonna tell you, you'll have to see it for yourself. Let's just say that alls well that ends well.

The acting was superb, even by Nick Cage and let me tell you, with the exception of him in Raising Arizona I do NOT like his acting. He gets that raspy voice thing going that just makes me cringe but hey, even he plays his part well. The storyline may not be the most believable to some and yet it may be the most believable part of this movie to others. Haven't we all felt that pull of love that shouldn't be or should it be? I think most of us can relate to at least one of these characters in the movie which makes this a great flick for a wide variety of people.

I must warn you though, some may see this as a chick flick, which isn't in and of itself a wholely bad thing. I actually think of this as a great date movie... or a cuddling couple movie. Perhaps something to rekindle the romance for others... perhaps that moon is powerful enough to cross out of the VCR and into your own living room.

While perhaps not being a family movie if there are young ones, it's definitely a pre-teen and up appropriate movie. No violence, no nudity (some insinuated, but nothing blatant), little swearing and a rich thick assortment of characters and plot make this like a lovely marinara sauce. Thick, rich and satisfying.