Customer Reviews

Moonstruck (Full Screen)

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Ever since her incredible debut with Sonny Bono in 1965, Cher has been known to be one of the mos successful female musical acts known to the world. Cher has had a hugely successful career in music; she was well-known with Sonny, but it was her solo career that seemed more successful. But Cher wasn't about to be successful in just the music business; Cher wanted to be successful as an actress as well. Cher has starred in a wide load of movies, such as 'Chastity', where she played the title role, 'Silkwood', where she played Dolly Pelliker, 'Mask', where she played Florence 'Rusty' Dennis, 'Suspect', where she played Kathleen Riley, 'The Witches Of Eastwick', where she played Alexandra Medford, etc. But it was her role as Loretta Castorini in the romantic comedy, 'Moonstruck' that made her another one of today's best actresses.

Taking place in New York City in 1987, Cher playes Loretta Castorini, a lonely Italian widow, who is longing for her Prince Charming to sweep her up off her legs and get her out of her misery. Loretta goes to dinner with her best friend, Johnny Cammareri (played by Danny Aiello). Johnny surprisingly proposes to Loretta, and she happily accepts. Although Loretta likes Johnny a lot because he is her best friend, she knows for a fact that she does not love him. After dinner, Loretta drives Johnny to the airport, for he is flying to Sicilly to be by the side of his dying mother. Before he boards the plane, Johnny gives Loretta the number to his brother's place, and tells her to invite his brother to the wedding. The two lived their lives without seeing or speaking to each other for five years, due to an accident. Loretta assures Johnny that she'll do so and goes home to tell her mother and father, Rose and Cosmo Castorini (played by Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia). Loretta wakes up the next morning, with a phone call from Johnny, asking if Loretta had called his brother yet. Loretta informs Johnny that she'll do so when she hangs up with Johnny. She calles Johnny's brother, but his brother sounds very bitter about Johnny getting married first. Loretta walks down to where Johnny's brother works. Ronny Cammareri is Johnny's brother and he works in a little bread factory, who is still miserable after losing his hand in a bread chopper. He feels Johnny was responsible since, Ronny was using the chopper to chop up some bread for Johnny. Loretta takes Ronny back to his place and begins to explain the truth to Johnny's misery. But the two wind up sleeping together.

The next morning, Loretta wakes up the next morning only to find Ronny by her side and flips out. She realizes that what she did was wrong, for she is still engaged to Johnny. But Ronny finds himself having fallen madly in love with Loretta... literally. Ronny invites Loretta to the opera, telling her that he loves her dearly and loves the opera dearly. He then says that if he could be with the woman he loves for one more night and to spend the night with the woman he loves by attending a show he loves dearly, he would promise not to bother Loretta again. Loretta goes to the Met, where she meets up with Ronny. The two sit through the opera, very much enjoying the show. Loretta seemed to have enjoyed very much, until she finds her father with a woman and that woman is not her mother. Ronny and Loretta go back to Ronny's place. Loretta does not want to be unfaithful, since she has been unfaithful to Johnny already once. But she knows that she does not love Johnny, for she is madly in love with Ronny and, for the first time, really sees that Ronny is love with her. Will Loretta leave Johnny for Ronny, or will she stay with Johnny? Watch this classic romantic comedy and you'll find out.

This movie is on my list of all-time favorites so I was delighted when my son recently bought it for me on DVD. It is the humorous and delightful love story of Loretta Castorini, a young Italian widow who lives with her parents in Brooklyn, and Ronnie Camarerie, owner of Camarerie Brothers Bakery and by chance the brother of Loretta's fiancee. How these two individuals come together and the interplay between them and all the members of Loretta's large and often interfering Italian family makes for many hilarious moments.

This movie is especially heartwarming as it depicts an Italian-American family better than any movie I have ever seen. I am a member of a large Italian family and I can vouch for its authenticity! The Castorini home even reminded me of many of those of my Italian relatives, filled with much good food and good conversation as well as memories of love and family. This is truly a wonderful movie experience!

This DVD version features an option to watch the movie while listening to a voice over by director Norman Jewison, writer John Patrick Shanley and lead actress Cher. I thoroughly enjoyed this feature, as each added amusing anecdotes about the filming of the movie, as well as their own input about various scenes and information about the other actors.

Academy Award Winner Cher, plays Loretta, a middle-aged widow who while her fiance is in Italy at the deathbed of his mother, finds herself unwilling drawn to his misfit younger brother (Nicholas Cage) who is falling apart after his own "loses."
And while the family struggles with their individual problems, Loretta's father finds his youth in the arms of another woman.
Olympia Dukakis plays an Award Winning role as Loretta's mother.
Nicholas Cage although he won no awards for this film, does an outstanding job as an over-the-top, heartbroken man who is jealous of everything that his brother has, including Loretta.
Definately a must-see romantic/comedy. I very much enjoyed this movie and hope you will too.

Cher is fabulous and infectious.Danny Aileo, and the rest of Cher's warm-hearted Italian family are perfect.And Nicholas Cage, whom everyone complained about for being "too dry" actually works within the context of this film(and I'm not a fan).This film is just about as enjoyable and warm-hearted as they get.It's the perfect movie for those lazy,rainy days, or just anytime when you're in for some light-hearted entertainment

Cher plays a woman about to get married to Danny Aielo.But things change when she meets Aielo's sullen, younger brother, played by Cage.This film is warm without being too corny or trite.The acting (particularly from Cher) is pretty great, and the whole thing just comes together to make an effortlessly engaging and enjoyable romantic comedy.It's no masterpiece, but its a wonderfully warm-hearted film that even those who hate romantic comedies will enjoy.

Moonstruck is a fantastic movie! I loved it when I saw it in a movie theater with my Mom and my aunts and I still love it and think Cher, Nicholas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, John Mahoney, Vincent Gardenia, etc, all gave excellent performances and the plot was also outstanding but what I don't like is that the DVD has been edited and I want to see either a letterbox widescreen or anamorphic widescreen DVD release come out and until then I will keep the letterbox widescreen version I taped when it was shown on TCM but I would rather have it on a widescreen DVD! Btw: This A 5 star movie but I don't like how they edited the movie and chopped it into pan and scan which is why I give the DVD 1 star and it's only the DVD that I'm unhappy about and not the movie or the actors!

Many of my fellow reviewers here at Amazon are very concerned with the format with which the DVD was released. They must have been very concerned about how this formatting choice impacted the story as it unfolded.

My focus was on the acting and the characters and how they filled the story.... and fill the story they each most certainly did.

Each actor's portrayal could be a study in itself, from the starring roles to the minor, one scene cameos and supporting players: each is rich in expression and integral to the story.

I especially enjoyed how colorfully the "background" characters weaved their way into one another's lives -- it made me, as an audience member, also feel richly woven in with the rest of them.

Nicholas Cage and Cher are an invigorating pairing (hooray for an older woman younger man for a change!) who match one another, soulful eye for soulful eye.

Add the "Bella Luna" and the music and New York (how I miss it!) and viola! A delightful treat to fill any two hour time period in your day.

Note to Norman Jewison: Re-release this wonderful movie in letterbox format, as intended to be shown. TCM shows the widescreen, why can't the public own it?

I can't believe this Great Film Has not been given
the widescreen treatment it ,and we, deserve.Some extras
would be nice too.

I absolutely agree with all previous reviews: great movie, but it should be in widescreen version on DVD. Otherwise I can watch it on tv. I hope that someday I'll be able to buy the widescreen version.

The movie is superb. Putting it on DVD in full format is not. What a waste of $$$! If I pay for a DVD, I expect the letterbox format.