Moonstruck (1987)
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A widowed Italian-American woman finds herself entangled in a complicated romance with her fiancé's estranged brother.
The story
Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family. When her fiancé, Johnny, proposes and prepares to leave for Sicily, he asks her to invite his estranged younger brother, Ronny, to the wedding. Ronny, who has been estranged from his brother for years, initially refuses to attend. However, after a persistent visit from Loretta, the two share a passionate encounter. Loretta then finds herself navigating the complexities of her feelings for Ronny while dealing with the expectations of her family and the impending wedding to Johnny.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Loretta Castorini, a widow in Brooklyn, is engaged to Johnny Cammareri. Before he leaves for Sicily, he asks her to invite his estranged brother, Ronny, to the wedding. After a heated confrontation at Ronny's bakery, Loretta and Ronny share a passionate night together. While Loretta deals with the guilt of her actions, she discovers her father, Cosmo, is having an affair. At the opera, she sees him with his mistress. Meanwhile, Ronny and Loretta's relationship deepens. When Johnny returns and reveals he cannot marry her because it would distress his mother, Loretta rejects him. Ronny then proposes to Loretta, and the family celebrates their engagement.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Norman Jewison
- Writers
- John Patrick Shanley · writer
- Cast and characters
- Cher · Loretta Castorini; Nicolas Cage · Ronny Cammareri; Olympia Dukakis · Rose Castorini; Vincent Gardenia · Cosmo Castorini; Danny Aiello · Mr. Johnny Cammareri
- Genres
- romantic comedy
- Themes
- family dynamics; cultural identity; forbidden love
- Tone and mood
- romantic; comedic; bittersweet
- Premise and plot tags
- Italian-American; romance; comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- A screenplay originally titled 'The Bride and the Wolf' by John Patrick Shanley.
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and was a commercial success, earning several Academy Award nominations and wins.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 90% · scale: percentage · review count: 78; Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 18
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actress · Win; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · Win; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · Win
- Production trivia
- The script was originally titled 'The Bride and the Wolf'.; The character of Ronny was inspired by the opera La bohème.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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