As Loretta is with Ronny, he suggests that they agree that they did not see each other at all. Moonstruck (1987) 1987 . [12][13] The film is also number 72 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies," and number 41 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs. In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. It’s just making a choice about which of the many things, many aspects, you’re going to choose to go with for a whole picture or play.”, When Cage was in his early 20s, he “wanted to make the kind of movies that are essentially punk gestures,” he told The Baltimore Sun. “I said, ‘The Bride and the Wolf? All I know is that I was stupid looking on the screen.”. Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia.The film follows Loretta Castorini, a widowed Italian-American woman who falls in love with her fiancé's estranged, hot-tempered younger brother. Here are 13 moony facts about the movie. Ronny promises to never bother Loretta again if she attends an opera at the Met with him. I had to quickly drop the Jean Marais.”, On the Diane Rehm radio show, Aiello, who played Loretta’s fiancé and Ronny’s brother, told the host he “couldn’t stand the character I played.” He continued, “Norman Jewison, the director, when I told him, he said, ‘Are you crazy? Ronny works at the Brooklyn bakery, and even though the bakery is only featured in a couple of scenes, it caused tourists to flock to the place after the movie was released. But in 2013 the 92-year-old bakery filed for bankruptcy. It received 6 nominations at the 60th Academy Awards including for the Best Picture, winning three; Best Actress (for Cher), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (for Dukakis).[3]. According to The New York Times, Jewison said Cage threw a chair at another actor, and Cher was threatening to report Jewison to the Screen Actors Guild for keeping them through lunch. The film follows Loretta Castorini, a widowed Italian-American woman who falls in love with her fiancé's estranged, hot-tempered younger brother. 2 Nominations. [7] Film historian [Leonard Maltin] seemed to agree, giving the picture 4 out of 4 stars. Ronny reacts furiously and passionately, kissing Loretta and then carrying her to his bed, where they make love. Loretta returns home and informs her parents of the engagement. “I remember somebody saying, ‘People don’t talk that way, but if he talks that way in the movie you buy it,’” the playwright said. Loretta insists that they discuss things in his apartment, where she cooks a meal and then tells him that she believes he is a "wolf" who cut off his own hand to escape the trap of a bad relationship. Passage to India, A (1984) 1984 . That evening, Rose's brother Raymond and his wife Rita join Rose and Cosmo for dinner and they wonder where Loretta is. “And it was incredible. Brooklyn Heights ‘Moonstruck’ House With Lush Interior, Parking Asks $12.85 Million. [...] You will not easily forget this incredibly robust family, created by writer John Patrick Shanley and directed by Norman Jewison, who makes a comeback with this uproarious film. Cher plays Loretta Castorini, a widow living with her Sicilian family in Brooklyn. "I was a little frightened because there seemed to be all kinds of possibilities and all kinds of risks here. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) 1986 . Linda Hunt . Hechizo de luna (cuyo título original en inglés es Moonstruck) es una comedia romántica estadounidense de 1987 dirigida por Norman Jewison.Se estrenó el 16 de diciembre de 1987, obtuvo excelentes comentarios por parte de los críticos y tuvo ingresos de más de $80 millones de dólares en taquilla, por lo que se convirtió en la 5.ª película más exitosa del año. Peggy Ashcroft . You know, people didn’t even know me as an actor, but to see me as they didn’t know me, was troubling in the area where I live. Both reaffirm their love for each other. With Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello. That’s a good title. That same night, Rose decides to dine alone at a restaurant and sees a college professor, Perry, being dramatically dumped by a female student. The guy’s incredible, you know?”, In the same interview with The A.V. Johnny asks Loretta to invite his estranged younger brother Ronny to the wedding. And that’s because we were all stupid and didn’t understand what Norman Jewison was really doing. “It was hysterical,” Jewison said. [6], Time wrote, "John Patrick Shanley's witty, shapely script puts an octet of New Yorkers under a lunar-tuney spell one romantic night. 1988 - Premio Oscar. Club, Dukakis confessed she didn’t think the movie would be a hit. Godoy refused to close the bakery for the filming—he had a quota of 5,000 loaves a day to meet—so for three days he worked around the cast and crew. “Everybody eating and talking and shouting—but you have such good times.”, Going along with the wolf theme, Cage said he desired to speak like Jean Marais in Beauty and the Beast. I’ve known some families like that and I got feelings of it. Her boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri, proposes to her before leaving for Sicily to be with his dying mother; Loretta is insistent that they carefully follow tradition as she believes her first marriage was cursed by her failure to do so, resulting in her husband's death after two years. I thought, ‘This little movie and that little Italian lady are gonna get an award?’ I said, ‘You really think so?’ He said, ‘Yeah!’ I thought, ‘He’s just being nice because I came up here to do the benefit for him. An earlier draft of Shanley’s script had it named The Bride and the Wolf, but the title perplexed Jewison. “As a matter of fact, one day we were sitting around talking, and somebody asked Cher what she thought was going to happen, and she gave it the thumbs-down,” the actress said. [21], For the episode of Ben 10:Ultimate Alien, see, Moonstruck (Ben 10: Ultimate Alien episode), 5th highest-grossing film of 1987 in North America, Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen, AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), "Flick Of Week: Comedy Is King In 'Moonstruck, "Ebert & Roeper and the movies - Best & Worst", "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres", "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees (10th Anniversary Edition)", "AFI's 10 Top 10: Top 10 Romantic Comedy", "Moonstruck - Original Soundtrack - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic", The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moonstruck&oldid=1013667230, Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance, Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance, Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award-winning performance, Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe-winning performance, Films with screenplays by John Patrick Shanley, Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role), Funniest Supporting Male Performer – Motion Picture or TV, Funniest Supporting Female Performer – Motion Picture or TV, Loretta Castorini: "Snap out of it!" By the time Moonstruck came around for her, the then 55-year-old had mostly made a name for herself in theater. Anjelica Huston . She goes to church to confess her infidelity and afterwards calls at Raymond and Rita's store to close out the cash register. Club, Dukakis said she knew the movie was a big deal when she went with Jewison to a benefit in Canada where he screened the film. My daughter was going to college on credit cards when I did that movie. Rose invites him to dine with her instead, allowing him to walk her home but refusing to invite him in because she is loyal to her marriage. And bread is always rising, and there is an incredible smell. But when she landed the role as Cher’s mother, Rose Castorini, and ended up winning Best Supporting Actress (and saying the line, “your life is going down the toilet,” something her mother said to her once), she became famous. Seizing the moment, Ronny borrows the ring and asks Loretta to marry him, to which she agrees. – #96, This page was last edited on 22 March 2021, at 20:27. But there is something more here, a certain bittersweet yearning that comes across as ineffably romantic, and a certain magical quality". Aiello also felt Cher should’ve picked him over Cage. Loretta is deeply moved by her first opera, Puccini's La bohème. The 1987 film used the exterior of 19 Cranberry Street as the home of the multi-generational Castorini family, and the surrounding area figured prominently in the movie along with stars Cher, Nicholas Cage and Olympia Dukakis. “I didn’t come from that kind of family. It helps the actors to be in a real environment.”. “And he said, ‘You know, you’re gonna get an Academy Award for this.’ I looked at him like he was stark-raving mad. Miglior attrice in un film … After a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, officials with the Sunset Film Society announced their return to the screen, along with a special partner. Olympia Dukakis . "[9], It appeared on both critics' Top 10 lists for 1987.[10]. Cosmo and his father emerge from upstairs; Grandpa insists that Cosmo agree to pay for Loretta's wedding. The tourists kept the bakery afloat until 1998, when the bakery briefly closed. In 1987, Cher wasn’t new to the acting world—she had been nominated for an Oscar in 1984, for Silkwood—but she was worried fans still wouldn’t take her seriously as an actress. Cher shines brightest of all. That was my era of wanting to make new-wave, alternative films.”. One of the owners, Gilberto Godoy, used to sign his autograph on bread bags, as he played a baker in the film. Directing - "My Life … Cosmo dislikes Johnny and is reluctant to pay for the "real" wedding that Loretta insists on, while Rose is pleased that Loretta likes Johnny but does not love him; she believes that one can easily be hurt by a partner whom one loves. Miglior attrice protagonista a Cher; Miglior attrice non protagonista a Olympia Dukakis; Migliore sceneggiatura originale a John Patrick Shanley; Nomination Miglior film a Patrick J. Palmer e Norman Jewison; Nomination Migliore regia a Norman Jewison; Nomination Miglior attore non protagonista a Vincent Gardenia; 1988 - Golden Globe. What is it? It eventually moved into a different location and reopened. I wondered if, at this point in my career when there might be some people out there interested in seeing my movies, they would accept me in this role.”, In an interview with The A.V. The father’s talking about the moon, the full moon. 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. You’re wonderful.’ But in my neighborhood you can’t play a wimp on the screen. By the time Moonstruck came around for her, the then 55-year-old had mostly made a name for herself in theater. Directed by Norman Jewison. “The freedom is not interesting to me because that’s something I know, usually. Yet I don’t think of her as being constrained, exactly. Moonstruck was acknowledged as the eighth best film in the romantic comedy genre. After that, we were able to send our children to college with no problems.”, The “before” Loretta entails the gray-haired widow and the “after” is when she falls for Ronny. Moonstruck (1987) Nearly two decades ... (In addition to Shanley’s win, Cher and Olympia Dukakis also won Oscars for their roles as mother and daughter.) “Nobody really expected too much out of it. “It kind of reminded me of Sonny’s family,” she told the Los Angeles Times. When Loretta goes to see Ronny at his bakery, he reveals that he has a wooden prosthetic hand and blames Johnny for his loss in a moment of inattention, after which his fiancée left him. The site's consensus read, "Led by energetic performances from Nicolas Cage and Cher, Moonstruck is an exuberantly funny tribute to love and one of the decade's most appealing comedies. “But I much prefer playing her ‘before’ than ‘after,’” Cher told the Los Angeles Times. My idea was to play her more as bossy and controlled.”. Attendees […] And that changed my whole life. MOONSTRUCK CHANGED OLYMPIA DUKAKIS’S LIFE FOR THE BETTER. After a while I thought I might be able to do this.”, But her Moonstruck family reminded her of her ex-husband’s family. Returning home next morning, Loretta is distressed to learn from Rose that Johnny will be there soon. “Not like something that you can relate to first hand. “We had trucks, lights, cameras, Cher—and the poor guy was still baking.” The cast and crew did benefit from complimentary breads, though. Everybody’s talking about the moon. Rose then confronts Cosmo and demands that he end his affair; he is upset but gives in and, at Rose's insistence, also agrees to go to confession. Cher, who is part Armenian and part Cherokee, didn’t know how Italian families worked. When I saw the finished film I didn’t know what in the world to make of it. During shooting of the climax, cast members lost their cool because they couldn’t get the timing right. "[citation needed] Roger Ebert, who later added the film among his "Great Movies" list, said: "Reviews of the movie tend to make it sound like a madcap ethnic comedy, and that it is. Later, Johnny unexpectedly returns from Sicily after his mother's "miraculous" recovery and arrives at the Castorini house; as Loretta is not there, Rose asks him instead why men chase after women, and agrees that it is because they fear death. “I said, ‘Do you think Nicky Cage is going to get a woman what I have?’ I said, ‘That's not going to happen.’ I said, ‘Cher would be with me from the beginning.’” Despite not liking the role, it earned him more money and “it elevated a lot of other parts for me in comedic situations and so forth,” he said. She’s moonstruck. When Johnny finally arrives, he breaks off the engagement, superstitiously believing that their marriage would cause his mother's death. The society’s screenings returns on Sunday, March 28, 2021 with a special Drive-In presentation of ‘Moonstruck’ at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing, located in Sunland Park (NM) at 1 Ardovino Drive. Ronny arrives, and Rose invites him for breakfast over Loretta's objections. I really didn’t relate exactly to it, but I had a sense of it, like a distant sense of it,” she told Good Morning America. We keep shooting the moon. Upon leaving, she impulsively goes to a hair salon and buys a glamorous evening gown and shoes at a boutique next door. Thirty-seven-year-old Loretta Castorini, an Italian-American widow, works as a bookkeeper and lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family: father Cosmo; mother Rose; and paternal grandfather. He thinks he has to say something nice to me.’ And then all that happened. On its wide release, the film opened at #3 and spent 20 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 10 and finally grossed $80,640,528[2] on a budget of $15 million. THAT’s the Olympia Dukakis the public loves, larger-than-life, fervently urging Sally Field to punch out Shirley MacLaine in “Steel Magnolias,” giving Cher (playing her daughter) the business in their Oscar-winning turns in “Moonstruck,” swearing like a … “So we had a big battle about that and it ended up being called Moonstruck because I convinced [Shanley] it’s about the moon. (She even won the Best Actress Oscar for her spellbinding performance a few months later.) Moonstruck was theatrically released on December 16, 1987 in New York City, and then nationally on January 15, 1988 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to critical and commercial success. So it did adversely affect me at first. Actor in a Supporting Role - Vincent Gardenia in "Moonstruck" My Life as a Dog. “I read the screenplay to Moonstruck and thought, ‘I would never pay money to see this film!’ But my agent insisted I do it, practically forced me to do it. Year of Living Dangerously, The (1983) 1983 . And then look what happened. "[4] On Metacritic the film has a score of 83% based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". “It’s like somebody said ‘Look, she waited all these years, let’s give her something good,’” she said on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. A few months before Moonstruck was released, The Witches of Eastwick and Suspect came out, so she was in demand. The next morning, Loretta tells Ronny they can never see each other again. It sounds like a horror film,’” he revealed to the DGA. Loretta attempts to return home, but Ronny desperately persuades her into another tryst. [5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. Reviewers praised its screenplay, direction and performances of the cast (particularly of Cher and Dukakis), while the film grossed $80.6 million on a $15 million budget, becoming the 5th highest-grossing film of 1987 in North America. Director Norman Jewison referred to the movie as “an operatic multi-generational romantic comedy,” which is one reason the movie grossed an impressive $91,640,528 and won three Oscars, including ones for Olympia Dukakis and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley. “He had that accent and his voice was very gravelly—and I thought of my character in Moonstruck like a wolf who spoke with a growl,” Cage said. * Actress in a Supporting Role - Olympia Dukakis in "Moonstruck" Directing - Norman Jewison. It should be called something. Despite being superstitious about love, she agrees to marry Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), that is until she meets his jaded brother (Nic Cage), goes to see La bohème with him, and realizes “I love him awful.”. “I was in such a state of shock that I had made a sweet, romantic movie I had to go and do Vampire's Kiss right after,” he told The New York Times. “It wasn’t like Mask, which I felt I just had to do,” she told the Los Angeles Times. So we called it Moonstruck.”, It should be noted the definition of moonstruck means “mentally deranged, supposedly by the influence of the moon; crazed dreamily romantic or bemused.”, Shanley admitted to Bomb Magazine that Moonstruck’s language has a certain affectation and poetry to it. Loretta berates Johnny for breaking his promise and throws the engagement ring at him. “Heat and humidity are always there. His follow-up film, Vampire’s Kiss, was completely different from Moonstruck (for instance, Cage eats a live cockroach). Feodor Chaliapin Jr., who played Cher’s grandfather, walked into the room and told them to “calma, calma, calma” and, “This is a Feydeau farce, and in a Feydeau farce we pull everything together in the last scene.” After he said that the rest of the cast behaved themselves and finished the scene. Raymond and Rita arrive, concerned that Loretta had not deposited the previous day's takings at the bank, and are relieved to learn that she merely forgot and still has the money. Jewison told The New York Times, “Whenever I can, I like to cast people who do the same job in real life,” and he picked that particular bakery because “It has one of the few coal-fired ovens left in the city,” he said. As they leave, she sees her father, Cosmo, together with his girlfriend, Mona, and confronts him. Cher’s career made her more famous for singing than acting, but 30 years ago—on December 16, 1987—Moonstruck arrived in theaters and transformed her into a full-fledged movie star. Prizzi's Honor (1985) 1985 . The family toasts the couple with champagne and Johnny joins in at Grandpa's urging, since he will now be part of the family after all. Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The writer got it, I got it, and then Jewison didn’t get it. [8], According to Gene Siskel, writing for the Chicago Tribune: "Moonstruck, which is being sold as a romance but actually is one of the funniest pictures to come out in quite some time. Can you imagine?”. Raymond recalls a particularly bright moon like the one shining now that he thought long-ago was brought to the house when Cosmo was courting Rose. It was just amazing. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: Influential film critic Roger Ebert entered the film to his "Great Movies" collection in June 2003. “And so I was talking like that in the movie and I got a call from the director, Norman Jewison, and he said, ‘Nicolas, the dailies aren’t working.’ And then I started hearing names of other actors and I thought I was going to get fired. I said, ‘Well, it’s not the way all people talk, but I was on the train and I heard two women talking and they were talking in the exact style of Moonstruck.’ I said, ‘Well, you know, I chose that.’ And that’s what style is all about. Best Picture - Patrick Palmer and Norman Jewison, Producers. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 94% based on reviews from 64 critics, with an average score of 7.9/10. “There’s truth and not truth in that. Mondsüchtig (Originaltitel: Moonstruck) ist eine US-amerikanische romantische Komödie des Regisseurs Norman Jewison aus dem Jahr 1987 mit Cher und Nicolas Cage in den Hauptrollen.. Der Film war sowohl an den Kinokassen als auch bei den Kritikern ein Erfolg. Dianne Wiest . Bei der Oscarverleihung 1988 war er für sechs Auszeichnungen nominiert und gewann diese in den Kategorien Beste …