Moonstruck

Moonstruck is a 1987 romantic comedy-drama directed by Norman Jewison and written by John Patrick Shanley. Set in Brooklyn’s Italian American community, the film centers on Loretta Castorini, a widowed bookkeeper played by Cher. Loretta has accepted a marriage proposal from Johnny Cammareri, played by Danny Aiello, a man she regards as safe and dependable rather than passionate. Before leaving for Sicily to visit his dying mother, Johnny asks Loretta to invite his estranged younger brother, Ronny, to their wedding.

Ronny Cammareri, played by Nicolas Cage, is a one-handed baker who blames Johnny for the accident that cost him his hand and ended his former engagement. Loretta visits Ronny at his bakery and apartment, intending only to deliver Johnny’s invitation. Instead, she becomes involved in Ronny’s emotional account of betrayal, loss, and family resentment. Their encounter develops into a love affair that forces Loretta to question the life she has chosen.

The movie’s title refers to the full moon that hangs over several crucial scenes. Ronny insists that the moon has an effect on people, while the story follows multiple characters making impulsive or revealing choices. Loretta’s mother, Rose Castorini, played by Olympia Dukakis, suspects that her husband Cosmo, portrayed by Vincent Gardenia, may be unfaithful. Rose’s conversation with a college professor, played by John Mahoney, becomes another strand in the film’s portrait of desire, disappointment, and marriage.

Cher won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Loretta. Olympia Dukakis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and John Patrick Shanley received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Vincent Gardenia, and Best Film Editing. Cher’s win followed her supporting-actress nomination for Silkwood and established her as an Academy Award-winning lead performer.

Moonstruck was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and became both a critical and commercial success. Its supporting cast includes Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as Loretta’s grandfather, who repeatedly speaks about the family’s confusion and unhappiness, and Anita Gillette as Loretta’s aunt and godmother. The film’s memorable scenes include Ronny’s declaration, “Snap out of it!”, delivered when he challenges Loretta’s view of love, and the Castorini family’s final gathering, where secrets and competing engagements are exposed.

Rather than ending with a conventional wedding, Moonstruck concludes with Loretta openly accepting Ronny’s proposal in front of both families. Johnny, having returned from Sicily after his mother’s recovery, releases Loretta from their engagement and announces that he intends to marry another woman.