Loretta (Cher) isn’t getting any younger. After the death of her first husband (he was hit by a bus) she has been pretty much in a life rut. Fearing death and loneliness, she accepts the marriage proposal from a momma’s boy named Johnny (Danny Aiello). More about fear than love, Loretta instantly and silently starts slow regretting her decision. Meeting opposition from her parents and friends, she does her best to keep it together. Regretfully, things start to unravel when Johnny is called away to see his dying mother in Italy and, on the way out, Johnny asks Loretta to convince his estranged brother Ronny to attend their wedding. When Loretta meets Ronny it’s forbid love at first sight and things getting wacky from there.
Did it ever seem like things were far away more simplified in movies in the 80s? The stories and characters were cookie cuts of previous films from the decades, so there wasn’t much difference in this romantic comedy versus the next. For some reason they all seemed unique and we all knew how they were going to end, but still clamored to see these films in the 80s.
Anyway, the story in Moonstruck is predictable and goofy, but the separation factor for this film compared to others like it is the passionate performances by Cher, Nicolas Cage (really? really.) and Olympia Dukakis. Those three drove the film and drove the message about not giving up on love or life. For middle age folks this movie will hit home the most, as it clearly speaks to that age group. Cher’s struggling to live again character matches perfectly with Cage’s tragic emo Italian Ronny. Both are starved for passion and fire and both want the spontaneous evening they have together to continual repeat. The relationship is probably one of the more romantic, passionate onscreen performances that I’ve seen in some time.
Opposite of them is the funny, older performance by Olympia Dukakis’ Rose, who is sort of the foreshadowed life of Loretta. Rose knows everything about her cheating husband and wants Loretta not to end up like that in the worst of ways. She is powerful in Moonstruck and the center of the film’s universe that holds the shaky Italian family together. She makes the film stand its ground when it’s slowly trying to get away.
Let’s shift gears and talk about Blu-ray.
One of the things that I dislike most about re-releases is the lack of cleaning up that is done during the transfer process. I’ve seen films from the early 20s, 50s, and 60s that look far better than Moonstruck; so I know they can do a better job. The film does have its moments where the reds, blacks and darker shades come through really beautifully. Once you apply a winter sky in a New York background then you’ve got tons of graininess that just simply ruin the HD feel. I think the film certainly does look okay in the long run, but again I have seen better transfers. The audio is really good, though.
As for the features, they also fall the wayside, though slightly more forgivable. You get a good documentary, some great audio commentary, but after that you don’t get a lot. You’re left with a music track feature and a theatrical trailer. For a movie that won Cher an Academy Award, and that really made Nicolas Cage look better than he currently is, there should have been more to the features.