“He didn’t used to be cheap. He thinks if he holds on to his money, he’ll never die.”
~ Rose Castorini, Moonstruck, 1987
Salve bella amici and amiche,
We are back with not only our July Film Club pick, but also our July Film Club podcast episode! This month we invited a good friend and fellow cinema-buff Nathan Alford to join us for our conversation.
Nathan picked Moonstruck for us — a movie that both he and I like, and one that Tory confused for another Cher film, Mask (1985), when we were texting about what to watch.
Why Moonstruck? Well, what’s not to love: there’s a multi-generational Italian family living in Brooklyn, there’s two estranged brothers who get involved with one woman, and there’s the full moon, making everyone act crazy.
Over a short period of time (two days? three days? a week?) this comedy-drama-romance takes place and the larger-than-life characters might give you the impression you’re watching an Italian opera, only they’re talking rather than singing at each other.
Moonstruck asks us to answer timeless questions: what’s the difference between love and lust? What role does passion play in marriage? Why do men chase women? When the moon hits your eye like a big piece of pie, is it amore?
The film might also awaken your desire to live in Brooklyn, drink espresso at all hours, and download Duolingo on your phone to start learning Italian — at least it did all three for me! Maybe if you have a dog, he too will join in the fun, just like the big King Shepherd I was dogsitting while watching this movie, who decided to join in with Grandpa Castorini’s dogs howling at the moon.
Rest assured: this film is rated PG and while it deals with themes of infidelity, in our view, Moonstruck does not condone affairs. It’s a celebration of true love, passion in marriage, family, and the MET Opera.
We hope you love it as much as we did! And after you’ve watched the film, listen to our podcast conversation! Nathan was a fantastic guest with so many good thoughts and questions. Share this post with someone who might enjoy it and stay tuned for our next Film Club movie!
Moonstruck
Release date: 1987
Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes
Rating: PG
Where to watch: free on Tubi and MGM+ // rent on Prime Video or Apple TV+
Synopsis:
None necessary. Just watch it!
Show Notes
7:00 Raising Arizona stars Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter (not “Holly Hunt”)
8:46 Match.com commercial that references Legend
30:00 The sci-fi trope I mentioned is actually “born sexy yesterday” which is a character that is physically mature and mentally young. So I was only describing the nerdy girl trope where the guy comes along and sees what no one else can: that she’s actually beautiful. Here we pointed out: Cher is beautiful all along, and everyone knows it.
1:00:01 Here is the negative NYTimes review. And here is the positive one.
1:00:11 That person you hear saying hello in the background is Tory’s mom popping her head in 😁
📽️ Film Club #4: Moonstruck