The Case for Romantic Comedies—Moonstruck (1987)

One thing about me that always seems to surprise people is that I’m a fan of rom-coms. That’s probably because of my age and gender identity—I don’t think 22 year-old men are the target audience of most rom-coms. But there does seem to be a general indifference from my generation towards the genre, even among those who study film. Here and in future posts, I want to highlight some films that demonstrate just how special this genre can be, and why these films are worth your time. 

Today I’d like to discuss Moonstruck (1987), which has some familiar faces in the likes of Cher and Nicolas Cage. 

Directed by Norman Jewison, the film centers around the Castorinis, a family of middle-class Italian-Americans living in Brooklyn. Every minute of the film is drenched in a colorful Italian-American quality, from the crowded family home to “That’s Amore” playing over the opening credits. It’s a bombastic expression of culture that is oft absent from modern films, which tend to sanitize culture instead of emphasizing it.  

At the center of this story is thirty-seven year old Loretta, who seeks to remarry after her husband’s death. She feels dead in the water until her milquetoast boyfriend Johnny proposes. It’s less than ideal (he forgets to bring a ring or to kneel), but even if she doesn’t love him, but at this point she's prioritizing security and happiness over romance.

Yet when Johnny goes to Sicily to pay respects to his dying mother, Loretta meets his rugged and angsty brother Ronny, and a tenuous but passionate romance alights between them. Meanwhile, Loretta’s mother Rose seeks answers about her husband Cosmo’s strange behavior… What follows is an exploration of adultery, complex family relationships, and the imperfection of people and love.

Though Moonstruck is undeniably entertaining, the experience can be jarring at first. The film forgoes many rom-com staples, focusing less on a whimsical central romance and more on a web of troubled relationships. Nearly every main character is a bit of an ass—Loretta is consistently deaf to others’ emotional needs, Ronny directs undeserved hatred towards his brother, and in tandem with Cosmo, all three commit adultery. Furthermore, the writing is very much an acquired taste. The best analogue I can think is a Sam Raimi film—the dialogue can at times be cringy, but it makes for memorable one-liners and some raw emotional moments.

But those hurdles are minor in the face of what Moonstruck accomplishes. Firstly, the acting on offer is very compelling. Cher’s Academy Award-winning performance as Loretta is full of spunk, though I was concerned about her partner Nicolas Cage as Ronny. I’ve seen Cage in all of his forms: the good (Raising Arizona), the bad (Ghost Rider), the in-between (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), and the nigh unwatchable (Left Behind). But this is him in top form. Despite showing up about 30 minutes in, he makes such an impact with his introduction scene, selling Ronny’s angst and self-loathing. Between this and a powerful thematic speech in the latter half of the film, Cage’s performance would steal the show in most other movies.

On the other end of Cher and Cage’s brash characters, we have Olympia Dukakis’ sobering performance as Rose. While she still has some of her daughter’s wit, she is visibly distraught throughout the film over her husband’s infidelity, searching for answers about his actions and her path forward. Where Loretta and Ronny’s relationship portrays adultery in the form of a dangerous passion, Rose must deal with a marriage gone cold.

That level of perspective and depth is what makes Moonstruck so special. Unlike many rom-coms, nothing about Moonstruck is picturesque. Some rom coms deal with adultery (Holiday comes to mind), but few are willing to have a serious and complicated discussion about it. Many protagonists in the genre are selfish, but rarely is it called attention to as strongly as in Moonstruck. While we may root for Loretta and Ronny to get together, we are forced to confront the immorality of their actions. Even so, the magic is still there when the two look up at the full moon together with the lovely “Musetta’s Waltz” playing in the background. The love these characters share is just as imperfect as they are, but that only makes it feel more real.

The ending of this film is a chaotic family meeting that had me cringing one moment and grinning the next. I do take issue with how the main conflict resolves perhaps too easily, but that doesn’t diminish the internal conflict faced by our characters to get to that point. 

I think Moonstruck makes a great entry point for those who are new to rom-coms. Not only will you see Cher and Nick Cage in a new light (and a good-looking one at that), but the film will ask you to think about love and immorality, all while keeping that moonlight magic that makes the genre so special.