The Set-Up: Romance and comedy—two great things that go great together. When you look at the state of romantic-comedy these days (if that's a concern of yours), things look a little dire. The characters populating them are self-absorbed, young, and neurotic on their own, the vagaries of love notwithstanding. You wonder why anybody would be interested in these people, much less an audience. Romantic comedies used to be about something, or situations that obstructed the path of true love—rather than the people who manage to obstruct it themselves. They were more about these things than they were about romance and/or comedy. Nowadays, you just want to yell at the screen: "Oh, grow up and get together and stop wasting my time."This is Moonstruck, a product of Pulitzer winning writer John Patrick Shanley* and director Norman Jewison, and it is one of my favorite rom-com's. Shanley wrote great characters and Jewison, being a man of quite good taste (he knew how to push the subject envelope while continuing to make his movies entertaining), knew when the writer was getting too windy (you can see the deletions from the script crossed out below, mostly because the characters do go on a bit and because Loretta shouldn't need permission from Ronny to leave).
What I love about Moonstruck is that the characters are multi-generational, have been around the block and have enough life-experience that they know themselves...or at least they think they do. Part of the charm of Moonstruck is seeing these people discover new truths...about themselves, about love, and about life.
And I've always loved Ronny's speech here: "We are here to ruin ourselves and break our hearts and love the wrong people and die!"
Yeah. That's about right.
The Story: Loretta Castorini (Cher) is caught between the Moon and New York City. A widower for years, she's engaged to Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), a nice man, a decent man. Two things have to happen before they get married—Johnny has to ask permission of his mother in Italy, and Loretta must try to coax Johnny's estranged brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage), a baker who lost his hand in an accident and for which Ronny blames Johnny. Then, things get complicated. Loretta and Ronny end up sleeping together. Loretta knows it's wrong and is torn up about it. The tortured Ronny, though, is obsessed, incensed that Loretta would play it safe by marrying his brother. A deal is reached. Loretta will go with Ronny to the opera, and then leave her alone and never bother her again. Sounds neat and tidy. But love is never neat and tidy.
Action!
EXT. A COLD AND EMPTY MANHATTAN STREET - NIGHT
Ronny and Loretta are walking. Their breath is coming out in long plumes.
RONNY Yeah. It smells like snow.
They walk in silence for a moment, then Loretta speaks.
LORETTA My mother guessed that my father was seeing somebody and I told her she was crazy.
Her eyes are full of tears.
LORETTA How can you ask me that?
RONNY You're making me feel guilty again.
LORETTA You are guilty. I'm guilty.
LORETTA He didn't come!
EXT. RONNY'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
She looks. It's Ronny's building.
RONNY That's right.
LORETTA This is where we're going!
LORETTA We had a deal!
She looks for his response. He makes none.
LORETTA I went with you.
LORETTA Now I'm gonna marry Johnny and you're gonna leave me alone.
(pause, nothing)
LORETTA Right?
(nothing)
LORETTA Ronny? Are you listening to me?
RONNY I don't know. Everything seems like nothing now against that I want you...
RONNY ...in my bed. I don't care if I burn in hell.
RONNY I don't care if you burn in hell. The Past and Future...
RONNY ...is a joke to me now. I see that they're nothing, I see they ain't here. The only thing that's here...
RONNY ...is you. And me. I want you to come upstairs. Now. I tried to take everything last night, like you told me, but I couldn't. I couldn't take everything in a hundred years. It's the way we are. We compound each other.
LORETTA RONNY No.
RONNY No.
RONNY Come upstairs.
RONNY ...and love the wrong people and die!
RONNY The storybooks are bullshit. Come upstairs with me, baby! Don't try to live your life out to somebody else's idea of sweet happiness. Don't try to live on milk and cookies when what you want is meat! Red meat just like me! It's wolves run with wolves and nothing else! You're a wolf just like me!
RONNY Come upstairs with me...
RONNY ...and get in my bed!
RONNY Come on!
RONNY Come on!
RONNY Come on!
Loretta follows Ronny into his building.
Moonstruck
Words by John Patrick Shanley
Pictures by David Watkin and Norman Jewison
Moonstruck is available on DVD from M-G-M Home Video.
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