In Moonstruck, a widow named Loretta becomes engaged to Johnny, a middle-aged bachelor whom she doesn't love. When he visits his dying mother in Sicily, she meets and falls in love with his brother, Ronnie. During the same time period, the members of Loretta's family are involved in their own relationships (Denby 44). Although Moonstruck has a fairly basic plot (Travers 8), it presents many ideas on the different aspects of love. As this movie dwells on many love-related topics, it also exemplifies the traditional value of the family as the center of a person's life.

The love-related interpretations of this movie vary. One of the messages could be tritely stated as "follow your heart." And this is exactly what Loretta does after trying, for a very short time, to disregard her love for Ronnie (Simon 54). Loretta, played by Cher, is practical-minded and wants to deny her feelings for Ronnie (Nicolas Cage) because she thinks happiness is possibly only if she has the security and family that marriage to Johnny (Danny Aiello) will bring. In contrast to Loretta, Ronnie presents his perception of what role love plays in people's lives: "Love don't make things nice…We are here to love the wrong people…and to break our hearts." It is in this touching scene that Loretta decides that she cannot quench her feelings for Ronnie nor marry Johnny.

Another idea this movie presents is that the romance and passion in a marriage does not fade with the passage of time. This is exemplified by Loretta's aunt and uncle, who, despite their advanced age, profess their love for each other with youthful exuberance.

Another theme deals with obstacles to love. Cosmo, played by Vincent Gardenia, is having an affair. Rose, his wife (Olympia Dukakis), is insightful enough to know this and is wise not to blame herself. Instead, she seeks to understand Cosmo while declining gracefully from an opportunity not to cheat on him. "Her brief flirtation with Mahoney…in an effort to figure out why men cheat results in a jewel of a scene" (Traverse 8). She determines that Cosmo is cheating on her because he--in her words--"fears death." Indeed, when she confronts him, he admits that he feels his life "is built on nothing" in view of impending old age. She brings him to realize that he still loves her and that their marriage and family are great sources of happiness on which his life is built. An interpretation of this situation could be that love and marriage are always of the most importance despite any change, such as aging or sickness, that partners face.

It is understandable, therefore, that love seems to be the predominating theme: indeed, this film incorporates and plays upon the romantic symbols of the moon and the opera, "La Boheme," as well (Van Gelder C8). The title of this movie, in fact, refers to the grandfather's idea that "the full moon can make people wildly romantic" (Maslin C22). "La Boheme" is also befitting to Moonstruck because it is a romantic opera about two lovers. A broader look at Moonstruck, however, could reveal the traditional family as an underlining theme.

Family relationships provide a more overall view of Moonstruck. Loretta lives at home with her parents Rose and Cosmo, her grandfather and his five dogs. This old-fashioned, close-knit, and usually happy Italian family includes Loretta's aunt and uncle living nearby. However, early in the movie, the family finds itself exposed to an atmosphere of tension caused primarily by Cosmo. In the dinner scene, he is clearly dissatisfied and irritable, and perhaps even guilt ridden as a result of his secret love affair which is certainly risking the security of his marriage and family. Loretta also runs great risk of causing harm to the family--Ronnie's family in particular. In deciding to break her engagement to Johnny because of her love for Ronnie, she may cause further ill-will between the brothers. Already, Ronnie blamed his brother for the accident in which Ronnie lost his hand. Loretta is also giving up her hopes for children as well as marriage, because she doesn't expect Ronnie to marry her.

Despite the possible and foreseen difficulties, the ending of Moonstruck is a happy one in which Cosmo and Rose are again a loving couple and Johnny unexpectedly decides not to marry Loretta because he is very attached to his mother. Then Ronnie quickly proposes to Loretta who immediately accepts and the family celebrates their engagement.

The closing scene greatly emphasizes the concept of the family. Loretta's family is not only celebrating the engagement, they are toasting "a la famille"--to the family. They are rejoicing in the addition to the family (Ronnie and Johnny as in-laws) and they look forward to Loretta having her own family. At the same time, they are celebrating their present happiness of being together as a family. Moonstruck closes with the camera focusing on the portraits of people who were, most likely, Loretta's grandparents and great-grandparents. Certainly, Loretta's family is successfully carrying on the traditional value of the family as being the mainspring of a person's life.

Moonstruck is a little masterpiece because it presents important ideas, but at the same time it never fails to entertain. This film never lags, and many scenes provide comic appeal (Travers 8). "The characters are so well drawn…that you're hooked" (Travers 8). Cher and Nicolas Cage are brilliant in portraying their characters (Denby 44), and the movie is at its best when Olympia Dukakis is on the screen (Simon 54).

The comic appeal and acting, however, take nothing away from the impact of themes that will never cease to be important. This film is timely, in a sense, in view of the fact that there are many broken homes in the eighties. In portraying love and happiness, Moonstruck shows the importance of the family as the center of a person's life.

Works Cited

Denby, David. "Standards and Practices." New York 4 Jan. 1988: 44

Maslin, Janet. "Film: Moonstruck, With Italians in Love." New York Times 16 Dec.

1987: C22.

Moonstruck. With Cher and Nicolas Cage. Writ. John Patrick Shanley, Dir. Norman

Jewison. A Palmer and Jewison Production. MGM Studios, 1987.

Simon, John. "Long Faces." National Review 4 Mar. 1988: 53-54.

Travers, Peter. People Weekly 29 Jan. 1988: 8.

Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Jewison's Word Opera." New York Times 11 Dec. 1987: C8.