Movie Flashback: 25 Years Ago Today Audiences Were Hit in The Eye With a Big Pizza Pie
Posted 12.18.12 by Chris
"Your life's going down the toilet!"
It's Moonstruck, which was released 25 years ago today; it's why everyone knows the words to Dean Martin's That's Amore (When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie); and it's the movie that made everyone change their opinion about Cher after she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as Loretta, a 37-year-old Italian-American widow who falls for the brother of her fiancé.
The movie showed an Italian-American family that wasn't in the mob but going through repression and dealing with cultural expectations, and it went on to be the sleeper hit of 1987, earning $156 million, which would be more than $303 million today. In addition to Cher's Oscar, Olympia Dukakis, who stole every scene she was in playing Cher's mother, won Best Supporting Actress and John Patrick Shanley won for Best Original Screenplay. Reelz recently talked to Dukakis about her life-changing role.
And we can't talk about Moonstruck without mentioning Nicolas Cage, who plays one-armed Ronny. Cage almost didn't get the part. The studio wasn't impressed with his screen test and wanted to go with another actor but Cher insisted that Cage get the role and threatened to quit otherwise. The studio obliged and Cage got the part.
The movie has also landed on a number of the American Film Institute's lists, including the 8th best romantic comedy of all time. Cher's line, "Snap out of it!" was voted No. 96 of the best movie quotes of all time.
Moonstruck has remained a favorite for critics, too, like Roger Ebert, who included the movie in his "Great Movies" collection in 2003.
The movie makes you laugh, which is very difficult, but it also makes you feel more open to your better impulses, and that is harder still.
Where to watch: Moonstruck is available on DVD and Blu-ray and is streaming on Amazon, iTunes, and Vudu.