Moonstruck is an iconic 1987 romantic comedy, one of Cher’s best movies that earned her an Academy Award for her role as Loretta Castorini, opposite Nicolas Cage’s Ronny Cammareri. From humorously dramatic confessions to Cher’s iconic “snap out of it”, there are many famous scenes that cemented Moonstruck in the hall of rom-com fame. The film follows Loretta unwittingly falling for Ronny, the younger brother of the man she is supposed to marry, after her first husband’s death.
Moonstruck offers an intricate portrait of the Italian-American experience in New York City and is widely regarded as one of Cage’s most underrated film roles. In the decades since the theatrical release and successful awards campaign of Moonstruck, the film continues to be referenced across pop culture, including in the recent Only Murders In The Building episode also featuring the A Few Good Men monologue. The film’s unique pacing makes it an incredibly rare gem among rom-coms, one that is yet to be replicated in the contemporary film world.
10 “I Don’t Believe In Curses.”
Said By Loretta Castorini
When Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) flies to Sicily to see his dying mother just after he proposes to Loretta, Loretta sees him off at the airport, where she looks on as the plane takes off. This image might be interpreted as the setup for a more conventional rom-com scenario, were it not for a strange interaction that establishes Moonstruck‘s distinct tone. An elderly woman tells her:
“I put a curse on that plane. My sister is on that plane. I put a curse on that plane that it’s gonna explode, burn on fire and fall into the sea. Fifty years ago, she stole a man from me. S’aprese il mio uomo
!”
Today she tells me that she never loved him, that she took him to be strong on me. Now she’s going back to Sicily. Ritorna in Sicilia! I cursed her that the green Atlantic water should swallow her up!”
Loretta responds by dryly saying: “I don’t believe in curses.” The older woman shrugs and says: “Neither do I.” The woman credited as Old Crone never reappears in Moonstruck, but the scene’s obscure delivery is what makes it a hit among generations of viewers.
9 “I Lost My Hand! I Lost My Bride! Johnny Has His Hand! Johnny Has His Bride!”
Said By Ronny Cammareri
While Johnny is in Sicily, he asks Loretta to begin preparing for their wedding by convincing his estranged younger brother Ronny to come. Ronny runs a bakery, where he lost his hand in an accident with the bread slicer. The rift between the brothers is due to Ronny blaming Johnny for distracting him and causing the accident, which then led his fianceé to leave him for another man.
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The dramatic delivery of Ronny’s monologue regarding his accident adds a layer of lore to Moonstruck‘s central story, while also coming across as ludicrously hilarious, as Johnny is clearly not to blame. Despite the clear narrative that the loss of Ronny’s hand was an accident, many people, including his coworker Chrissy (Nada Despotovich), buy into his dramatization of the brotherly feud. Chrissy even refers to him as “the most tormented man” she has ever known.
8 “Old Man, You Give Those Dogs Another Piece Of My Food And I’m Gonna Kick You ‘Til You’re Dead!”
Said By Rose Castorini
The Castorini family household in Brooklyn is composed of Rose (Olympia Dukakis) and Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia), Grandpa Castorini (Feodor Chaliapin Jr.), and the widowed Loretta, who works as a bookkeeper. The family dinner scenes throughout the movie provide further context for Loretta’s character, who has her mother Rose’s sharp edge and a hint of her father’s superstition.
In this scene, while the family discusses their current state of affairs, Grandpa Castorini continues to sneak pieces of his dinner to his many dogs. After she spends hours cooking the meal, Rose abruptly cuts off the conversation by threatening to “kick him ’til he’s dead” if he keeps feeding the food to the dogs. The table then returns to an awkward silence. The sardonic moment is the first of many to come in Rose’s dry humor, which her daughter Loretta has also inherited.
7 “I Just Want You To Know No Matter What You Do, You’re Gonna Die, Just Like Everybody Else.”
Said By Rose Castorini
When Rose discovers that her husband is having an affair, she asks Johnny why men chase women. He delves into the biblical story of Adam and Eve, believing that men chase women to get their ribs back, as Eve was created from Adam’s ribs. When Cosmo comes home mysteriously proclaiming, “I don’t know where I’m going and I don’t know where I’ve been,” Rose reminds her husband that no matter what he does, he’s still going to “die like everybody else.”
Cosmo responds with a simple “Thank you, Rose,” to which she answers “You’re welcome.” This bizarre turn of conversation contrasts in a shockingly funny way with the discussion Rose was just having with Johnny. It also subconsciously lets the viewers know that Rose knows about the affair, and is plotting exactly how to end it. This scene is another example of Dukakis’ nuanced acting prowess throughout Moonstruck.
6 “Snap Out Of It!”
Said by Loretta Castorini
When Loretta sleeps with Ronny in a moment of passion, she realizes the element that she is missing in her relationship with Johnny but still feels that the sensible thing to do is marry him anyway. Her first marriage ended with her husband being hit by a bus and dying, a tragedy widely considered to be a result of bad luck after Loretta wed him at City Hall instead of in a church. These thoughts on good behavior and bad luck permeate the film.
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When she wakes up and panics about her actions of betrayal against Johnny, shocked by her circumstances, Ronny tells her that he loves her. Instead of reciprocating, Loretta slaps Ronny twice, and tells him to “snap out of it.” The absurdist delivery and humorous calamity make this scene a pivotal moment in the film, inspiring Loretta to take charge of her life and her desires for her future.
5 “It’s Cosmo’s Moon!”
Said by Raymond Cappomaggi
Family friend Raymond Cappomaggi (Louis Guss) recalls Cosmo proposing to Rose under the light of a massive full moon. As a boy, he believed that Cosmo made the moon just to show his love for Rose. In an appropriate moment of dramatic irony, a massive full moon appears as Loretta finds herself falling for Ronny in Johnny’s absence, and more family drama begins to unfold.
After Loretta sleeps with Ronny, she takes note of the moon, and a montage follows of all the film’s characters reacting to the sight of the moon — including Rose herself, looking wistfully out the window at this reminder of her grand romance. Raymond proclaims “Look, it’s Cosmo’s moon” in a sleepy tone that juxtaposes the chaos taking shape outside his door among his longtime friends. The moon becomes a central source of the plot that is to come.
4 “Don’t S**t Where You Eat”
Said By Rose Castorini
One of the film’s many important meeting places is the Grand Ticino Restaurant, where Johnny originally proposed to Loretta. While Loretta and Ronny are out at the Metropolitan Opera (where they run into Cosmo and his mistress), Rose goes to the neighborhood restaurant to grab dinner alone. Witnessing Perry, a New York University professor, get dramatically dumped yet again, she invites him to eat with her and learn his backstory.
It is then revealed that Perry always dates his college students, and their age gaps typically end in heartbreak and disaster. When he wonders why this toxic habit continues to yield the same negative results, Loretta offers him some words of wisdom from her mother: “Don’t s**t where you eat.” Since Perry keeps mixing work and pleasure, he never finds the right relationship, and Rose’s brutal honesty puts him in his place. Like much of the dialogue in Moonstruck, the quick-witted pacing and sharp delivery support its comedic effect.
3 “Loretta, I Love You. Not Like They Told You Love Is, And I Didn’t Know This Either, But Love Don’t Make Things Nice — It Ruins Everything. It Breaks Your Heart. It Makes Things A Mess.”
Said By Ronny Cammareri
Every good rom-com must have a memorable confession of love. As Loretta and Ronny walk home from the Metropolitan Opera, Loretta laments about her complicated predicament. She fears betraying Johnny and breaking things off with him because of his estranged brother. She initially promises to go to the opera with Ronny as their final meeting, but naturally, he attempts to sway her otherwise. Ronny feels that she is settling for his brother, and wants to change that.
This scene is one of Cage’s most emotionally moving moments in Moonstruck and one that makes it a deeply relatable tale across generational lines. Love is not always something that comes quietly, and the film’s wildly humorous take on relationships is perfectly encapsulated in these (almost) parting words. Of course, this speech is what ultimately convinces Loretta to continue her relationship with Ronny.
2 “You… You Got A Love Bite On Your Neck. He’s Coming Back This Morning, What’s The Matter With You? Your Life’s Going Down The Toilet!”
Said By Rose Castorini
Before Loretta can explain her dilemma with Ronny, Rose reveals that Johnny arrived home early from Sicily looking for Loretta, as his mother made a miraculous recovery. However, Rose figures out the situation for herself when she notices a “love bite” on Loretta’s neck. The film’s messy conclusion is nigh, and this moment reminds viewers that, despite Loretta’s resolve, even she managed to find herself in a romantic kerfuffle.
The ludicrous delivery of “your life’s going down the toilet” solidifies the irony of the scene as a whole. While everything is falling apart, Loretta feels the most herself she has felt since her husband’s death, and she just might have met the true love of her life. She now feels comfortable branching out to new experiences, from opera performances to a fresh haircut. The scene perfectly sets up Ronny’s dramatic final act.
1 “Ma, I Love Him Awful.”
Said By Loretta Castorini
Johnny bursts in, breaking off his engagement to Loretta, believing it to be more bad luck after his mother only recovered upon learning of his engagement. Ronny then takes the opportunity to propose to Loretta instead, with no opposition from Johnny, as his superstitions keep him from pushing the matter. This allows the movie’s conflict to easily resolve itself. Loretta accepts, and Rose asks her if she loves him. Loretta says, “Ma, I love him awful,” to which Rose says “That’s too bad.”
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The scene is a callback to an earlier moment in the film, when Rose asks Loretta if she loved Johnny, to which she answers no. Rose then says: “Good, when you love them they drive you crazy because they know they can.” It underscores the film’s biggest theme, of the endless complications that come from being in love. As viewers can see, Ronny has in fact driven Loretta crazy throughout the film’s twists and turns, but Moonstruck concludes that she loves him in spite of it.
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Moonstruck PGComedyDocumentaryDramaRomance Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Director Norman Jewison Release Date December 16, 1987 Writers John Patrick Shanley Cast Cher , Nicolas Cage , Vincent Gardenia , Olympia Dukakis , Danny Aiello , Julie Bovasso Runtime 102 minutes Main Genre Comedy Expand