Moonstruck (Norman Jewison, 1987)

A tad overlong and yet severely undernourished, Moonstruck proves yet again that Hollywood enjoys no corner on well-constructed narratives. After twenty-five minutes of back (and present) story about Loretta (Cher), Ronny's (Nicholas Cage) first scene does way too much heavy lifting. He airs his back story and then...that's it. The affair between Loretta and Ronny happens so quickly after that it comes off as random, leaving Ronny with little character left. Truth is, the same happens with Loretta. The film simply settles into a courtship stasis and you wonder how on earth these people could become so instantly attracted to one another (no matter how beautiful they are). It's no surprise to discover that the best (deepest, most mature) scene has nothing to do with the two principals. Loretta's mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis), strikes up a lonely conversation with gasbag professor Perry (John Mahoney, as sexy as Cage) at a favorite restaurant during which more insight is gained into the nature of attraction and long-term relationships than at any other point in the film.

Still, the finale is a master class in corn. I half expected the ensemble to burst out in a chorus of "We Go Together." Best line (Cher to Cage): "Where's The Met?" In short, though, I'll take Twice a Man (Gregory Markopoulos, 1964).

Grade: B