Giacomo Puccini's famous opera "La Boheme" looks at the instant attraction of Mimi, a seamstress, and Rodolfo, a poet, as they try to find a way to be poor and happy together. Rodolfo leaves her for an ex-girlfriend who charms him back into her life, but he later regrets his mistake--only too late. Mimi is sick, and in the final act she dies, though her friends do all they can to make her final moments peaceful.
In Moonstruck, Nicholas Cage plays the brutish yet sensitive Ronnie, a baker, who manages to convince Loretta to go to see "La Boheme" with him at the Metropolitan Opera House. She agrees hesitantly, as the catch is that Ronnie is brother to Loretta's fiance, Johnny, who is off in Palermo visiting his dying mother. The roads to death and engagement are followed at almost the same time so Johnny asks Loretta to invite his brother, to whom he has not spoken to in five years, to the wedding.
Loretta (played by an effervescent Cher) meets with Ronnie who, in a rage, tells her the story of he and his brother's estrangement. At work he became distracted by something Johnny said, and lost his hand in a bread slicer. Appalled by his disfigurement, the girl of his dreams left him. Ronnie blamed Johnny for his losses, and is infuriated when Loretta pointed out was not Johnny's fault. The audience is immediately put off by Ronnie's character, but we know that Loretta will fall for him.
Cher is naturally gifted with charisma and energy, but her Loretta is a 37 year old Italian widow who knows that her chances at finding love are slim at her age, and is now simply focused on finding someone passable. She does not love the childish and weak Johnny, but he is safe, and she believes that a marriage done correctly will bring her the luck she has never had. Ronnie with his raw emotions, however, is exciting, and in the throws of passion the tension is released and she falls for him.
Loretta lives with her family who come from the old country, so there is etiquette and rules for how relationships work. Infidelity is rampant in her household, however, and everyone is reminded that stones should not be thrown in glass houses (which you in a hilarious scene following the opera). Why are all of these rules of engagement being broken? Apparently the moon is the cause of it all. Luna disturbs the humors and ushers in spontaneity into the midst, driving all of the characters to behave in ways that they might not normally do otherwise.
Cher and Olympia Dukakis do a good job in this film, although I am not sure that either were Oscar worthy (especially when they were up against Glenn Close and Anne Archer in the mega-hit Fatal Attraction). As a gay man, though, I feel an obligation to pause and reflect on the amazing talents that Cher does possess. She really is a superstar, and her skills on screen match--if not exceed--her skills on stage. Nicholas Cage was, in my opinion, horrible casting. His lines felt forced, he was not funny, and his hair looked terrible.
The script was good. There were moments of beautiful clarity ("I see everything, and you are a wolf"), as well as really witty one-liners ("You got those bad eyes like a gypsy"). There were also moments which were almost unwatchably bad (though they were few). But that is what comes from a screenwriter taking risks, and I suppose that John Patrick Shanley's Oscar proves that those risks paid off.
I tried to make the connection between Rodolfo and Mimi to Ronnie and Cher, but I have had a very difficult time of doing it. Perhaps they were meant to compliment one another, and show that a leap of faith pays off every once in a while. Rodolfo leaves Mimi for Musetta even though he doesn't love her, because he knows that she is a safe choice. Ronnie was not the safe choice, and Loretta had to break all of the rules that she has made for herself in order to be with him, and her choice only leads to unhappiness for Johnny (who did nothing wrong, but got left with the short end of the stick). Perhaps Johnny should have made a leap as well.
2.5/4
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