Review of Moonstruck (1987) by Forrest P — 25 Oct 2010

I had no idea Cher could act! Actually, I was never really aware of how well Nicolas Cage could act either. Why doesn't he do more roles like this?

Moonstruck stars Cher as a woman who falls in love with her fiance's brother. Though labeled as a comedy, this movie actually works a lot better as a pure romance. This movie was made back when it was more important for a romantic comedy to tell a decent story rather than using that story as a tool for jokes.

There are so many great things about Moonstruck, including this interesting theme of adultery that occurs throughout the picture, and the question of forgiveness with this type of issue. This is a really hard issue to handle, and I will admit that this film does not do the *best* job at tackling it, what it does do right is discuss the true nature of love. It's something that has been done before, but it really is quite effective. Moonstruck is more or less a sweet film that handles its central love story with a very nice delicacy. It never overdoes anything, which is always appreciated.

I couldn't say Moonstruck is a perfect film. It's flawed as most films are. But it really does the job it sets out to do. It's sweet, competent, has something to say, and is a great romantic comedy. Admittedly, not every joke hit its mark, but the film as a whole still always gets the right note across. Plus, Cher and Nicolas Cage work extremely well together.

8/10.