When I was young…
“I never needed anyone…
And making love was just for fun…”
No.
Seriously…
When I was young, this film came out…1987, I was 13…and I wouldn’t touch it man.
I was allergic to it. I wanted nothing to do with a sappy, love story, Cher dancing with the moon movie. I was too busy watching Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” and Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” at that point, building and developing my film vocabulary.
I saw it. I ended up enjoying it. I forgot it.
A few years later, my sister Fawn asks me one time…
“Do you like “Moonstruck”?
“Nah.”
“WHAT!!”
“Why?”
“I love it!
Then she launches into…
“I lost my hand! I lost my bride! Johnny has his hand! Johnny has his bride! You want me to take my heartbreak, put it away and FO-GET IT!!!!”
HAAA HAAAA
I started laughing, she was so into it…
So I sit down and watch it with her, and I’m blown away by it this time. I just walk through it, loving every frame.
Sometimes, , all you need to do is look at a film you don’t care for through the eyes of someone you respect who loves it…and it will seduce you.
I also watched Cage in this film closely. He was incredible. The story was great, honest, fun love story. It was a beautiful vision of New York City, like Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” or how “When Harry Met Sally” portrayed New York City, with romance and wonder.
Back then, New York City was a bit dangerous In parts still. Good representations of New York weren’t everywhere…because to be honest, it wasn’t the safest place in 1986 when they were filming this.
Now…back in this specific period of time, no one could touch Cage. He was all method man.
“Rumble Fish” in 83,
“Birdy” in 84,
“Peggy Sue Got Married” in 86,
“Vampires Kiss” in 87,
“Raising Arizona” in 87,
“Moonstruck” also in 87,
Then “Wild At Heart” in 89.
Cage was a method acting machine , on his way to becoming another Brando or Deniro.
What happened.
Well in my eyes it’s pretty simple…he took it down a few notches for the next few years, between 1990 to 1995…
Then in 95 he gave us “Kiss Of Death”, right before unleashing everything he had in him to give us
“Leaving Las Vegas“in 95.
He gets the statue that year.
He hasn’t been the same since.
Made bad movies for lots of money….lots of them.
Bought an island.
Named his son Kal-El.
Now, and I say this for Deniro also,
Once you’ve done the caliber of work those 2 have done in your early years…
Like Robert Downey nearly killing himself in “Less Than Zero” in 87…
I think they have more than earned the right to go make some fuck off movies and cash in a bit if they choose, we shouldn’t loose faith in them for wanting to go easy.
Plus, You can never take away their craft, their ability and the work and legacy they have left behind for generations to view, study, be entertained by and appreciate. Tremendous sacrifices on their parts to become these characters. We owe it to them to appreciate them I think.
That being said…damn it I wish these guys would get back to work man, they were so goddamn good.
Moving on, here is a mash up of some of my favorite moments, I couldn’t find any out there on planet YouTube that included all the footage I wanted to show here…so I made one on my own damn it.
Enjoy.
MOONSTRUCK “I LOST MY HAND!!!”:
MOONSTRUCK TRAILER: