I look at Facebook; I look at the news, both local and cable, and I find myself teetering on a daily basis between hope and worry. One morning I am thinking all will be well, only to find myself in a bit of a puddle later in the afternoon after reading about how sad people are, how tedious their lives have become, how separated they are from one another, how low hospital supplies have become, how death could be lurking around the corner on the next doorknob I turn.
So...last night my super intelligent and empathetic husband suggested we do what we always do when I am upset...he suggested we watch "Moonstruck".
"Moonstruck" is my absolute, hands down, no contest, 100 percent favorite movie. I wore out two copies of it on VHS after seeing it in the theater three times. I own the DVD. We were able to stream it last night on television. "Moonstruck" makes everything better.
Hubs, God bless him, knows almost every word and I definitely know every word. In fact, a great test for me, if assessing my penchant for dementia in years to come, would be to feed me a line from the movie to see if I can finish it.
Medical Practitioner: "Old man..."
Me: "give that dog another bite of my food and I'll kick you 'til you're dead!"
Medical Practitioner: "Now he's going to play that Vicki Carr record..."
Me: "and when he comes to bed he won't touch me!"
Can you see how well that will work when the time comes? Anyway...
The first time I saw the movie I saw it in the Hellman theatre in Albany, NY. I couldn't get enough of the Italian American kitsch, the way the Castorini home was decorated, the Brooklyn accents, the mannerisms of the players. The first night, I saw it with my Aunt and Nana. The second night, I brought my boyfriend who was of Italian descent. The third time I saw it, I went with a bevy of five girlfriends. Every single person loved it to a fault. I think that's impressive considering it's nearly impossible to get 9 people of different ages and backgrounds to agree on anything.
After getting paid and going to the mall one summer afternoon, I bought it on VHS and drove directly to the house of my cousins. An Italian family of four, it was their first time seeing the film. My cousin Agnes made me stop, rewind, and replay several scenes during the movie to point out china, wall hangings, verbal iterations in Italian, and food items.
"That's the champagne we drink, and with a sugar cube!"
"We had that wallpaper back in the 1960s!"
"My mother cooked our breakfast eggs and toast exactly like that!"
For her, it was like watching This is Your Life.
I don't tune into the Academy Awards anymore because I prefer my entertainment without a side of politics, but back in 1988 I still looked forward to watching them, pen and paper at the ready so that I could create a list of new movies to rent at Blockbuster. When Cher won the Oscar for leading actress, Olympia Dukakis won for supporting actress and John Patrick Shanley won for best original screenplay, I raised my glass and cheered from my heart right along with them.
So last night I watched it for probably the two hundredth time. I find great comfort in knowing what's about to happen; in seeing lives upended and things turning around for the better. I really like to laugh and cry all within and because of the same film. The music is divine (did I mention I have the soundtrack?) and Hubs even croons along with "That's Amore". Dean Martin was a favorite of his late father's. I can see that the song transports him to another time and when he sings, I sing along.
If you know the movie, you probably love it too. If you don't know it, do yourself a huge favor and watch it. If you are reading this in March 2020, I found it in the free movies on Spectrum last night.
I wish you all a safe journey and much amore.
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