MYSTIC PIZZA (1988)

MYSTIC PIZZA (1988)

Tagline: Discover a movie which hits home about love, friendship, dreams, and life. A movie that you'll be talking about long afterwards. Experience something special, something romantic, something honest.

(Romance, Drama, Decent Slices Of Pizza At A Reasonable Price) [R]

What the hell do you think Leona really puts in that pizza?

In this one, we get the story of 3 women who work at a pizza place called Mystic Pizza in Mystic, CT. The story covers the challenges of living in a small town and their quest to find real love. Daisy and Kat are sisters and JoJo is a co-worker and good friend. Also, it’s very likely something amazing is going on with the pizza because as this movie goes along it becomes more and more famous. 

Charlie’s mannerisms remind me of the younger Ed Bloom from BIG FISH only without an accent. Adam Storke does a pretty good job playing him in this. He’s had a pretty solid movie career and was also in 1991’s HIGHWAY TO HELL. Normally I wouldn’t watch a movie that has to do with hell from a secular movie producer, but I would watch Kristy Swanson in anything, even a bubblegum commercial. Aside from that, it’s a “comedy”. 

What I like about Bill in this thing is that he has character. I love the fact that he wants JoJo but really wants a commitment from her. That is a lot like what I want in life. I am not sure how rare it is for the man to want something deeper than just sex, but his character in this movie is gloriously refreshing. I also really like Conchata Ferrell in this as Leona. I didn’t realize this when I saw MR. DEEDS, but basically she’s the same character in that movie as she is in this one, only with a different name.

Aside from that acting-wise, I also liked Lili Taylor as JoJo. She doesn’t get a ton of lines, but it’s enough to flesh out her character. Lili Taylor is also famous for another 80s flick, “SAY ANYTHING” that came out a year later. Julia Roberts plays a spunky sort of local in Mystic, CT who seems to rely on being aloof to attract men she’s barely met. In this movie the target is Charlie, so they don’t make her a man-eater in this one. The extremely diverse Vincent D'Onofrio plays Bill who is the love interest of JoJo in the movie. These days it’s almost impossible to not know who D’Onofrio is, but if you don’t, he’s King Pin in the Marvel Television Universe. Annabeth Gish plays a morally bankrupt “Kat” who takes interest in a man who is married named Tim. Bloody Hell. Gish is still doing a ton of acting and as of the writing of this review has 8 projects either filming or in post-production. The performances are all pretty solid and Julia Roberts in particular has to show a ton of range in the role. 

Cinematically this movie is not going to blow anyone away and overall the soundtrack is pretty hum-drum, but I pretty much love this damn thing for the most part. It reminds me a lot of what I liked about movies like DREAM A LITTLE DREAM and SAY ANYTHING, great characters, and a relatable story. 

This movie gets an R rating for the profanity and not much else. Often times when I do a review if the profanity is overused or seems misplaced, I am going to go off on that. Having said that, this movie does not have a problem in this area, it’s well balanced and everything feels like what we’d get in real conversations with these characters. I was NOT a fan of Tim’s role in the movie, but he does provide a great contrast to Bill and his character, so it actually serves the storyline well while providing a lesson in not screwing around with people in relationships (at least not unless you are really sure it’s over and divorce is filed and all that mumbo jumbo). 

Overall I have to give this one a 7 out of 7. This is an outstanding gem I missed back in the 80s and I am thankful I finally got a chance to see it. Just a note for the PC peeps out there, this is probably not going to be for you. It features a couple kids smoking and drinking beer...so you know. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF NIGHT LIFE INC. AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

Please check out the link below by clicking on the picture. Purchases made at Indy Planet for any issue of DARK 30 will go towards funding the next issue.