Mystic Pizza

_Mystic Pizza_ would be remembered, if for no other reason, as the film that first made us pay attention to Julia Roberts. It also showcases the early talents of several other actors who later rose to some success and fame in the movies: Lili Taylor and Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio among them. Others in the cast have perhaps deserved better in their careers than they achieved, especially Annabeth Gish, but here they shine fresh and alive.Actually, the entire ensemble cast, including the minor parts, is excellent -- natural, unaffected, convincing performances.

The story concentrates on three young women on the cusp of new lives -- marriage, college, responsibility -- and tracks them through that special summer between the childhood and adulthood. I think it was more unusual in 1988 to show female friendships and a female point of view than has perhaps become ten years later. The women are smart and individualized, surprising and interesting as people.

The men are less so. D'Onofrio has the most fully realized male character, the young fisherman who wants commitment, who wants to be more to his girl than just a sexual aid. The other two men, one a preppie in rebellion and the other a middle-aged married man looking for something he left behind, are mostly just occasions for the women to find some new grounding and growth.

I am also very fond of this film for its insistence on finding one's way in the world by first finding out what is right thing to do, the right way to live.

Hree young women working in a pizza place experience love, heartbreak, and growing pains in Mystic Pizza from 1988.

The film is loaded with young actors just starting out: Julia Robert's, Annabeth Gish, Lili Taylor, Vincent D'onofrio, Matt Damon, Adam Storke, and William R. Moses.

The film begins with the wedding of Jojo and Bill (Taylor and D'Onofrio). The minister describes marriage as being permanent; otherwise, you burn in the fires of hell. Jojo faints. The wedding is off.

Daisy (Roberts) has a dalliance with a wealthy young man (Storke); Kat falls for a married man (Moses) when she babysits his daughter.

The location is Mystic, Connecticut, and it is very reminiscent tourist towns on Cape Cod, where I worked. Additionally, as in Plymouth Mass where I worked, there is a large Portuguese population. The owner (Conchata Ferrell) of the pizza parlor is Portuguese, and her pizza recipe is a secret.

Good acting all around, an entertaining film, and fun to see these young actors, all of whom went on to varying degrees of success.

"Mystic Pizza" is the film that served notice that Julia Roberts, about 20, as "Daisy", was destined to be a name actress. The movie's name comes from the location - the pizza shop in Mystic, Conn., a fishing village with a concentration of Portuguese immigrants. Teenager Matt Damon also had a small part, as the younger brother "Steamer" of the rich boyfriend.

The 4 women in this film - the 3 waitresses and the pizza shop owner - all have significant hurdles to cross. The pizza shop is in financial danger, and depends on a great review by the food critic to bolster business. Daisy is somewhat of a misfit, a hothead with a lot of talent but somewhat lacking in focus, and who is being courted by a rich guy. Another, bound for Yale but financially poor, and things get complicated by her increasingly close relationship with the father who hires her as a babysitter while mom is working in England. The other faints at the altar, and is having trouble with commitment, while her fisherman boyfriend continues to try and get her to marry him.

The acting is uniformly good, and there are both serious and funny situations. It is an easy movie to "get into", and there is a good sense of completion when it ends. I just wish they had revealed the secret ingredients in the pizza sauce. The stories and situations are not particular novel in movies, but the movie is well put together and lets us see a few actors at the beginning of their careers. ______________________ August 2020 update: My wife and I just watched it again on BluRay from our public library. Even though we knew what was coming we enjoyed this repeat viewing.

Mystic Pizza is a pleasant-but-slow slice-of-life comedy-drama. It centers on the lives of 3 young waitresses in a Pizza Parlor in blue-collar Mystic, CT. The parlor's owner is a hard-scrabble-with-heart-of-gold Portuguese "princess" buoyantly portrayed by Conchata Farrell. She makes the scene where the food critic tastes her pizza the most memorable in the movie.

As for the girls, two of the three stories work well. Lili Taylor is a revelation as the fun-loving JoJo coming to terms with the cliche her life is and how to come to terms with the love she feels for stalwart-but-limited Bill, winningly portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio (now of Law and Order: CI). These two light up the screen with humor and awkward aplomb. Julia Roberts puts her raw-but-winning talent on display as the blue-collar Daisy, a student-teacher in the school of hard-knocks.

The one unfortunate element is that the movie spends far too much time on a nowhere relationship between Annibelle Gish and preppy husband-away-from his wife portrayed by the affable but feckless William R. (aka Billy) Moses. This story just makes the movie drag.

But overall, Mystic Pizza is a kind of young-woman-oriented Diner, amiable, fun, and chock-full of young talent.

This film was unique for its time. There is actually a place called Mystic, Connecticutt. It's a beautiful town and the director used it well.

Julia Roberts is fresh and sexy. Thank God that this film was made before, Pretty Woman or else there would be no record of Julia's pure beauty before she became a 'star'. The reason to watch this film however are the performances given by Lili Taylor and Vincent D'Onofrio. They film could have been about the relationship between characters. Taylor is 'real' sexy. I'm a big fan. She also delivers one of the most emotionally honest monologues in cinematic history. D'Onofrio delivers a down-to-earth performance of a sensitive male who values love over sex. Also the performance given by the actress who plays the pizzeria's owner is very lovable.