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.

I have always thought Mystic Pizza was a very good, light hearted film. It's extremely well acted, the script is solid and witty, the cinematography is just heavenly (those Autumn colours are sensational!), and the story itself is heart warning and poignant. There comes a time in every young person's life when they have to figure out which direction they want to head, how they are going to get there and whether or not they will stay in the environment that reared them or branch out, beginning a new life. However, despite the uncertainty that plagues teens and twenty-somethings, there is one universal bond that will seal all cracks and that is friendship, which is the core of Mystic Pizza.

This unbreakable duo of friends consists of a then unknown, yet incredibly very striking Julia Roberts. She gives a bright, charismatic performance as the wayward and confused Daisy. Her care free nature is a strong contrast to the level headed, smart and introverted Kat, played by the absolutely gorgeous Annabeth Gish. Last, but certainly not least, is the tempestuous and indecisive Jojo. There's also the men in their lives, the handsome upper-class WASP Charles, who is a little bit of a snob, the unavailable dad Tim (William R. Moses) who has his wandering eyes set on the sensitive, intellectual Kat and Bill (Vincent D'Onofrio), the long suffering husband-to-be of Jojo. The wonderful thing about this film is it never judges its female characters for their promiscuity, nor does it reduce them to crowd-appeasing stereotypes when it depicts their uncertainty or reluctance in picking a "suitable" partner, nor does it imply that they really need one. See the resolution of Kat's brief fling with the father of the girl she babysits. They don't run off, living happily ever after, and Kat, clearly changed by the event, doesn't fall into the lap of the next man who shows her attention. Genre clichés are nicely avoided and what's important here, ultimately, is friendship not love or a man.

Mystic Pizza is definitely one of the better coming-of-age, small town friendship films, worthy of a lot more than the fairly dismal 6.1/10 rating it currently has.

"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.

Pizza, that delicious Italian dish has been adapted by people all over the world into their own way to express their interpretation about the way it should taste. It's not surprising that in Mystic, Ct., where there's a large Portuguese population, Leona, the owner of the Mystic Pizza restaurant has created a concoction that is admired by everyone. Don't ask her to reveal her ingredients because she will not tell you.

Daniel Petrie, the director, takes us along for a ride to this coastal town in which Amy Jones' story is set. We meet the three friends that work in the restaurant, Jojo, Daisy and Kat; the last two are sisters. Jojo is intense, but has a problem accepting the fact that Bill, her fiancé, wants to formalize their engagement. In the opening scenes we watch as Jojo faints in the church where she is marrying Bill. Panic strikes and she jilts him.

Daisy, is a beautiful girl who appears to be grounded. When Charlie, the preppy guy finds her at a local bar, it seems he is quite taken by her. Daisy, who should have known better embarks in a love affair with this young which one realizes is doomed from the start. Not only are they from two different worlds, but romances like these are just a passing fancy for wealthy boys. So is the involvement with the wise and intelligent Kat with Tim, the young father with a child who needs a sitter. Kat will be hurt in thinking Tim will want her over the absent wife.

"Mystic Pizza" is about the friendship of the three local girls and their way of looking at life from different angles. Annabeth Gish makes a great appearance in the film with her Kat. Lili Taylor is also good as Jojo. This was a film that presented Julia Roberts that hinted at her success as a movie actress. The rest of the cast plays well in the film. Vincent D'Onofrio, William Moses, Adam Storker and Conchata Farrell do good work under Mr. Petrie's direction. Seen in a small role that if one blinks, one would miss him, is Matt Damon making his first screen appearance.