Introduction: The movie, Moonstruck, is not just about love, but also about family relationships and expectations. The film also depicts a tightly bound Italian family and the mini stories within the larger one, are intertwined and connected by the theme of family.
Description of family: The Castorini’s are the central family with the Cammareri’s also playing a major role in the movie. Grown children from both families are central figures in the story with Loretta Castorini falling in love with one of the Cammareri sons (Ronny) while engaged to another (Johnny). This is the main conflict in the story but gets resolved, demonstrating an optimal family situation. Family processes: The family dynamic also represents a centripetal family in that most relationship satisfactions (marrying between families, family members working in family businesses, three generations living in the same house) “come within the family rather than from the outside world” (Beavers & Hampson, 2000, p. 130).
Values: Italian families are characterized by strong ties and is based on mutual aid of all its members (Luciano, et al, 2012). Even though Loretta’s parents may disagree with her decision on who to marry, they band together as a family and at the end, want her to be happy.
Sociocultural: There are cultural indicators throughout the movie. First, the last names of the main characters are Castorini and Cammareri. They live in Brooklyn and we see a family member owning a store selling Italian meats and cheeses. While food does not play a major role, there are references to food traditions that are specifically Italian: Rose, Loretta’s mother grills a piece of Italian bread in a pan and cracks an egg in a hole cut out in the center. At the end, they pour what looks to be perseco, traditional champagne Italians use to celebrate an event, often with a cube of sugar placed in the glass for good luck. The main characters use their hands in expressive ways as is often stereotyped by Italian characters in movies. There is also a close bond between the two families. Environmental: As noted above, Loretta works in her aunt and uncle’s store. Ronny works in the family bakery. Loretta not only lives with her parents, but her grandfather lives in the same house with his dogs. The final scene of the movie has Loretta’s family, her aunt and uncle and her grandfather around the kitchen table to announce that she will, in fact, marry Ronny. Johnny, although spurned, is there also to celebrate. The entire family is in this one scene, united, to celebrate her decision to marry the man she loves rather than the man she is expected to marry.
Communication: Characters in this film are vocal about what they want, how they feel and how their life situation effects those around them.
Power/decision making: Loretta and Rose are the most powerful characters in that they know who they are, their place in the family, and end up getting what they want. Loretta does not really love Johnny, but is in her thirties and thinks she should be married. She ends up standing up to Johnny to marry the man she truly loves. Rose finds out her husband, Como, is having an affair. When she confronts him and tells him to end it, he stands up at the dining room table in front of everyone there, hesitates, and we expect him to say “no,” but rather he says, “okay.” Rose, like Loretta, gets what she wants. These are examples of optimal family functioning in that the “equal-powered transactions” referred to by Beavers, are about these two women having a powerful place within the family dynamic.
Roles: Traditional Italian family roles are reversed in that the women have the power over what happens to the male characters.
Socialization and child rearing: Loretta, Johnny and Ronny are the three grown children in the family. Johnny and Ronny have not spoken in years and Loretta ends up bringing them together. Loretta is loved and respected by her parents, aunt and uncle. They all argue, but over minor matters and end up resolving the conflict immediately.
Healthcare beliefs: There are no references or storylines connected to healthcare in Moonstruck. Adaptation: When Cosmo ends his affair and when Rose tells a man she meets she cannot have an affair with him because of her family, these two story lines describe family values. At the end, the family comes together and is able to resolve the stressful situation of Loretta telling Johnny she does not love him, but wants to marry his brother instead. Functional Competency: This movie depicts optimal family situations in that conflicts arise through situations created by the characters, but they get resolved because the family ties are so strong.
Conclusion: While Moonstruck includes some stereotyping of Italian Americans, it is about families: their interrelationships, conflicts, love and respect for each other, and, closeness that is connected to cultural heritage.
References
Beavers, R. & Hampson, R. (2000). “The Beavers systems model of family functioning.” Journal of Family Therapy 22: 128-143.
Luciano, M., Sampogna, G., del Vecchio, V., Giacco, D., Mulè, A. de Rosa, C., Fiorillo, A. & Maj, M. (2012) The family in Italy: Cultural changes and implications for treatment. International Review of Psychiatry 24:2, 149-156. DOI: 10.3109/09540261. 2012.656306
