Mystic
Pizza (1988)
Rated R
Starring: Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish,
and Lili Taylor
Rating:

out
of

|
Julia Roberts' true acting career started out with this fine little movie
about love and life in the fishing community of Mystic, Connecticut. In
the film, Julia plays Daisy, one of two sisters working at a pizzeria
called Mystic Pizza. Daisy is basically a slacker, who lives off her looks
and seems to have no clue what she wants out of life. By contrast, her
sister, Kat (Annabeth Gish), knows that she wants to attend Yale and become
an astronomer. Their mutual best friend, JoJo (Lili Taylor), wants to
inherit the pizzeria and avoid college altogether. The movie follows Daisy, Kat and JoJo as they pursue their lives over
the course of a couple of months. Daisy falls for a rich out-of-towner
named Charles Gordon Windsor (Adam Storke), who may or may not provide
some direction to her life. Kat falls in love with Tim (William Moses),
a married man she babysits for while his wife is in England. And JoJo
tries to figure out her relationship with Bill (Vincent D'Onofrio), whom
she left at the altar but still loves. Each of the girls finds out a lot
about themselves along the way.
All of the performances are top-notch and the movie only loses points
for being a tad melodramatic at times. Seeing Julia Roberts play a role
that matches or exceeds anything she's been given to perform lately is
a nice bonus, especially since most people haven't been given a chance
to see this little gem of a film. Annabeth Gish is another surprise and
it's unfortunate that she hasn't been able to make a name for herself
like Lili Taylor has with roles in movies like Say Anything, Ransom and
I Shot Andy Warhol.
If
you're a Julia Roberts fan, take a shot at this movie and enjoy yourself.
And even if you're not, take a little walk down memory lane with Mystic
Pizza's 1980's atmospheric charm.
Trivia: Director
Donald Petrie has worked with the TV series Chicago Hope and will direct
the movie version of My Favorite Martian in 1998. (Source: The
Internet Movie Database) |