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17 out of 22 people found the following review useful: One of the best "chick flicks", 25 March 2004 Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States
Movie about three young waitresses who work at Mystic Pizza in Mystic CT. Good girl Kat (Annabeth Gish)is going to college and falls in love with a married man (William Moses). Her sister, bad girl Daisy (Julia Roberts), falls in love with rich kid Charles (Adam Storke). And Jojo (Lili Taylor) is deeply in love with Bill (Vincent D'Onorfrio) but is afraid to marry him...which he wants. Pretty predictable but still lots of fun. This was released with no fanfare in 1988 (Roberts was still unknown and there were no 'name' actors in the cast) and went on to become a surprise hit. That shouldn't be a shock--this is the type of movie that isn't really challenging or deep. You know the characters, you know the situations and you know it's going to have a happy ending. Still, there's nothing wrong with a film like that if it's entertaining and well-done--and this one is.The script is lively and it was beautifully shot on location in CT (in Mystic and other towns). Gish is just great (and top-billed) in the movie. She was also 17 (the age of her character too) so it adds to the realism. Taylor is good but has little to do. Her character is very one note and ALWAYS yapping about commitment. Roberts is good but her character is TERRIBLE! Foul-mouthed, obnoxious and grating--her verbal abuse of her sister Kat is more than vicious. I really hated her! Nevertheless, this movie jump started her career. D'Onorfrio (a wonderful character actor) is given nothing to do but look handsome and hunky--which he does. Storke is VERY good-looking and gives a great performance as a rich kid--what ever happened to him? And Moses is just OK as a married man. Add Conchata Ferrell as the pizza store owner and Matt Damon in a one line role in his film debut. A real nice, pleasing little movie. Perfectly catches the small town feeling too. Worth seeing. But don't let Roberts' face on the box fool you--it's NOT her movie.
13 out of 15 people found the following review useful: one of the minor defining movies of my generation, 16 November 2002 Author: Rachel-20 from California
This was one of THE slumber party movies when I was in high school, and fourteen years later I still enjoy it. Of course now I realize what a jerk the married man is from the first time he looks THAT WAY at Kat, and I'm a little surprised (although I married young myself) to see young marriage portrayed positively in a major motion picture. It's also refreshing to see Julia Roberts before she acquired the required Hollywood Superstar Anorexic Look.Some of the scenes that make me laugh as much now as they did when I was 15: The Porsche full of fish, and JoJo's parents' and boyfriend's reaction when JoJo and Bill are caught in a compromising position. This film has some very tender moments as well. A warning, however: the last line will probably make you groan.It's not terribly deep, and it's not going to win the Palme D'Or. But it's well worth putting in the VCR on a quiet evening when your husband's out or your girlfriends are over.
14 out of 17 people found the following review useful: One of my favorites, 14 July 2004 Author: grumpy_otter from Williamsburg, VA
What makes this movie so very charming is the incredible ensemble acting. Watch Vincent D'Onofrio in an early role, as well as Julia Roberts. Annabeth Gish is completely enchanting as Kat, and William R. Moses very believable as the flirting husband. Most wonderful, however, is Lili Taylor as JoJo. Sometimes known as the queen of B movies (I think that was Ebert's title), here she shows the range and talent that indicate she deserves superstardom.Unlike the misleading re-release that features Julia's face prominently, this is NOT a star vehicle, but depends on the interaction of all the players. A wonderful coming-of-age film that has been one of my favorites for 15 years.
12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: 2 out of 3 ain't bad, 5 July 2002 Author: herbqedi from New York, NY
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.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Nice Romantic Comedy, 7 September 2000 Author: Theresa (tgjenn@richnet.net) from Mansfield, Ohio
I first saw this movie when I was 17 and enjoyed it; more than 10 years later I still do. It does have some predictability to it, particularly in the relationship between Kat and the Yale alumnus. However, there are also some priceless scenes --- one of my favorites is how Jojo's parents react when they catch her and Bill in a "compromising" pose in the dining room. I thought the acting was well done, especially from Julia Roberts and Conchatta Ferrell.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: great friendship movie, 11 December 2002 Author: CamaroLuvNgal84 from Georgia
I really like this movie. It's sweet, charming, funny, and makes you think of your friends. This is one of the very few roles I like that Julia Roberts played. I love many of the '80s movies because most of them are cheesy and I just love looking at the clothes and hairdos from that decade. One of my favorite scenes has to be where JoJo and Bill get caught in the act by her parents. That was hilarious! Well, this is just about all I can say about this movie but I really liked it and you should definitely watch it with your friends.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Early Film For Young Ensemble Cast Charms, 26 April 2004 Author: CitizenCaine from Las Vegas, Nevada
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This sleeper hit from the Fall of 1988 has real charm. The film is about three girls that are becoming young women; two of them are sisters. Lili Taylor plays a girl that wants sex, but can't commit to marriage. Now there's a twist. Annabeth Gish and Julia Roberts, in an early important role for her, are the sisters. Gish has an idealized romance in her head regarding the 30 year old Yale graduate she babysits for, whose wife is conveniently in Europe. Does it make an affair seem more acceptable when the wife is further away? Roberts plays a girl, like she did in her first credited film Satisfaction, who uses her body to get what she wants. The girls are all fine; however, Gish's scenario is less interesting than the other two and is somewhat clichéd. Vincent D'Onofrio is good in his few scenes as Taylor's would be husband. William R. Moses and Adam Storke are less compelling as the male interests of Gish and Roberts respectively. The film's strengths are its ability to portray the charms of small town life, and being set in a pizzeria operated by Conchata Ferrell with the girls sharing their hopes and dreams. There are several scenes that are funny and genuine, such as D'Onofrio being chased by Taylor's father one night, Roberts scene with Storke when she miscalculates who he is with, and the visit by the gourmet reviewer to the pizzeria. The film is pretty much formulaic with a few ironic twists in the female characters, and this is certainly inferior to other films of the coming of age, gal pal genre, but it has its own charm, entertains us, and is interesting enough for the early appearances of its young stars alone. Also, look fast for Matt Damon in his film debut. **1/2 of 4 stars.
6 out of 8 people found the following review useful: A charming and convincing coming-of-age story of three young women., 30 August 1998 Author: Frank R. A. J. Maloney (frajm@aol.com) from Seattle, WA
_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.
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Taylor and D'Onofrio: The Real Show, 16 March 2003 Author: Edgar L. Davis (luludavis@aol.com) from Hardwick, Vermont
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.
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: 3 girls find love and romance in a small town, 7 June 1999 Author: helpless_dancer from Broken Bow, Oklahoma
A pizza joint is the setting for much of this film. The 3 waitresses working there are in and out of love and lust all the time, causing themselves a lot of grief. So-so romantic comedy.
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