Delicious UK - (04)April 2020

82 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

mov ie + meal + wine

F R I DAY N IGH T

MYSTICPIZZA(1988)^

WHAT’SIT ABOUT?

SetinthePortuguese-

American

community

intheworking-classfishing

portofMystic,Connecticut,

themovietellsthestoryof

threeyoungfriends.Studious

KatArujo(AnnabethGish),

herfree-spiritedoldersister

Daisy(JuliaRoberts)andtheir

friendJojo(LiliTaylor)work

inMysticPizza,a restaurant

ownedbycuddlymatriarch

Leona(ConchataFerrell).Ina

warm-upforJuliaRoberts’role

inPrettyWoman, hercharacter

DaisydatesCharles,an

upper-classWasp(whomshe

suspectsis usingher),whilesisterKatgets

romanticallyentangledwiththefatherof

thegirlshe’sbabysitting.Jojo,meanwhile,

ina twistona familiarnarrative,has

upsetherfishermanfiancéby seeming to

want him mainly for sex.

WHYTHISMOVIE?

Byturnsfunnyandmoving,thisis a great

ensemblepieceaboutlove,friendshipand

youthful dreams. With its New England

THE MOVIE

seascapes,localdivebarsandfancycountry

clubsasanalluringbackdrop,it starts

gentlybutsucksyouinwithitspowerful

performances,andthestoryhasanedge

ofrealismthat’smissingfrommany

moviesoftheperiod.JuliaRobertstook

mostoftheplauditsforhergutsyDaisy

butAnnabethGishandLilyTaylorare

alsoexcellent.Whenit comestofood–

well,there’spizza,obviously.Ina subplot,

local T V food critic Hector Freshette (Louis

Turenne)turnsuptotrythehousespecial

butleavesafteroneslice.Willheslateit in

hisnextshow?There’slotsofseafoodon

showtowhetyourappetitetoo,including

tons of New England lobsters.

TRIVIANIBBLES

• AswellasbeingJuliaRoberts’
  breakoutrole,MysticPizzawas
  themoviedebutofa young
  MattDamon,whohasa cameo
  asCharles’syoungerbrother.


• LiamNeesonwasreportedto
  havevisitedthesetashewas
  datingthemuchyounger Julia
  Roberts at the time.

THEQUOTESTOQUOTE

HECTORFRESHETTE(ON

TV):Theatmospherewasrustic,

theservicewas over-solicitous.

JOJO: Is that good?

LEONA[onhersecretsaucerecipe]:My

grandfathertaughtmyfatherhowto

makeit.Andmyfathertaughtme.And

oneofthesedays...I mightjustteachone

ofyou.It’stradition.Andyou don’t

monkey with tradition!

Rent/buyit onGooglePlayandYouTube.

Turn the page for the meal and wine→ WORDS: LES DUNN. FILM IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

It’sobviouswhattoeatwiththe1980scoming-of-agedramaMysticPizza.Butdon’treachfor

your phone – you can make your own house special before you’ve said “extra salami, please”