Julia stars as Daisy, a girl who's never been able to live up to her mothers expectations so she only lives for herself, and is happy with it, until a rich young boy named Charles shows up at the local pool hall. He instantly falls for her, but Daisy is afraid that he is just using her to get back at his snobbish parents. "Bring home your poor Portuguese girlfriend, shake up the family a little bit." But Charlie isn't like that, and it isn't until Daisy discovers more about herself that she realizes this. Then there's her younger sister Kat(Annabeth Gish), whom her mother is so proud of because she will be attending Yale. Kat has never been in love and ends up falling for the married father of the young girl she babysits for; in this short time she gets to expierience the joys of love and the pain of being heartbroken when his wife returns.

Their friend Jo (Lili Taylor) is another story altogether. She loves her boyfriend Bill (Vincent Denofrio), a local fisherman, but every time she tries to walk down the isle she pictures herself fat and ugly with all these kids hanging around and ends up passing out.
In the end they all pass major milestones that come with life, and the movie ends with the girls looking into the stars. This wasn't a starting point for Annabeth Gish whom had already appeared in many movies, but was a bit of a launching pad for Julia who dyed her hair black with mouse just to audition for the role (and walked home in the rain ruining her blouse). This was only her third feature film, and she seems to grow in this role. It's no surprise she received an Oscar nomination for her next role in "Steel Magnolias."

Since Matt Damon has become a household name, I've seen this movie mentioned some places as starring him as well as the main actors, but I must advise that if you're renting it JUST for Matt, you're in for a big disappointment. Matt is only in one scene and only utters the lines "Mom, do you want my green stuff." So, it really isn't HIS film, but he is in it.

What makes the DVD special is being able to see the film's actual trailer and watch the movie in widescreen.

Julia has a line at the beginning of the film that kind of makes me smile:
"Don't worry about me, I'm not going to be slinging pizza for the rest of my life." Words that ring so true, if only she knew then the big star she would be.

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:

I can't believe I liked this "chick flick" as much as I did!  Apr 13, 1999

Yes, this one was a pleasant surprise! No car chases, no explosions, just a well-written story about three friends in a small Connecticut town who work at the same pizza place. The thing is, I LIKED the people in this movie without being forced to by some unbelievable plot. Well worth seeing, even a second time!

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:

One of the Old Standards  Jan 13, 2006
By Grady Harp
It's hard to believe that this little 1988 film has endured in popularity for so long. It is a simple story of three 'sisters' in the small fishing village of Mystic, CT who have just graduated highschool, work as waitress in the town Mystic Pizza parlor, and face decisions about the future of their lives. There are three less than fairytale romances with three male characters of varying potential as partners and it is the 'coming of age' in a small Portuguese clan that sparks the tenderness and the sadness of this story written by Amy Holden Jones and directed by Donald Petrie.

One of the most interesting aspects of this low budget film is how it catapulted Julia Roberts and Matt Damon (who plays such a bit part he nearly goes unnoticed) to fame, reinforced the careers of fine character actors Conchata Ferrell, Lili Taylor and Vincent D'Onofrio while pushing the then promising Annabeth Gish, William R. Moses and Adam Storke over into TV land roles.

The film is a bit of nostalgia for a better time, has charm and innocence, and will always be one of those movies everyone who is a film collector will keep in their library for times when a return to simple little movies just makes you feel good. Grady Harp, January 06

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

I Had Forgotten  Mar 29, 2000

...how delightful this movie is. I had seen it probably 10 years ago, then I happen to catch it on TV the other day. I became caught up in it all over again. It's a well written story that is well acted. All three of the gals in this picture did a great job. I plan on purchasing it. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Delicious entertainment  May 16, 2003
By Steven Cain
There's a line from American Pie in which one of the young guys declares, "Women are like fine wine. They just get better with age." So true. All of the women in this movie are living proof of that, especially Annabeth Gish, who went from being merely girl-next-door pretty in Mystic Pizza, to the mature goddess we have seen on the X-Files.

Mystic Pizza is very much an ensemble movie, with no one person standing out above the rest. A very strong female cast is counterpointed by some solid male performances, such as that of the always superb Vince D'Onofrio - also check out The Cell, with Jennifer Lopez.

Beautifully filmed in Conn. New England, the movie is also a visual delight, and captures the reassuring simplicity of life in an Atlantic fishing community. I love Nova Scotia and Maine for the same reason. The original Mystic Pizza restaurant is still going strong and their website is well worth a visit.

All in all, a very sweet movie about real people and real family situations, and it remains one of my favorite movies of all time. I literally never tire of this modern classic. My only quibble is that the last spoken line is disturbingly unimaginative and anti-climactic. After crafting such a superb screenplay, the writers just seemed to run out of inspiration at the last hurdle. As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."

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