Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the film's romantic comedy in three words: the heroine hits the man she wants because she is afraid of what she wants. The slap works as a mercy rather than an insult, and it became shorthand for the friend who tells you to stop being foolish. Cher's flat, Brooklyn delivery is why it is still quoted, usually to someone who has had a few bad ideas in a row.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for MoonstruckShow the scene
In Moonstruck (1987), Brooklyn widow Loretta Castorini is engaged to the mild Johnny Cammareri, and has slept with his hot-tempered younger brother Ronny, a baker who lost his hand in a bread slicer and blames Johnny for it. Guilty after her affair, she goes to confession, then faces Ronny. When he tells her he is in love with her, she slaps him twice and delivers the line. He answers with a speech about the wolf in him and how she is selling her life short, and agrees to leave her alone if she goes with him to the Metropolitan Opera. The line ranks number 96 on the American Film Institute's list of movie quotes.
Sources (2)
- Moonstruck, WikiquoteDialogue after the confession sceneReference checked
- Moonstruck, WikipediaPlot; ReceptionReference checked
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