"Mystic Pizza" 1988

“Mystic Pizza”

This movie helped launch the career of Julia Roberts, but it wasn’t her first movie credit. That was a Justine Bateman, yes Mallory from “Family Ties” movie about a girl band called “Satisfaction”. Since I don’t own that movie, I am going to talk about the other future superstar that made his debut in this movie.

Matt Damon. He had one line.

Steamer: Mom, do you want my green stuff?

And a star was born.

This is a great coming of age film. It revolves around three waitresses in Mystic, Connecticut. Sisters Daisy and Kat along with their friend Jo work at a pizzeria.

Jo, played by Lili Taylor starts the film at her wedding. But she passes out and has second thoughts about getting married. She loves her fiancé, Bill played by Vincent D’Onofrio, but marriage is hard for her to accept.

Daisy, played by Julia Roberts has a bad reputation and wants a better life than her mother. She meets a rich guy and thinks he may be her ticket out of Mystic.

Kat, played wistfully by Annabeth Gish has her ticket out, a partial scholarship to Harvard. But a babysitting job may complicate her decision.

Conchata Ferrell plays Leona, the owner of the pizzeria. She is a surrogate mother to all the girls and creates an amazing pizza that only she knows how to make.

Her biggest dream is the get reviewed by her favorite restaurant critic. That comes true.

It doesn’t take them far, they are all on the same path that they started the beginning of the movie, but they are also sure that they are making the right choices. And it is a good movie.

This movie came out my senior year of high school but I don’t remember seeing it until a few years later when it came on video. It wasn’t a huge hit and it is now, years later, that we can look back and see the talent. All the actresses do a great job. You see the bits and pieces of their futures.

In Julia Roberts performance you see the tough and yet vulnerable beginnings that turn into “Erin Brockovich”.

You don’t really see Jason Bourne or Will Hunting in Matt Damon’s iconic first and only line in the dinner scene. But everyone has to start somewhere.