Product Details

• Actors: Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, Vincent D'Onofrio, William R. Moses
• Directors: Donald Petrie
• Writers: Alfred Uhry, Amy Holden Jones, Perry Howze, Randy Howze
• Producers: Mark Levinson, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Scott M. Rosenfelt
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: April 11, 1995
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303433782
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,508 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A sweet and sassy comedy about the bonds of sisterhood, Mystic Pizza offers the opportunity to see some solid young actors early in their careers. Three sisters of blue-collar Portuguese descent work in a pizzeria in the coastal town of Mystic, Connecticut. Each has her own unique romantic entanglements. One is the fast girl in town (Julia Roberts), who falls for a rich kid but wonders if she'll ever be accepted; one is the lifelong local girl (Lili Taylor) in love with her fisherman boyfriend (Vincent D'Onofrio) but scared of what marriage will do to their sex lives; and the youngest sister (Annabeth Gish) dreams of going to Yale but during a summer of baby-sitting has an affair with a married man. Through it all each sister depends on the others regardless of the complications. It's the alluring charm of the three disparate leads that makes Mystic Pizza the delightful experience it is. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Julia At Her Best, September 3, 2001

By 

Andrea Gidusko (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystic Pizza (DVD)

I first saw this movie after seeing Pretty Woman in the theater back in 1990, I instantly became a Julia fan. This is great movie with a great cast, the only thing I don't like about the DVD is it doesn't have the original cover/poster that has most of the cast on it. I think it's a better cover because this isn't just a Julia movie, and I know she would say the same.

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 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe I liked this "chick flick" as much as I did!, April 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mystic Pizza [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Old Standards, January 13, 2006

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystic Pizza (DVD)

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