Julie Bovasso

Thirty-seven-year-old Loretta Castorini (Cher), a Sicilian-American widow, is an accountant in Brooklyn Heights, New York, where she lives with her family: her father Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) who is a successful plumber, her mother Rose (Olympia Dukakis), and her paternal grandfather (Feodor Chaliapin, Jr). Her boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) proposes to her before leaving for Sicily to attend to his dying mother; she accepts, but is insistent that they carefully follow tradition as she believes her first marriage was cursed by her failure to do so, resulting in her husband's death when he was hit by a bus. They plan to marry one month later, and Johnny asks Loretta to invite his estranged younger brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage) to the wedding. Loretta returns home and informs her parents of the engagement. Cosmo dislikes Johnny and is reluctant to commit to paying for the "real" wedding Loretta insists on, while Rose is pleased that Loretta likes Johnny but does not love him; she believes that one can easily be driven crazy by a partner whom one loves. The next day, Loretta goes to see Ronny at his bakery after he refuses to speak to her on the phone. He reveals that he has a wooden prosthetic hand, and he explains that he blames Johnny for the loss of his hand and his own fiancée; Ronny became distracted while talking to Johnny as he cut bread for him, his hand was mangled in the slicer, and his fiancée left him. Loretta insists that they discuss the matter upstairs in his apartment, where she cooks for him and then tells him that she believes he is a "wolf" who cut off his own hand to escape the trap of a bad relationship. Ronny reacts furiously and passionately, kissing Loretta (who responds to his kiss) and then sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her to his bed where they make love. That evening, Rose's brother Raymond (Louis Guss) and his wife Rita (Julie Bovasso) join Rose and Cosmo for dinner, and they all wonder where Loretta is. Raymond recalls that when he was a boy and Cosmo was courting Rose, he thought that a particularly bright moon one night was somehow brought to the house by Cosmo because of his love for Rose. That night, Loretta remains at Ronny's apartment and sees such a moon; Raymond sees it as well, and it leads him and Rita to make love. The next morning, Loretta tells Ronny they can never see each other again. She slaps him when he claims to be in love with her ("Snap out of it!) and he agrees to never see her again if she will attend the opera (his other great love) with him that night. She agrees. After closing out the cash register in Raymond and Rita's store, Loretta impulsively has some long-neglected beauty treatments, including having the gray removed from her hair, and buys a glamorous evening gown. She then goes to church and confesses her infidelity. She unexpectedly sees her mother there, and Rose tells her that Cosmo is having an affair; Loretta is doubtful, but Cosmo is in fact dining with his mistress Mona (Anita Gillette) at that moment and giving her jewelry. Loretta and Ronny (wearing a tuxedo) meet at Lincoln Center, and each is impressed with the other's appearance. Loretta is deeply moved by her first opera, Puccini's La bohème. But as they leave, Loretta sees Cosmo and Mona, and she confronts her father. He sees that she is with Ronny, and he suggests that they simply agree that they didn't see each other at all, but Loretta is conflicted. Loretta then intends to return home alone, but Ronny leads her back to his apartment where he passionately and desperately persuades her into another tryst. The same night, Rose dines alone at a restaurant and sees a college professor, Perry (John Mahoney), being dramatically dumped by a female student, a similar scene having played out with a different girl the night Johnny proposed to Loretta. Rose invites Perry to dine with her, asks him why men pursue women, and then shares with him her belief that men pursue women because they fear death. Perry walks Rose home and tries to convince her to invite him in; she refuses, citing the fact that she knows herself. Later, Johnny unexpectedly returns from Sicily after his mother's "miraculous" recovery and goes to Loretta's house; Rose explains that she's not there and then asks him why men chase women. He tells her it may be because they fear death, and Rose realizes, as she had suspected before, that he is right. After this exchange he leaves, planning to return in the morning to see Loretta. In the morning, Loretta returns home in a reverie but is then distressed to learn from Rose that Johnny will be there soon. Ronny then arrives, and Rose notes their matching "love bites" and invites him for breakfast over Loretta's objections. Cosmo and his father emerge from upstairs, and the older man cajoles Cosmo into agreeing to pay for Loretta's wedding. Rose then confronts Cosmo and, after he acknowledges in response to her questioning that she has been a good wife, demands that he end his affair; he is upset but agrees and, after insistence from Rose, also agrees to go to confession, and they then affirm their love for each other. Raymond and Rita also arrive, concerned and seemingly reluctantly suspicious, to find out why Loretta didn't make the previous day's bank deposit; they are relieved to learn that she merely forgot and still has the money. When Johnny finally arrives, he breaks off the engagement, superstitiously believing that their marriage would cause his mother's death. Loretta, momentarily offended by his breaking the engagement, chastises Johnny for breaking his promise and throws the engagement ring at him. Seizing the moment, Ronny borrows the ring and asks Loretta to marry him; she accepts. To Rose's chagrin, Loretta declares that she loves Ronny. The family toasts the couple with champagne and a befuddled Johnny joins in at the grandfather's urging, as he will now be part of the family after all.

In this sequel to 'Saturday Night Fever, set six years after the events in the previous film, former disco king Anthony "Tony" Manero (John Travolta), now age 25, has left Brooklyn and is now living in Manhattan, staying in a flophouse hotel while he works as a dance instructor by day and as a waiter at a nightclub at night, looking for his big break in the modern dance productions on Broadway. His breakaway from his Brooklyn life, dysfunctional family and friends seems to have matured Tony and refined his personality, specifically represented by his diminished Brooklyn accent and his avoidance of alcohol and swear words. But certain attitudes haven't changed, which include his womanizing skills. Tony is currently dating the forgiving fellow dance teacher Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes). He holds a double standard whereby he feels at liberty to see other women, but becomes jealous if he finds Jackie even talking with other men. Although he is envious of Jackie's modest success, Tony is baffled by her lack of ambition and tells her of his dreams of stardom. One evening, Tony attends the final performance of Jackie's latest Broadway show, and becomes entranced by Laura (Finola Hughes), the lead dancer. He flirts with Laura and she invites him to audition for her next show, 'Satan's Alley'. Jackie waits for Tony outside the theater and is angered by his interest in Laura. Both Tony and Jackie attend the audition, and while Jackie is hired immediately, Tony is told that he will be notified by telephone. Tony seduces and spends the night with Laura, but it becomes clear that Laura only intended to be involved with him for one night. She even implies that Tony used her in order to get a dance role in her latest show. The following day, Tony receives word that he passed the audition, and telephones his mother in Brooklyn, New York, to share the news. That night, he breaks a date with Jackie to wait for Laura outside her apartment building. However, he sees Laura in the company of another man, and is overcome with jealousy. As rehearsals begin for Satan's Alley, Tony berates Laura for her casual attitude toward their relationship. Tony feels used by her. She coldly dubs their relationship a mere one-night stand and justifies this by saying, "Everybody uses everybody." His attitude surprises her as she believes they were merely using each other. Jackie is unhappy by Tony breaking several promises to meet with her. Jackie is also the vocalist of a local band and, unable to trust Tony, instead presumably begins a relationship with the band's rhythm guitarist (Frank Stallone), further upsetting Tony after his conflict with Laura. Jackie, Tony, and Laura all try out for "Satan's Alley". Later, Tony ignores another date with Jackie to attend a cocktail party at Laura's apartment, but is disappointed to discover that Laura's companion for the evening is Jesse, her director. Although Jackie is in love with Tony, she can no longer tolerate his infidelity. She ends their romance, but promises to remain friends. Here, the news of the casting arrives. The others land small parts in the show while Laura is once again cast as the lead female dancer. Jackie, sick of being considered second best in Tony's eyes, finally leaves him. Tony realizes how cruel he has been to her. Tony leaves the party and walks all the way from Manhattan to his old neighborhood in Brooklyn in the middle of the night, he also walks past his former Saturday night hangout, The 2001 Odyssey Discothèque, realizing it's now an all-night gay nightclub for men. He visits his old house and meets his mother (Julie Bovasso), whom is now single since Tony's angry and unemployed father left her three or four years earlier. Tony apologizes to his mother for his selfish ways when he was young. She tells him it was the selfishness that got him out of the dead-end life in Brooklyn. Feeling better after this, Tony heads back to Manhattan to make things right with Jackie. He and the snobby Laura remain distant and hostile as the production progresses. Later, during a rehearsal, Tony notices Jesse's frustration with Butler, Laura's leading man, whose rigid dance style is poorly suited to the material. Tony begs Jackie to meet him at the studio after rehearsal, with the promise that he will keep the appointment. When Jackie returns to the studio, Tony reveals his intention to replace the leading man, and enlists Jackie's help in learning one of Butler's routines. Afterward, as Tony walks Jackie home, he declares his love for her and promises to be faithful. In the morning, Jesse agrees to let Tony demonstrate the routine, despite Laura's protests. Following an awkward first attempt, Tony runs toward the exit, but Jesse reminds him of the rare opportunity he has been given, and advises Tony to balance his arrogance with humility. Tony is allowed another chance, and after giving a flawless performance, he wins the lead role. Mrs. Manero attends the opening performance, bragging about her son to audience members. At the end of the first act, Tony taunts Laura by kissing her, and Jesse warns Tony not to bring his personal issues onstage. Following the second act, Laura asks Tony to meet her after the show, but when he declines, she insults his dancing ability. Tony proves himself in the third act by performing an unscripted solo routine, ending with a leap onto a pedestal at center stage. He beckons Laura to join him, then holds her aloft with one hand as the audience responds with a standing ovation. After the show, Tony apologizes to Jackie and the two get back together. Laura looks on enviously as Tony and Jackie kiss, but seems to accept her defeat. Following his renewed relationship with Jackie, Tony exits by the stage door to "strut" in celebration, reminiscent of the opening scene of 'Saturday Night Fever' as he walks alone through nighttime Times Square, beaming with newfound self-confidence.

In the opening scene, we are introduced to Anthony "Tony" Manero (John Travolta), a 19-year old Italian American living in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. He swaggers through Bay Ridge on his way to work at a local hardware store. His boss, Dan Fusco (Sam Coppola), likes that Tony charms customers, but he refuses the young man's request for an advance. At home, Tony lives with his parents; his alcoholic, abusive and unemployed father Frank Sr. (Val Bisoglio), his uneducated and overbearing mother Flo (Julie Bovasso), his non-English speaking Grandmother (Nina Hansen) and his younger sister Linda (Lisa Peluso). Tony primps to go out that Friday evening and then rushes through dinner with his family, all of whom compare him unfavorably to his older brother, Frank, Jr., a Catholic priest. After dinner, Tony meets outside his house with four close friends that he goes out every Friday night. His friends are Joey (Joseph Cali); Double J (Paul Pape); Gus (Bruce Ornstein); and the diminutive Bobby C. (Barry Miller). Another informal member of their group is Annette (Donna Pescow), a neighborhood girl who longs for a more permanent and physical relationship with Tony. They all drive in Bobby C.'s car to the 2001 Odyssey discotheque. Crowded and pulsing with music, the Odyssey is where Tony and his friends spend their weekends and their paychecks. Annette, who is a frequent regular at the disco, asks Tony to dance, but he squashes her romantic notions. Later, Tony notices a new girl, Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney) on the dance floor. He retreats to the bar/lounge area in the club where Annette joins him, suggesting they be partners for the club's upcoming dance competition. Tony makes it clear they will need to practice often, and the partnership is strictly about dancing, not dating. Joey interrupts because he wants Tony to get Double J. out of the car, where he is having sex with a girl whose name he does not know. (Note: One plot device in the story is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects from Long Island to Staten Island, on which the friends ritually stop to clown around, but is particularly symbolic to Tony as an escape to a better life on the other side, in more suburban Staten Island.) The next Saturday morning, the five young men express their cynical views of the future, but Tony learns Fusco has given him a raise. That night, Tony's abusive father dismisses the pay increase and Tony angrily points out that the raise and the attention he gets for his dancing are the only positive acknowledgments he has ever received. Later that evening, Tony meets Annette at a dance studio and she offers to make love with him, but Tony again insists the relationship remain platonic. When Tony notices Stephanie practicing in another room, he chases off Annette, but Stephanie is cool toward him. Returning home, Tony finds his family somber as Frank, Jr., the priest, has returned to announce that he is leaving the church. The next day, Tony is energized and invites Stephanie for coffee at a local diner. She tells him she is not interested in him romantically, pointing out their six-month age difference (she is the older one at age 20) and the cultural superiority she feels because she works in New York City at a public relations firm. She agrees to be Tony's partner in the dance competition, but will not date him because he is immature and his life is going nowhere. Tony tells her that he wants to find other ways to experience the high he feels from dancing because the thrill will not last forever. Later, Tony's friends inform him that Gus is in the hospital after being beaten by a Hispanic gang, the Barracudas. Bobby C. announces that he is getting married, but Tony dismisses the idea. He later informs Annette that he has found another dance partner for the competition. At the rehearsal studio, Tony and Stephanie begin to click, but when Stephanie again declines Tony's invitation to coffee, he deems her pretentious. When Tony presses to know why they never discuss the romantic feelings that emerge from their dancing, Stephanie says he should have seduced without asking permission first. Another evening or two later, Tony and his friends bring Frank, Jr., to the discotheque. While Bobby C. confides to Frank, Jr. that his girlfriend is pregnant, Tony dances solo (to the showstopping tune of the Bee Gee's 'You Should Be Dancing') and the crowd clears the floor in appreciation. Frank, Jr., is impressed by his brother's talent. Afterward, Tony is annoyed to learn from the doorman that Stephanie has not arrived. Annette corners Tony and suggests they can be lovers now that they are not dance partners, but Tony dismisses the idea until she threatens to have sex with one of his friends, instead. Tony escorts Annette to Bobby's car, but their revelry is cut short when he discovers she is not using birth control. A little later, the boys and Annette drive to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Tony, Joey, and Double J. climb the support cables and pretend to fall, frightening Annette. In the morning, a car arrives to take Frank, Jr. to a settlement house until he figures out his next move. He counsels Tony to pursue his dream of dancing and not let the family limit his dreams. Later, at the studio, Tony chides Stephanie for not going to the discotheque the previous night. After rehearsing, they join Tony's friends for burgers and the boys' rowdy behavior embarrasses Tony. Bobby C. hypothetically asks Stephanie what she would do if she was his pregnant girlfriend, and she says she would choose an abortion over marriage. Her opinion moves the Catholic Bobby C. the wrong way. The next day, Tony's boss refuses the boy's request for the day off, and when Tony takes the day off anyway, he is fired. Tony borrows Bobby C.'s car and promises to call his friend later. Tony drives to nearby Manhattan and helps Stephanie move into her new New York City townhouse. An older man, named Jay Langhart, is moving out. He kisses Stephanie and tells her to keep the furniture since she picked it out. Alone with Stephanie, Tony asks what is going on and she confesses to having an affair with Jay to boost her career. Upset, Stephanie asks Tony to take her back to Bay Ridge, but Tony instead takes her to Shore Park, where he comforts her and demonstrates his extensive knowledge of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Afterward, Tony returns to the hardware store and Fusco reluctantly gives him back his job, promising the boy a prosperous future. However, Tony observes the men who have worked there for years and is unnerved. Later, Tony finds Stephanie dancing with Pete, the owner of the studio, and leaves, enraged. Outside the 2001 Odyssey, Annette shows Tony a handful of condoms, but he walks away and Annette is crushed. Tony, Bobby C., Double J., and Joey stake out the Barracudas hideout, and Bobby C. tries to tell Tony he has decided to marry pregnant Pauline. Double J. grabs the wheel of Bobby C.'s car and crashes into the clubhouse. A fight ensues with the Barracudas and although Bobby C. hides in the car, he is attacked. Bobby C. puts the car in reverse and drives away. Tony is badly beaten, but Double J. and Joey drag him outside just as Bobby C. returns; however, his friends are angry he left. Tony and the others visit Gus in the hospital only to learn that he is not sure if the Barracudas beat him after all, and that they may have targeted the wrong gang. The following evening, cleaned up from the fight, the friends return to the discotheque for the dance competition. An African American couple takes the floor and is treated rudely by the racist audience. Meanwhile, Annette asks Joey for amphetamines. Tony and Stephanie perform the hustle (to the tune of the Bee Gee's 'More Than A Woman'), during which they share a kiss, and the crowd roars its approval. Next, a Puerto Rican couple dances extremely well with a Mambo dance, impressing Tony and most of the crowd, but there are scattered jeers. The judges award first place to Tony and Stephanie, followed by the Puerto Ricans. However, Tony is convinced the other couple deserved to win and he accuses his friends of hypocrisy and racism. Tony gives the trophy and prize money to the other Hispanic couple and takes Stephanie outside to Bobby C.'s car. She rebuffs his sexual advances and they argue. Tony tries to force himself on her and she flees. Double J., Joey, Bobby C. and an intoxicated Annette join Tony in the car. As they drive around Bay Ridge, Joey has sex with Annette in the backseat. Double J switches places with Joey and when Annette realizes that Tony is not going to stop his friends, she begins to cry. At the bridge, Joey and Double J. begin climbing on the support beams as Bobby C. watches. In the car, Tony asks Annette if she really wanted to be treated this way. Intoxicated, Bobby C. joins Joey and Double J. on the beams and Tony tries to talk him down, but Bobby C. rebukes Tony for failing to call him the day of Stephanie's move. Then Bobby C. slips and falls to his death. On the shore near the bridge, the police interrogate the friends. Alienated with his friends and life in general, Tony leaves on foot and rides the subway until morning. In New York City, Tony visits Stephanie's new apartment. Through the door, he apologizes and she reluctantly invites him in. Tony announces that he is not going back to Bay Ridge and that he intends to get a job in the city. Stephanie is wary, but confesses she enjoyed Tony's admiration and respect. They agree to be friends. They share a warm embrace as the film comes to an end.