With the passing of Olympia Dukakas, I decided that I need to sit down and watch this movie. (Yes, I am REALLY late to the game).
First of all, there needs to be a warning - do not watch on an empty stomach. Go out to the nearest Mom and Pop Italian restaurant, get a family sized order of take out, throw in some fresh baked bread, and then sit down to watch this film.
Seriously - watching this, I was jonesing for a Bird's Nest breakfast (never consider putting red peppers on it), various breads/ loafs of bread, minestrone soup, a steak, and all kinds of pasta dishes....

[spoiler] Ok, that being said, this is a slow film. I can see why my friends back in the day had only seen it because "______ dragged me to see it. On our date". (I remember those days - oh the bad films I saw with my Ex). It is to the point - widowed lady, Loretta, gets engaged to whipped man, Johnny,, who has to go visit his dying mama. He asked his new fiance to go talk to his brother, Ronny, and patch things up. Except the fiance and the brother hit it off. And fall in love. And have to find a way to tell the older brother.
Enter the parents - and extended family. I like the old man - he loves his dogs so much. (I was afraid, at one point, he was going to end up passing away while out walking the dogs on evening). The Uncle and Aunt are great - the moon re-ignites a passion for them. The parents - well, Dad is one thing and the Mom is...well, she is annoying. VERY annoying. But you got to love her.
And finally, there is John Mahoney- who has a pattern of falling for younger women, only to have them break up with him over dinner. And then, one night, he meets Rose - and try as me might, he cant seduce her. She loves her husband - even if he is cheating on her [/spoiler]