A Brooklyn Love Story is just that. It’s a romance between a man and a woman and a love letter to the quaint New York City borough. The film, directed by Steven Feder, who wrote the screenplay with John Cortese, stars Michael Morano as Mike Moona. Mike’s grandpa started a little fruit and vegetable store years ago in Bay Ridge called The Golden Gate, which was passed to Pops Moona (Dan Grimaldi). Pops is getting up there in age, so soon Mike will become its proprietor, not just its manager.
While their shop is a beloved institution in the neighborhood, forces conspire, literally, to take it down. See, Greg (Christopher Ryan) is still butthurt over his ex falling in love with Mike. So to get revenge, he’s using his influence as the borough president to force the Moonas to sell so a greedy land developer can gentrify the neighbor. However, a local mobster and his men (Michael Rispoli, Vincent Pastore, and Joseph D’Onofrio, respectively) love that place and concoct a cockamamie scheme to ensure its safety.
On the upside, Mike meets Honey (Katie McCarty), Greg’s secretary, and the two share instant chemistry. This means Mike will actually start dating again after the death of his wife years ago. His son, Chris (Julian Mazzola), is excited to see Mike getting back out there. Meanwhile, Chris meets Ren (Charlotte Fountain-Jardim), who has recently moved to Brooklyn from the west coast. While Mike and Honey bond right away, the fact that she works for the person trying to destroy Mike’s livelihood is a significant impediment. Is there a way around it for the two to make a real go at things? Will The Golden Gate survive to see another customer?
“…using his influence as the borough president to force the Moonas to sell so a greedy land developer can gentrify the neighbor.”
A Brooklyn Love Story is a delight from start to finish. While the stakes remain low narrative-wise, the goofball antics and amusing dialogue more than make up for that. When Ren first walks into The Golden Gate, she asks for a particular juice. Pops informs her that they don’t juice, which surprises the young lady. It’s a nice moment to showcase how Pops interacts with his customers and to explain just how far behind the times the store truly is. Mike and Honey’s date to a restaurant that did not sell to the greedy land developer Zeffo (Wass Stevens) is sweet. Her getting him to discuss his late wife is appropriately dramatic and touching. There’s an ongoing gag about how everyone in Greg’s orbit specifically recalls him mentioning trying to destroy The Golden Gate due to revenge. This is something he doesn’t say out loud in the public sphere, causing some uproarious reactions from Ryan.
Of course, most of the movie’s success comes down to the cast. Morano is gracious and shares good chemistry with McCarty. She’s so sweet and enchanting that it’s a wonder not everyone falls in love with her. Rispoli is always a fabulous presence and he’s very funny in his brief part. Grimaldi makes his role’s dedication to the people and neighbor pure. Ephraim López plays Stacy, Greg’s assistant, and he’s funny in every scene. I definitely missed a few lines from laughing so hard.
A Brooklyn Love Story is charming, funny, and romantic in all senses of the word. The cast is excellent, bringing the drama and silliness to proper life. While there’s not much at stake (the Moonas are offered a massive amount of money to sell, so it’s not like they wouldn’t be able to pay for things) the character interactions and climax are so sweet and fun it does not matter. Brooklyn rules and Feder highlights precisely why that is the case.
For more information about A Brooklyn Love Story, visit Black Sheep Entertainment.
"…charming, funny, and romantic in all senses of the word."
