''Love Is All There Is'' is a 1996

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film written and directed by Joseph Bologna and

Renée Taylor Renée Adorée Taylor (née Wexler; born March 19, 1933) is an American actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer and director.Taylor was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay for the film '' Lovers and Other Strangers' ...

, who also both star in the film.

Plot

''Love Is All There Is'' is a modern retelling of the '' Romeo and Juliet'' story, and it is set in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. The Capomezzos, Bronx-born

Sicilians Sicilians or the Sicilian people are a Romance speaking people who are indigenous to the island of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the largest and most populous of the autonomous regions of Italy. Origin and i ...

, own a local catering business. They develop a bitter rivalry with the pretentious Malacicis, recent immigrants from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

and owners of a fine

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

restaurant. The Capomezzos' son, Rosario, falls in love with the Malacicis' daughter, Gina, after she replaces the star of the neighborhood church's staging of ''Romeo and Juliet''. The rivalry intensifies after Rosario deflowers Gina after a fight with her parents. The movie was made in a few locations in New York: it was filmed at Greentree Country Club in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

, and many scenes were shot in

City Island, Bronx City Island is a neighborhood in the northeastern Bronx in New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately long by wide. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay and east o ...

Cast

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

as Sadie Capomezzo * Joseph Bologna as Mike Capomezzo *

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

as Piero Malacici * Barbara Carrera as Maria Malacici *

Nathaniel Marston Nathaniel Marston (July 9, 1975 – November 11, 2015) was an American actor and producer. He is known for his two roles on ABC's ''One Life to Live'' as Al Holden and Dr. Michael McBain from 2001 to 2007. Early life Born on July 9, 1975, in ...

as Rosario Capomezzo *

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

as Gina Malacici *

as Mona * William Hickey as Monsignor *

Dick Van Patten Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...

as Dr. Rodino *

Abe Vigoda Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and '' Fish'' (1977–19 ...

as Rudy *

Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia; August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York City to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until age 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in r ...

as Miss Deluca * Joy Behar as Mary * Vera Lockwood as Donna * Sal Richards as Sal * Annie Meisels as Dottie *

Bobby Alto Robert Altomare (October 30, 1938 – April 28, 2012), known professionally as Bobby Alto, was an American actor, comedian and performer. He and Buddy Mantia made up the Brooklyn-based comedy team ''Alto & Mantia''. They performed on both ''The T ...

as Joe Fasuli * Randy K. Blackman as Flower Girl #1

External links

* * * 1996 films 1996 romantic comedy films American films based on plays American independent films Films based on Romeo and Juliet American romantic comedy films The Samuel Goldwyn Company films Films set in the Bronx City Island, Bronx 1996 independent films Films produced by Elliott Kastner 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-romantic-comedy-film-stub