A Letter to Angela (Michelle Pfeiffer)

The following post is part of the Reel Infatuation Blogathon, which is organized by the fine folks at Font and Frock, Silver Screenings, and A Small Press Life. It rounds up various bloggers enthusing about characters from film/TV/books that we have crushes on.

As you might imagine, many if not all of my top screen crushes are characters played by the White Gold Queen herself, Michelle Pfeiffer. I chose one for my contribution to the blogathon, and you can read about her below.

Finally, a big thanks to Paul at Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies, who alerted me to the blogathon. His blog is amazing, as are the three linked above. Please, check them out, follow them, and enjoy.

*****

Dear Angela,

I just want to give you a hug. Is that okay? Because you look like you need a hug. I know I certainly do. I think a hug could do us each some good.

At the start of Married to the Mob, you're stuck in a depressing life as a mafia wife, but it's clear from the very first moment we see you spin around in that salon chair that you are so over it. From that moment forward, we join you as you work like hell to leave that life behind and to discover the real you, just beneath the Long Island princess hair and makeup.

Whenever I watch the film, I inevitably imagine that I'm the Mike (Matthew Modine) to your Angela de Marco (Michelle Pfeiffer). I mean, my name is Mike, after all, and I like to think I'm as charmingly eccentric, too. Also like Mike, I fell for you because, at the heart of it all, you're absolutely adorable. The truly incredible part is, you don't even realize just how wonderful you are. You're a thoughtful, introspective, and introverted sweetheart surrounded by lunatics and criminals, yet you never let them dim your light. You're never malicious or vindictive. Instead, you're compassionate and kind.

You're all of these good things, but you're no doormat. Your spunky New Yawk hutzpah is beautiful to behold. You fiercely and fearlessly tell off mob boss Tony the Tiger (Dean Stockwell) and his crazy-jealous wife Connie (Mercedes Ruehl) repeatedly. You stand up for yourself against your goombah of a husband (Alec Baldwin), and  after he's iced you stand up to Tony. You dig deep and find the strength to survive. To protect your son, you fight for a better life. You're determination is beyond admirable.

Clearly, my infatuation with you, Angela, is sparked by how exquisitely Michelle Pfeiffer brings you to life. She hits all the right notes in the role in a memorably endearing performance. It's clear there's a lot of Michelle in you Angela, and vice versa. Obviously, my lifelong crush on Michelle has played a fairly significant role in my crush on you, and on Frankie and Susie and Selina and Diana and Elvira and—oh, well, you get my point. I have a feeling you're both okay with that.

I find myself revisiting Married to the Mob quite often, Angela. Um, is once a month too often? Nah, it's not nearly enough. When life is particularly cruel and draining, a night in with you never fails to lift my spirits. After the final credits roll, I feel like I can take on the world again, just like you do in the film. You're an inspirational character because you remind me that people like us—kind and compassionate introverts who are almost too sensitive for this world—are just fine the way we are. In fact, we're more than fine—we're perfect. We don't need to always be adjusting to the rest of the world; the rest of the world needs to adjust to us sometimes.

Sweet, spunky, adorable, determined, kind, resourceful, and loving Angela. You've always made it ridiculously easy for me to maintain this crush. That smile, so honest and true. Those soulful eyes, as big and blue as any ocean. Those curly ringlets, bouncing vibrantly atop your pretty head. As beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside, you're a crush that just won't quit, Angela. Thanks for being a constant in my life, for so long now.

What do you say we head over to that tiki lounge and celebrate the fact that even with everything life throws our way, we're still standing. So, cheers to elevators, and to you, Angela. Your journey of self-discovery reinforces what's often too easy to forget in this crazy thing we call life—we're gonna make, after all.

With love, always,
Your fellow survivor