The movie “Mystic Pizza” is not some psychedelic piece about drugged food, as the title may lead one to believe. However, it is the story of three girls who work at a pizza parlor in the little tourist town of Mystic, Connecticut.

Actually, the Mystic Pizza Parlor serves as a backdrop for the girls Daisy, Kat and Jo as they each move into a new phase of their own lives.

The movie opens up with the wedding of Jo and her longtime boyfriend Bill. Everything seems to be going along fine until Jo suddenly passes out at the alter. Although this “antic” pokes some lighthearted humor at a serious event, Jo realizes that she will eventually have to make some sort of decision with regards to her future. It seems as of she is not quite ready for a huge commitment yet; she’s terrified of losing her own identity.

The sisters Daisy and Kat, Jo’s best friends, also have man problems of their own although they’re a little more subtle. Daisy’s is with a new, rich pretty boy in town while Kat’s problem comes in the form of an older man.

Although these separate situations make up a major portion of the movie, the bond between the three girls is also closely examined.

Daisy and Kat, being sisters, fight quite a bit. However, they can’t live without each other, although neither one wants to admit it. Most of their turmoil comes from the fact that they are as different as night and day.

Daisy is wild, spontaneous and not one to look out for her own life. Kat, on the other hand, is very down to earth, very scholarly, and as a result is seen by Daisy as a goody-two-shoes.

Jo is the one person who can act as a buffer between the sisters, and in her flighty and funny ways, does a very good job at keeping Daisy and Kat from constantly bickering.

The other characters in the movie, like Leona, the owner of the Mystic Pizza Parlor, and Daisy and Kat’s mother, also play major parts in the girl’s coming-of-age predicaments. Some of these situations are funny, and some are poignant, but they all work.

This is not a mushy or overbearing movie. It was released in the middle 1980’s but was never a real box office success. That’s a shame because it has a lot to offer in the way of humor, genuine warmth and compassion, romance, and also conflict.

“Mystic Pizza” unfolds as a meandering, day-in-the-life story. None of the scenes are forced, but rather progress quite naturally. The east coast scenery, with its old mansions and lobster boats are beautiful and may make the viewer jealous while sitting in good old DeKalb.

“Mystic Pizza” doesn’t contain nail-biting action or horrible tragedy, but it is the perfect little movie to rent when taking a study break on a blustery fall or winter day.