Pizza, that delicious Italian dish has been adapted by people all over the world into their own way to express their interpretation about the way it should taste. It's not surprising that in Mystic, Ct., where there's a large Portuguese population, Leona, the owner of the Mystic Pizza restaurant has created a concoction that is admired by everyone. Don't ask her to reveal her ingredients because she will not tell you.

Daniel Petrie, the director, takes us along for a ride to this coastal town in which Amy Jones' story is set. We meet the three friends that work in the restaurant, Jojo, Daisy and Kat; the last two are sisters. Jojo is intense, but has a problem accepting the fact that Bill, her fiancé, wants to formalize their engagement. In the opening scenes we watch as Jojo faints in the church where she is marrying Bill. Panic strikes and she jilts him.

Daisy, is a beautiful girl who appears to be grounded. When Charlie, the preppy guy finds her at a local bar, it seems he is quite taken by her. Daisy, who should have known better embarks in a love affair with this young which one realizes is doomed from the start. Not only are they from two different worlds, but romances like these are just a passing fancy for wealthy boys. So is the involvement with the wise and intelligent Kat with Tim, the young father with a child who needs a sitter. Kat will be hurt in thinking Tim will want her over the absent wife.

"Mystic Pizza" is about the friendship of the three local girls and their way of looking at life from different angles. Annabeth Gish makes a great appearance in the film with her Kat. Lili Taylor is also good as Jojo. This was a film that presented Julia Roberts that hinted at her success as a movie actress. The rest of the cast plays well in the film. Vincent D'Onofrio, William Moses, Adam Storker and Conchata Farrell do good work under Mr. Petrie's direction. Seen in a small role that if one blinks, one would miss him, is Matt Damon making his first screen appearance.

The late Conchatta Farrell is a scene stealer as the owner of Mystic Pizza, a rural Connecticut pizza shop where the sauce is an ancient family recipe. I've seen Farrell in many TV shows and movies, and no matter how bad the episode or film is, she always makes it a bit brighter by her presence. She's the mentor to her three waitresses here, played by Julia Roberts in her film debut, Lili Taylor and Annabeth Gish, all going through a variety of romantic issues, with Taylor seen in the very beginning about to faint as she prepares to tie the knot, something that never happens. Vincent D'Onofrio, William R. Moses and Adam Storke are the men in their lives, and the film rotates between the three, then goes back to the pizza shop where Farrell promises at some point throughout the film to reveal the secret recipe for her sauce.

While there's a lot going on, the film becomes interesting as you get to know each of these women because they are far from cliched and quite different than the heroines of most comedies of this nature. The script has them nicely fleshed-out with individual characteristics that are believable, and their performances make them seem like someone the audience might know. They are not Hollywood's typical version of what passes as romantic comedy heroines today, and that is what helps this in becoming a modern comedy classic that has a big cult following. Even if it hadn't introduced Julia Roberts, this would definitely have appeal today.

There's a lot going on plot-wise, and the film has a fine supporting cast to flesh the film out, especially Joanna Merlin as Roberts' mother, Louis Turenne as a snooty food critic, and soap favorites Ann Flood and John Cunningham as Roberts' possible in-laws to be. When I was younger, I thought that this film was highly overrated, but individual moments are superb. Farrell walks off with the film, even just walking down the aisle at the wedding in the opening scene, been barking at one of the waitresses that the pizza is getting cold in the follow-up. This may not be mystical as a film, but there are some moments in it that are truly magical.

If Mystic Pizza had been done back in the day of the studio system I can see Jack Warner thinking of this as a perfect story for the Lane Sisters. It does have the feel of Four Daughters albeit with a little more frank sexuality.

Sisters Julia Roberts and Annabeth Gish and their friend Lili Taylor are the waitstaff of the best pizza parlor in Mystic, Connecticut, titled of course Mystic Pizza. Their employer Conchata Ferrall has a secret sauce that she puts on her product that's the talk of the town and several surrounding counties. Ferrall's big ambition is to have her place reviewed and rated by a snooty gourmet critic with a New England based television show, Louis Turenne.

All three girls have men problems and all have different endings in their encounter. Lili Taylor can't believe that she's really got it all in Vincent Donofrio, it seems to good to be true. Julia Roberts gets herself involved with preppy Adam Storke who is out slumming with friends and ends up at her watering hole where she proceeds to take him and friends at billiards. And Annabeth Gish takes a job babysitting for William R. Moses while his wife is away and ends up falling for him.

Although Mystic Pizza was Julia Roberts breakout role, I think the story of Gish and Moses is the best one. The affair is largely a product of Gish's misplaced expectations and Moses is too human to resist taking advantage of the situation. All three women end up wiser and really none the worse for the experiences.

Mystic Pizza is a nice old fashioned kind of film with some really good parts for women and should be a testament to those who are writing roles for women when it is complained there aren't enough. For that matter there aren't enough roles period for all the talent out there.