City Island

Really, it is a movie that shouldn't be missed, absolutely pleasing. I wasn't very sure of the movie in the beginning , I saw it with all my family and, man, we laughed and enjoyed this comedy more than expected. Now i am recommending it to all my friends and also to ones who read these lines, you won't regret. I cannot understand why this movie isn't presented to the public like other far worse movies, where you expect a lot seeing the trailer and get nothing. This is completely the opposite, you start from zero and go very high. I like the characters, i like the intrigue, everything, and i am not a big fan of Andy Garcia.

A big GO FOR IT, don't think twice !

"City Island" is set in City Island, a small fishing community of the Bronx, New York. Generally, in these small communities, everyone knows all your secrets. But this film is centered on the Rizzo family, who all have their own secrets. These secrets don't so much tear them apart but keep them angry and on edge. The good thing is, it's not nearly as dark as it sounds, it's a comedy too.

Overall, this film is well done. Great writing, and great casting. Andy Garcia is masterful as Vincent Russo, Emily Mortimer is charming as his fellow actor, Steven Strait is enigmatic as the prison inmate brought home to his family, Dominik Garcia-Lorido is captivating as his daughter, Julianna Margulies is forceful as his maligned wife, and young Ezra Miller, his son, delivered his comedic lines with a seasoned ascorbic tongue.

It definitely fits into the dysfunctional family dramedy genre. The comedy at times is non sequitur and is too weird to be funny, but when it's sweet and honest, it's quite cute. "City Island" is good, above average for it's genre, but you have to be able to withstand family arguments in the Bronx accent to be able to make it through.

Plotted somewhat like a farce but as emotionally resonate as the best comedy-dramas, City Island is most aptly described, simply and literally, as wonderful. The cast is unfailingly strong with producer Andy Garcia giving himself the meatiest role – to great effect. A few too many "dems" and "dose" may lace his New York accent but he is funny, sincere, frustrated and perseverant in a wide panoply of scenes with actors who have either been TV-type cast (Juliana Margulies), indie-film type cast (Emily Mortimer) or not yet had a real chance to really strut their stuff (Steven Straight, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, and a promising Ezra Miller). Alan Arkin pops in with his usual world-weary Weltanshauung but it plays wonderfully here.

Still, you can see good acting in a number of films (though not an ensemble as strong as this). What separates City Island from the comedy-drama mainland is a story that is both fantastical and yet credible. The premise of what befalls this particular prison guard is a little over-the-top, as are the nonstop (funny) family feuds, but it all feels real. The story detours into little tide pools of drama for each character and here, too, every subplot provides laughs – and it all comes together in a tsunami of comedy at the end, true to its farcical roots. But there's a surprisingly strong current of emotion too in a finale that argues secrets are probably best revealed when you feel least safe in doing so.

The best film I've seen to date this year.

Each person in the family has a secret (except the wife, played by Julianna Margulies, who is just angry and unhappy). The movie builds up to a cataclysmic confrontation in which everybody learns everything.

So, the movie does have its slow moments, but the idea is charming and the acting is excellent. If you need aliens from outer space or axes in heads, etc., this movie may not be for you. But if you like excellent acting and quirky characters, you may enjoy the movie as I did.

There are some defects in the movie. For example, the father's deep dark secret is that he wants to be a movie actor. Keep in mind that Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) has had this dark desire since he was a kid, he has lived in NYC all his life, he takes acting classes in NYC, so he has been surrounded by the life of the theater forever, he has teachers, he talks to actors. We see him reading a book on acting (it looks like "An Actor Prepares" by Stanislavski). And yet, somehow he has no idea what a casting call is. Even I know what a casting call is and I have nothing to do with acting.

To hide his acting ambition, Rizzo tells his wife he is playing poker. She thinks he is cheating on her. But, if he were playing poker, surely the wife would know some of his poker buddies, she would know where the game was played, would not the game be sometimes played in their own home? And, if she thinks he is cheating, why would she tolerate it for so long?

Perhaps one of the strangest scenes is where Rizzo has to borrow Tony's idea about how to play a tough guy, during his casting call. Why on earth would that be? How could Rizzo have been a prison guard for years without himself being a tough guy or, at the very least, seen plenty of prison tough guys in action? Why, of all things, does he have to make this up?

I could go on, and it is these and other defects that give the movie the feel of a film school project and keep it from being great. My advice: forget the defects and enjoy the movie.

Well, you maybe won't believe that this movie really IS brilliant if you are only 30 minutes or so in. At least I didn't.

I actually got bored by the multiple - but at first not very promising - story lines going on. But I like Andy Garcia, I like Emily Mortimer and after all it had a very high rating here.

It got better though, and in the last 30 minutes or so, when everything started coming together, I watched almost with my mouth open and sometimes I had to laugh really hard.

And while Andy Garcia is a pretty good actor in general ... BOY is he good in this one !! I predict an Oscar nomination for him this year, no I am SURE he will get nominated for this role!

So, all I am saying is: Just give it a chance and sit through it. You won't regret it and you will end up LOVING it !!!