X
- 2010
- PG-13
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 44 m
- 2010
- PG-13
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 44 m
Summary Set in a quaint fishing community on the outskirts of New York City, City Island is a hilarious and touching tale about a family whose comfortable co-existence is upended by surprising revelations of past secrets and present day lies. Vince Rizzo is a lifelong resident of the tiny, tradition-steeped Bronx enclave of City Island. A family...
Directed By: Raymond De Felitta
Written By: Raymond De Felitta
- 2010
- PG-13
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 44 m
- 2010
- PG-13
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 44 m
City Island
66
7.7
Where to Watch
Summary Set in a quaint fishing community on the outskirts of New York City, City Island is a hilarious and touching tale about a family whose comfortable co-existence is upended by surprising revelations of past secrets and present day lies. Vince Rizzo is a lifelong resident of the tiny, tradition-steeped Bronx enclave of City Island. A family...
Directed By: Raymond De Felitta
Written By: Raymond De Felitta
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
66
71% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
29% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
66
71% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
29% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
You needn't have colorful Italian relatives, like myself, to enjoy this boisterous and warm-hearted film, which sidesteps cliche while embracing the hope and love in loony dysfunctional families everywhere.
There's a certain triteness to the overarching message -- secrets will keep us apart, and the truth will set us free -- but the kind of sweetness and earnestness that's on display in City Island makes such quibbles easy to forgive.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 41 User Ratings
7.7
78% Positive
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
22% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 41 User Ratings
7.7
78% Positive
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
22% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
A warmly hilarious movie about family members and their secret hearts.
Softened by some sweet, low-key moments between Vince and a fellow acting student (a very good Emily Mortimer) and by Mr. Garcia’s embodiment of disappointed middle age.
A strident, contrived, surprisingly lovable Noo Yawk City family farce.
The movie too often equates drama with volume, and agita with authenticity.
Warm, broad and uneven, City Island almost thrives in the lite entertainment zone where ethnic family dramedy meets mildly raucous farce.
With creative mastery and verve, writer director Raymond De Felitta steps outside the Hollywood formula in the refreshing indie comedy City Island. City Island, a mostly Italian-American fishing village in the Bronx, is marked by the Rizzo family's strong ties and passions writ large. Each Rizzo harbors a secret, and the resulting clash of lies and half-truths keeps conflict sauteing.
Andy Garcia movingly plays Vince Rizzo, proud native of City Island and prison guard. Vince secretly takes acting classes in Manhattan led by burnout teacher Michael Malakov (Alan Arkin). Joyce Rizzo (Julianna Margulies) is convinced that Vince's weekly poker night is a ruse to cover up an affair. The blue-collar couple sacrificed college plans for family commitments. College is no guarantee of happiness, however, for daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Garcia's real-life daughter). She secretly works as a stripper, looking to earn tuition and reapply after losing her scholarship. Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) conceals his ongoing internet fetish for feeding obese women.
Things really heat up when Vince recognizes an inmate one day. Tony (the excellent Steven Strait) is his son from a long-ago affair. Tony is due for release, but has no family member to sponsor him. When Vince brings Tony home on the pretense of having him install an extra bathroom, Joyce goes ballistic. Vince tells no one that Tony is his son.
Another excellent subplot involves Vince's secret meetings with acting partner Molly (emotive Emily Mortimer). The two must share their biggest secret with each other to prepare for a class monologue. Molly coaches Vince before his audition for a Scorsese movie. The friends share a romance not for each other, but for life and its possibilities.
City Island's good times become apparent only in retrospect. Resentments smolder and occasionally explode into scream fests. Each major character faces a dilemma: tell the truth, or engage in the acrobatics of deception. While this can be entertaining to watch, it's painfully uncomfortable for the Rizzos. Garcia (Things to Do in Denver When Youâ
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An amusing comedy-of-errors flick that blended dysfunctional-family cliches with some truly touching and original moments -- such as the son's unusual fetish that was handled with an apt combination of sincerity and weird wonderment. I also enjoyed seeing Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies together again. (Both were really good in 2001's "The Man From Elysian Fields.")
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A slight premise (a dysfunctional family unable to be honest with each other are brought together by an ex-con who turns out to be...) which could easily have been wrecked by poor casting is brought to life by excellent, empathetic performances by Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies. There are a few bum notes (a wince-inducing turn by Emily Mortimer as an ever-so-English aspiring actress and a cringeworthy scene where Garcia over-emotes as an amateur actor under-emoting to win a role) but it's all likeable enough, particularly when they all stop shouting and start listening to each other.
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Production Company
CineSon Entertainment,
Medici Entertainment,
Lucky Monkey Pictures,
Gremi Film Production,
Filmsmith Production & Management
Release Date Mar 19, 2010
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Truth is stranger than family
Website
http://www.cityislandmovie.com/
Awards
Imagen Foundation Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Tribeca Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
