Directed by Raymond de Felitta
The location of this film is unreal. City Island actually exists – it is a small seaport community on the outskirts of New York. Although part of the Bronx, this hidden haven is away from the madness of the big city. The Rizzo family live on City Island and they all have secrets from each other that are destined to collide and cause catastrophic hilarity – for the audience that is. As homework for his drama course, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) has to share his worst secret with fellow class member Molly (Emily Mortimer). So he tells her that he tells his wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) that he is at a poker game and would rather she think he is cheating on her than confess that he really wants to be an actor.
Actually, he has an even bigger secret. In his job as a prison guard, he has just discovered the son he abandoned 24 years ago in the prison. Tony (Steven Strait who spends most of his time stripped to the waist) can only be released to a family member and Vince wants to do the right thing. Tony is the one who discovers that the daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) works as a pole dancer, the youngest son Vinnie Jr (Ezra Miller) has an unhealthy fascination with large women, and it is not possible to forget the past.
City Island is a fantastically paced, uplifting comedy, reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine. The characters prove that you don’t have to go to acting classes to be able to act! As Tony keeps repeating, this is one stuffed-up family, but reflecting on families around me (including my own) made me think that it is actually no more dysfunctional than the ‘average’ family. We can just laugh more heartily at this one.
Lezly Herbert
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