City Island (2009)

Too much of everything

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The first thing that may strike the viewer about the excellently-paced inside-joke feature City Island is the voice over of the lead character Vince Rizzo as he relates the history of the island and how it interacts to other inhabitants in the New York area. This isn't much of a digression as it is background on how Vince Rizzo thinks and in retrospect, this particular detail could have been improved to make the most of the theme of the film, which following your heart truthfully is always the easiest road to happiness.On City Island, New York, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) makes a living as a corrections officer while his wife Joyce Rizzo (Julianna Margulies) holds a job as a secretary as their daughter Vivian (Dominik García-Lorido) attends university upstate. Vince has dreamed of an acting career for years and has memorized all of Marlon Brando's best scenes, while also sneaking away one night a week to take acting classes in the city. When Vince discovers young Tony (Steven Strait) locked up in jail he realizes that the young man is his biological son and has him released in his custody. Pretending to his wife and children that the gesture is based in good faith only, Vince puts Tony to work rebuilding his garage, but Joyce is more than curious, and in more than platonic ways. Meanwhile Vivian has her own secrets, and son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) exhibits a young boy's fascination with a next-door neighbor that seems a little too grown up. When Vince is urged by his acting partner Molly (Emily Mortimer) to attend an open call for a film, a surprising opportunity opens up, and Vince finds he must face facts and tell everything.In regards to "happiness", the film seems to want to have its cake, and eat it too. On the one hand it has an excellent cast, all top-notch actors in complete command of their instruments, but who all have to make the most of a thinly script with one or two good ideas that are played into the ground. It's okay though because the movie will bring a smile to your face, even if you might not be in on the inside jokes about what being an actor really means.They say that actors live lives of quiet desperation, always wanting to play the great role that will allow their souls freedom and a chance to proclaim their secret desires to the world. Vince's own repressed desire to act, like "Brando" and involvement with fellow acting student Emily Mortimer's Molly leads him to visualizing a new life for himself, and is leading him into an incipient love affair with the actress.Any actor watching this movie (and it is for actors) will laughingly cringe as he watches Vince audition with an affected Marlon Brando mannerism that has become the identifying joke for many comedians through the years making fun of the actor. Why or how the casting director asks Vince to stay is a mystery, but remains one of the plot points in the film that keep us watching to see just how far this comic love story will carry us.The funny bits of business in the movie make up for the overall lack of structure. This is a comedy of manners, and the family that is reunited at the end is one dysfunctional, but happy union. It's a surprise that this is what the film has been moving toward all the time. At times it alternately feels like so many things. All in all it doesn't hit very hard, and it leaves you with a great feeling.It's too bad that the story line involving Emily Mortimer's acting partner Molly doesn't carry more substance. With Julianna Margulies' affection-starved Joyce Rizzo on the move in a love embrace with a younger man (no spoilers her- you'll know who it is in the first twenty minutes of the movie), we are led to believe that this will be a marriage drama. It's a great turn-around and will surprise you to boot.

The plot and problem to be overcome is set very clear from the start of the film. The communication problem faced by everybody today and which is responsible for so much pain is a very actual issue in modern times, where we do not listen and our minds are clouded by our own professional struggles and occupations and that is why we need a film to express this issue and provide some hope and this film does not disappoint at reaching this intended goal.Character development is truly prominent and accompanied by already well defined and somewhat comical but tasteful characters. At early stages it seems impossible that any meaningful flow of emotion can occur between the family members and yet it changes in a very believable way. This provides so much hope to people of today struggling to communicate. As a whole the story is constructed very well, with little to say about loose ends, although Vince Jr. remains excluded and the ultimate adhesion of the family could have extended to him so as to indicate to his progression. A last minor critique is maybe the slight discomfort the confrontations may give some viewers, sensitive to verbal insult and argumentation, although the expression of their dysfunction empathy, understanding and confidence was important so as to state the issue, also it is solved by the end of the film, thus it may be excused.The performance of Emily Mortimer as Molly was brilliant, what a lovable character played by a lovable actress. Molly is truly the advocate of expression here and supports the principle and motive of the story as if she could be a poem on her own at the side of the prose(the story).I can truly advise this film to anyone, just sit tight and don't let the arguments put you off, as the character progression justifies any early discomforts and the existence of a true moral and actual lesson makes it all worth while, it gives hope in a time where family relationships are under immense danger from modern day threats.Hats off to Raymond De Felitta and all involved for this well accomplished story, screenplay and performance.

This movie will take you down several paths, the individual lives of each member of this crazy, dramatic, dysfunctional family, where at first you think the ends of those paths are obvious, then twists and turns into something completely unexpected. There is drama, humor, and some very touching moments where, honestly, I cried, laughed, disagreed with, agreed with, then shook my head in wonder at the genius and insight of the writers of this story. If you have come from a dysfunctional family (really, who hasn't) and recovered, or not, you will truly appreciate this story at many levels. A refreshing change from the typical Hollywood fare.

City Island shows us typical family life.Problems between father-mother and with their children.Fatherhood must be so difficult.You have to interested in your wife,your children.Actually It seems,there is no personally time.Vince Rizzo wanted to change that idea.And his idea was perfect.Everybody must have some special.And we felt lots of comedy moment.Comedy with dram can't be better like that scenerio.The only thing that I don't like was about the woman who was with Vince at acting class.Why she left him,I tought about it,Was It really necessary ?Anyway,nice work ! I liked that. 8/10Onur KOCATEPE