Thursday, March 24, 2011

CITY ISLAND

Andy Garcia, Julianna Marguiles, Emily Mortimer
Steven Strait, Ezra Miller, Alan Arkin

"Truth is stranger than family"

Meet the Rizzos. Vince (Andy Garcia) is a corrections officer aka prison guard who dreams of being an actor. Joyce (Julianna Marguiles) is his nagging wife who thinks Vince is having an affair. Vivian (Dominick Garcia Lorido), their teenage daughter lost her college scholarship and now works as a pole dancer. While Vince, Jr (Ezra Miller) has a fetish for morbidly obese women.

This dysfunctional family live in City Island, a fishing community in the Bronx area of New York. An obscure enclave that retains a New England quaintness to it. So serene you hardly believe that is located in the Bronx of all places!

An abundance of secrets which they all keep from each other reign supreme in this emotionally engaging family drama. As the secrets start to cleverly unravel, the film takes on a complicated twist that just churns out quite funny moments.

The ensemble cast are energetic and funny in their well developed roles. The tempo is upbeat and the dialogue is sparkling. Underneath the intentionally convoluted plot, this is a pretty simple comedy that is thoroughly enjoyable. It does have an often ridiculous yet superb script. The quaint setting provides a good backdrop to this delightfully funny film.

Highly recommended!

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