City Island (2009)

You won't be disappointed!

Wow! Such a good movie.

To me, this movie is perfection.

Absolutely Brilliant!

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.

Raymond De Felitta's 'City Island' is a splendid little film set at a lesser known and likable side of the Bronx in New York. The image of the Bronx, in film, as a notorious crime ridden neighborhood ruled by gangs, is turned completely upside down here. Writer and director De Felitta shows us a fun and visually appealing family friendly town. The story revolves around a prison warden and his dysfunctional family which is close to being on the verge of... exploding. A change is noticed upon the arrival of a visitor and when Vince meets a beautiful lady at his acting class, a class he secretly attends unbeknownst to his family (his wife think he's gambling). 'City Island' has a whimsical tone. Humour and quirks are cleverly mixed with one exception. I only thought that the son's fat/feeding fetish was a little overdone and it looked forced on the script in order to make it quirkier. The ending felt a little rushed. With the exception of the Vince Jr. character, all characters are well-defined. Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer and Alan Alda are excellent. Using just a few words, they bring their complex characters to life. Steven Strait does a decent job of humanly playing the character that could have ended up being a caricature. It may have its drawbacks but they are but a few. 'City Island' is charming, funny and entertaining enough to make for a worthy viewing.

City Island is a relatively paradoxical movie.The comedy aspect is enjoyable with flying dialogues, good quid pro quos and pretty funny scenes. But the drama aspect is bland and unfolds badly. This part could have used a stronger development to make it more interesting, and this would have made a great comedy-drama mix. The sincerity that emerges from the script is touching though. The movie is dynamic and not lengthy at all.Nothing to complain about the actors, their performances were pretty good overall, special mention to Andy Garcia.The direction wasn't particularly extraordinary but has no big flaw.

Wonderful movie. You laugh easily!But The only thing i wonder is what the purpose of Ezra Miller's character, Vince Jr, was. I mean, the father, the mother and the daughter had their secrets revealed in a very awkward and funny moment. The son's didn't exploded. In my opinion, the director & writer already had his movie without him.That's why i'll not give him a straight A. But 8 out of 10 is already good, isn't it?Anyway, it's a good comedy. I strongly recommend y'all to see it, you sure at hell will not regret.