City Island

An absolutely delightful surprise. I had company for dinner the evening before. I had company for brunch the following day. One load of dishes was churning away and I needed a brief relief from the kitchen. Now that I have moved I can happily walk to my favorite cinema in a few minutes. I didn’t even know what this film was about.

I thoroughly enjoyed the wacky concept and thought that it was well executed. In many ways it felt like an English farce where timing is so important. The audience obviously also enjoyed it because you could hear the laughter throughout.

Vince Rizzo is a prison guard in the Bronx. He lives in a quaint area called City Island where everyone knows each other and most of the inhabitants have lived there forever.

Vince lives with his wife and two children. His wife bickers with him constantly. She does have reason to be frustrated. He goes out to play poker (so she thinks).He’s secretly always wanted to be an actor. He attends acting classes and there he meets a young woman who helps him realize his dreams. It is not a sexual encounter and in fact she ends up helping him to become closer to his wife.

The daughter is away at college. (so the family thinks) We discover that she has been kicked out of college and has lost her scholarship. To earn money to return to college she takes a job as a stripper.

The son is an outspoken brash kid who secretly watches porn on his computer and has a fetish for grossly oversized women.

Every family member has a secret and they all fight amongst themselves.

I kept wondering why I wasn’t sad or frustrated watching this dysfunctional family. The acting is so good and the timing is excellent. The lines come fast and I found myself relaxing and just enjoying the comedy and not taking the action literally.

Vince brings home an ex convict who had no family to support him. He is one gorgeous dude. Of course this upsets the family in every way. Secrets are found out for every family member. The discord reaches a great crescendo.

It is all hilarious and entertaining. I found myself bouncing back home eager to finish cleaning up the kitchen.