Product Type: DVD

Product Price: $29.98

Manufacturer: Anchor Bay Films

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City Island is chock-full of the simple pleasures to be gleaned from a warm, generous, and skillful script, performed with humor and charisma by a talented cast. Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia, Ocean's Eleven) is a prison guard--or "corrections officer," as he prefers--and has a family full of secrets: his son has some atypical desires and his daughter has been kicked out of school, while his wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife) is powerfully attracted to the hunky young ex-con on parole that Vince has brought to stay with them. But Vince has some potent secrets of his own, including taking acting classes. He tells Joyce he's playing poker, which leads her to believe he's having an affair--and when she meets his acting partner (Emily Mortimer, Lovely and Amazing), she thinks her fears are confirmed. This plot could easily have been melodramatic or sentimental, but thanks to the relaxed and confident guiding hand of writer-director Raymond De Felitta and the grounded, unfussy performances of the actors, City Island is engaging and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. --Bret Fetzer

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-09-05
Summary: "A Comedy Of Secrets And Lies"

City Island was unknown to be prior to finding out about it on Amazon, but I'm glad that I did. It is a comedy about the Rizzo family who, to borrow an overused cliche, put the "fun" in dysfunctional. Each member of the family has a secret, and the movie is really about how these secrets unravel creating comedic tension along the way. Vince (Andy Garcia) is a corrections officer who secretly wants to be an actor. He uses a poker game as his cover story for acting classes. Joyce (Julianna Margulies) sees through his deception, but acting classes is not the conclusion she jumps to. Meanwhile their college age daughter is supposed to be coming home for spring break, but she has forgotten because she's busy working as a stripper. Finally their son is doing what teenage boys with a computer do, and he finds the web site of their rather large next door neighbor who has webcams in her kitchen where she cooks. Outside the family comes an ex-con, Tony, who Vince decides would make a good house guest so that he can make parole. Tony also factors into a couple of the secrets that play out as well. The story that unfolds is chalk full of comedic error as the lies begin to fall apart. All of the actors play their parts well, but Vince, Jr. (Ezra Miller) is great with his over the top lines. Garcia also has a great scene when he auditions for a part in a movie. I think the movie is well paced, and I never found myself wondering if it was over yet. The special features were one hit and one miss. The interview with the actors and director around a meal of Italian food was pretty well done while the deleted scenes were deleted for a reason. Overall, this is a fun comedy. I would say that it is a solid PG-13, but it doesn't push the envelope.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-04
Summary: "Well-acted, well-written, well-casted and it's in the Bronx"

This is the story of what happens when a family doesn't tell the truth, when they hide dreams and fears from each other. This mistrust builds more mistrust and deep resentment.

The plot of this cute story is already described in the synopsis by Amazon. It's a family with secrets and false suspicions, from sex and porn addictions, cigarrettes, and hidden dreams.

Although Andy Garcia shines in this role as Vince Rizzo, a prison guard and acting student of a curmudgeon of a man played by Alan Arkin, other stellar performances also complete the personalities. Wife Juliana Margulies plays the bored, frustrated houswife too bitter with resentment to think clearly about her husband. Her suspicions run amok, causing Vince to withdraw more into his secret life.

Emily Mortimer, the daughter, moonshines as a pole dancer for money after smoking away her college scholarhsip and son Steven Straight satisfies his sexual desires with the obese neighbor. All these odd ball characters come together, though, through a former prisoner who Vince invites into his home for a month. (Why he brings this man home becomes clear later.) This young man, with a reputation to rebuild, is the only one who can see all the people with an unbaised viewpoint. He finds himself in unplanned and precarious situations, learning the true characters of the rest of the family, and suffering a few bruises along the way. It is through his actions and words ("Tell them the truth!") that the family is brought back together with perhaps a predictable subplot.

The end result of this family drama is quite surprising, and the end is where Andy Garcia's true talents come to life. As Vince says in the end, "I was lucky."

Add to this the filmed-on-location of beautiful Long Island Sound. This is a heart-warming and believable story about stifled dreams, second chances and emotional honesty and worthy of family viewing.

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-09-03
Summary: ""City Island" Defies The Curse Of Quirk"

I think that it's become my mantra--"quirk is the curse of independent cinema." In an effort to be cutesy and/or clever, films have been systematically stripping away genuine warmth and humor by presenting character types and sitcom contrivances instead of mining what is really funny in our everyday foibles. It becomes a fine balancing act, then, because a good quirky film can be both hysterical and touch your heartstrings. However, one that goes over the top can be painfully unreal and hard to sit through. And, in my opinion, there is very little middle ground. So it is with some trepidation that I picked up "City Island," a family comedy that promised to explore the eccentricities (code word for quirk) and secrets in the working class Rizzo clan. And, in a pleasant surprise, here the quirk works!

Headlined by Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies, "City Island" follows the boisterous Rizzo family as it navigates its way through enough secrets and deceptions to fuel several movies. Everyone is lying to everyone else! Garcia has a "secret" love child who is a convict, Margulies suspect him of cheating when he's "secretly" taking acting classes, their son has a "secret" fetish, their daughter has a "secret" job, and everyone "secretly" smokes--heck even Garcia's acting partner (Emily Mortimer) has a big "secret." That's a lot of secrets and leads to a lot of confrontation for one movie. But inexplicably, "City Island" and its immensely likable cast juggle these story lines like pros. The set-up is genuinely funny and the big revelations strike just the right note between hilarity and warmth.

Garcia is a hoot through-out, but credit must be given to the entire cast. Mortimer, in a role that might have been a disaster, provides genuine intelligence and pathos. Ezra Miller, as the son, is spot on hilarious--especially in the film's first half. And Steven Strait, as the love child con, is a revelation as the voice of reason within the madness! Writer/Director Raymond De Felitta has taken my worst nightmare and turned in one of the more effortlessly enjoyable films I've seen in a while. Slight, but very funny, "City Island" is a definite recommendation. KGHarris 9/10.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-02
Summary: "The truth of everyone's secrets"

City Island is a movie that shows a family and their secrets. Vince (Andy Garcia) wants to act but keeps his lessons and desires a secret from his wife. That's not his only secret. The whole family has secrets and when they finally come out we see can see the family come all together. There are smiles when the mysteries are hidden and smiles as the secrets come out.

The DVD has an audio commentary of the writer/producer and Andy Garcia. There are captions for the deaf and Spanish. The extras include `Dinner with the Rizzos' where the 3 main stars, including Andy's daughter and the producer discuss the movie and their characters. Still scenes are shown during this. Deleted scenes are another extra - not outtakes with mistakes. The movie trailer is included.

Altogether this is a pleasant, well acted movie that most will enjoy. Those that like light comedy and family situations will find it pleasant viewing.

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-31
Summary: "Strong 4-stars"

First the negatives - if they should even count, given the PG-13 rating. At times the language was strong, but not intentionally non-stop as so many movies seem to provide anymore. The stripping scenes mentioned in other reviews contain no nudity, and are only suggestive.

The movie does tend to drag just a little at times, and it's fairly easy to guess outcomes of various threads of the plot as it develops, but the exact manner of the final outcome does come as a surprise - and a very nice one, even if a bit unrealistic had the plot been real life. But then it was a movie, and not held to the standard of completely plausible. We enjoyed it.

We received this as part of the Amazon Vine Program for review, so there was no cost to us. If I could somehow know the plot in advance, form an opinion, and then have all memory of the movie taken from my brain with just the impression left, I'd go pay money to rent it and watch it. It's quirky, and perhaps could be called a caricature of real life, as well as each of the characters being caricatures of more real equivalents in real life. But the caricature nature of the movie is funny.

With that said, the characterization in the cover review that it is a comedy is - while true - somewhat misleading. Don't expect to laugh most of the say through. It's not that kind of comedy. There are tense moments, sad moments, and lightly repulsive moments. Yet wrapped together, it really is funny. Excellent acting by all, and an ending that's worth waiting for even if you do guess it, but still want to see just how it actually unfolds and turns out. Those who've given away parts of the ending don't do their readers any service. This is a strong 4-star rating (we only give 5 stars to the very, very top items), worth getting. Though teens hear and hear about most of the kinds of things said and shown in the movie, I don't recommend you watch this with mid-teens or younger.