City Island Bluray

Posted In: City Island

Lauri Angeli says...

I must confess I've had a "thing" for Andy Garcia ever since I first saw him in "Godfather 3." He was gorgeous and sexy in his role as a tough, dangerous Mafia type in that blockbuster film. I thrilled at his love scenes with Sofia Coppola. He was hot!



I could not picture my "find" being a comic, but this movie opened my eyes to Garcia's versatility. He is hilarious as Vince Rizzo in City Island where he plays a prison guard (he prefers the title "correction officer"). He appears to have a normal family life with a beautiful wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies), a mouthy son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) and a collegiate daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido). But all is not as it seems...



Vince has a big secret that he can't share with his family: he's taking acting classes and is a bit ashamed to admit it because he never shared those aspirations with his family. The fun begins with the hi-jinx he pulls to guard his secret ambition. To further complicate matters his acting partner (Emily Mortimer) urges him on... And, guess what?: She has secrets of her own.



And then Vince discovers that one of his inmates (Steven Strait) is his illegitimate son...which is another secret. He arranges to have the young man released in his custody and brings him to live with his family. Which makes matters worse because his son doesn't know Vince is his father and the family is completely in the dark about why this "con" is suddenly thrust upon them.



And what secrets do members of his family have? Where is his daughter when she's supposed to be in college? What kinky secrets does his young son have? And why does his faithful wife suddenly get a hankering for his illegitimate son when she's always been faithful? Surprisingly, Vince's secret son turns out to be the voice of reason in this movie. How does he save the day?



You'll learn the answers to all those questions in this rollicking movie that's filled with warmth and humor. Writer/director Raymond De Felitta has created one of the funniest movies I've seen in ages. Kudos to him and the entire cast for making this sweet, charming movie so engaging from start to finish.



You know that old saying: "What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive?" Well, this movies proves the truth in that...in the most delightful way.



Highly recommended for the entire family.



Reviewed by Betty Dravis, September 12, 2010

Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books

Posted on October 15, 2010

Sirena Lebrecht says...

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.

Posted on October 16, 2010

Mayra Velthuis says...

To be honest, I was first attracted to this film because I'm from The Bronx, I'm Italian and my dad worked for many many years on City Island (let's see, that would make him a Clam Digger, no? Or is he a Mussel Sucker? Hmmm... Tough one.). The other reason is I'm a big fan of Director Raymond De Felitta, who also directed one of my favorite films - Two Family House. City Island focuses on the dysfunctional family of a corrections officer played by Andy Garcia. The problem I had with all the dysfunction was I wasn't able to identify the root causes of said dysfunction. And there was an overkill of dysfunction so that some superfluous dysfunction took away from really important dysfunction. Let me explain. From the beginning, the main dysfunction is apparent: a man with both a dream and marital strife. But there is also child/parent dysfunction, quirks, secrets, abandonment and anger. One problem: we don't know why - not a lot of back story. Andy Garcia's character wants to be an actor and tells his wife he's gambling so that he can go to an acting class which fuels her animosity toward him. It's not clear how they got to that point (keeping your dreams secret is one thing but choosing a lie that fuels anger seemed off to me). While he's at his corrections job and out at acting class, his wife is getting angrier and angrier, the two kids are coming apart at the seams (daughter flunks out of college and can't tell her own uneducated parents she has a problem with school so she becomes a stripper; son inexplicably subscribes to a chubby chaser's website and gets turned on by watching a morbidly obese woman gorging round the clock). In the meantime, Andy Garcia learns that his "secret son" from a previous relationship has been transferred to his jail and arranges to take the inmate home to live with the family - work in exchange for jail time. I found that part of the story a little hard to believe. So now we have the core story line which is the man with a secret dream and his lying and scheming to achieve the dream. Then, we have the disgruntled, angry wife story, daughter as stripper story, son as chubby chaser story, secret son from a previous relationship story and if that's not enough, our main character is developing a relationship with a woman from his acting class and she has a story of her own. It's too much at times and for a film with so much, there are actually some surprisingly slow sections that drag on and on and on.



The good news is, if you hang on until the last half hour, you'll be satisfied with the ending (I won't spoil that here). I found some of the stories distracting, particularly the son's chubby chasing activity which was quite a disconnect from the type of background the kid came from. There really were no satisfactory explanations or repercussions regarding that behavior which goes against everything I know about Italian families from The Bronx. And trust me, I know Italian families from The Bronx.



Of this film and Two Family House, I'll have to say I prefer Two Family House because there was a heart to that film which carried through and you could feel the trials, tribulations and longings of the main character deeply and profoundly. The themes in Two Family House were more universal and relate-able - themes like honesty, loss and singing your own song even if nobody else sings along (kinda literally). In City Island, there are so many distractions from the main story, there are times when you lose sight of the man with the dream. It comes through in the end but there are moments when he fades into the background and you aren't sure why you're even there.



It is through the skill of the actors this film actually pulls through. And thankfully so.

Posted on October 17, 2010

Vicki Bedenfield says...

City Island fell into and out of my local movie complex in pretty short order.It is a pity because this is a sweet, funny, and charming movie that I would have enjoyed on the big screen.The dysfunctional family overcoming a comedy of errors story line did strike me as a bit generic but the location, good acting and a good comedic touch by the director (Raymond De Felitta) transformed this into a very enjoyable movie.



Location: City Island, a part of New York City, is a little island in the Long Island Sound just off of the Bronx. It is connected to the mainland by a short bridge.Like Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, it is a little enclave where New Yorkers find a little respite from city living on hot summer days and nights.It was always a fun place to go when I was a kid, and as a young man, for dates and seafood since I was not in a position to head for "the Cape" or the Hamptons for a more expensive night or weekend on the town.The movie portrays accurately the pretty marked drawing line between lifelong residents and the tourists and newly arrived.



The Plot/Acting:Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies play Vince and Joyce Rizzo. Vince is a prison guard at Rikers Island who dreams of becoming an actor.Joyce is his wife who has had her share of dreams deferred and who is busy dealing with their two kids and wondering if Vince is slipping away and having an affair.Their teenage son is enamored with large women and desperately tries to hide his passion for a large school at school and the very large woman who lives across the street.Their daughter is, supposedly, the bright star in the family, but is leading a secret life of her own.



As the story moves forward we see how each carefully guarded secret causes everyone else to misinterpret what the others are doing.That does sound rather generic to me and perhaps to anyone reading this review.However, Garcia played Vince so well and was so endearing that any notions of this being a generic film soon slipped away. Margulies was also excellent and the relationship between the two of them, and the whole family dynamic came across as funny, natural, and `real'.Alan Arkin has a small role as an aging, bitter acting coach and he plays it to the hilt.Similarly, Emily Mortimer plays another acting student that Vince forms a very strong bond with.



As the misunderstandings mount so to does the comedy and turmoil.The resolution is one that may be expected but it played out very well.



Extras:There really isn't much in the way of extras here.



Conclusion:City Island should entertain you and keep you laughing and nodding throughout.It is well worth seeing.

Posted on October 19, 2010

Rosia Avala says...

I was at first skeptical about this movie, as to whether or not I would enjoy it, but after the first five minutes into it, I was hooked.The script, the acting, the development of the characters, and the film overall was outstanding! I don't say this too often about movies and I have never written a review about one before... Needless to say, I had to share with everyone out there my sincere enjoyment of this film.If I was to recommend a film this one would be it! It's a classic!

Posted on October 20, 2010

Darla Fillion says...

Reading - and the movies - offer the opportunity to explore new and unusual places, some of them not far from home. Thus, the movie "City Island" introduced me to a small fishing village of that name in, the Bronx, New York, of all places.City Island is a quaint close-knit fishing village of about 4000 people on the west end of Long Island Sound.This movie, which won the audience award at the Tribecca Film Festival in 2009, is set and was filmed in City Island.It is a town of old homes, beaches, bridges, fishing vessels, and the water. Residents of City Island distinguish between "Mussel Suckers" - the larger part of the community born outside the community and "Clam Diggers" those residents who grew up in City Island.This distinction is carried over into the movie.



The story itself might have happened anywhere, but it gains strength by the setting in a small urban area where people seemingly know their neighbors. The movie tells of the secrets that people hold from those closest to them and of the difficulties of opening up. The main character is the Rizzo family.Vincent Rizzo, played by Andy Garcia who also produced the movie is a middle-aged corrections office (he resents the term "prison guard") who harbors dreams of being an actor.He attends acting school one evening a week and, to avoid embarrassment, tells his disbelieving wife that he is out for a poker night. A woman student at the acting school with secrets of her own encourages Vince who begins as an imitator of Marlon Brando and learns to act in his own person and character. Against odds, newcomer Vince auditions for a tough-guy part in a movie by Scorsese.



Vince'shard-bitten wife, Joyce, (Juliana Margulies) feels lonely and frustrated as she feels the passion between Vincent and herself has died. She thinks Vince is having an affair during his "poker night" and of course thinks the worst when she meets Vince's acting companion. The couple have two children, Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) who unknown to her family has dropped out of college and is working as a stripper in the hope of returning to schooland high school student Vince, Jr. (Ezra Miller).Ezra is strongly attracted to big beautiful women (BBWs), including his neighbor who has a BBW cam siteand a young girl in his high school class who at the outset spurns him. It was endearing and refreshing to see a story of men who are attracted to large women. Vince Rizzo also has a secret in that before his marriage to Joyce he fathered a child and then left the mother.The son he had never met, Tony, (Steven Sttrait) winds up in prison.Without revealing his identity, Vince brings Tony into his home.The movie features a long denouement in which the family, and other associated characters level with each other and learn who they themselves, and the other people, each are.



City Island is an entertaining well-acted movie about the difficulty of knowing self and others. In an unpretentious way, it gets inside the feelings and dreams of its characters.But the movie also taught me about a place I hadn't seen or heard of before and made it come to life. I loved seeing it, and I found getting to know City Island the place the main attraction of this movie.



Robin Friedman

Posted on October 21, 2010

Bridget Ruppert says...

This off beat comedy tries a little too hard to be quirky. First, the "City Island" thing is weird title for this movie. City Island is a small island in Long Island Sound that is part of the Bronx. It is where the Rizzo family lives.What does this have to do with the movie.... absolutely nothing. The plot is the standard everybody in the family is withholding the truth from everybody else to protect their feelings ... but if they all just told the truth ..... blah, blah, blah. The movie drags in the beginning but picks up a bit and the ending is decent. The actors are allowed to chew a little too much of the scenery. It ispassable. Nothing special.

Posted on October 22, 2010

Kellye Dettmering says...

I have to say that "City Island" is one interesting little piece of cinema.This 2009 movie features Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies in the leads.I found it kind of refreshing to see Andy Garcia in a lead role again.In the late 1980s and early 1990s good old Andy was a head liner.However, in the past few years he has taken supporting roles, which hasn't influenced any of his performances but has taken him out of the "spot light".In "City Island" I am happy to report that Andy Garcia is in the "spot light" again.This isn't to say that the rest of the cast is sub par.Julianna Margulies, who I was only familiar with from "ER", is amazing.As well as a strong supporting cast featuring Steven Strait, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Ezra Miller, Emily Mortimer and Alan Arkin (in a small role).



The movie takes place in City Island which is a section of the Bronx.Andy Garcia plays a corrections officer named Vince who has desire to be an actor.This desire has manifested in him going to weekly acting classes.However, he is ashamed that his family won't understand his "true calling" so he just tells his family he is playing poker.Julianna Margulies plays Joyce and she believes that her husband isn't playing poker, but drifting away from her emotionally by having an affair.Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Ezra Miller play Vivian and Vince Jr., respectively, the daughter and son of the family.Vivian has her own skeletons, she is a college student who lost her scholarship and is now a stripper to pay her way through school.Vince Jr. is also a bit alienated; he is a caustic teenager with a fetish towards overweight woman and his yearning to feed them.



Now this dysfunctional family hides all of their idiosyncrasies from one and other, which leads to a great deal of circumstantial comedy.Yet, things become even more complex when Vince notices that a new inmate (Steven Strait) is his long lost son.Twenty-four years ago, Vince left a "girlfriend" of his who was pregnant.After some deductive reasoning he figures out this inmate is his son.So Vince tells Tony, the long lost son now inmate, that he is willing to bail him out if he would stay with him for a month.This sabbatical for Tony is a hidden agenda for Vince to tell his "son" the truth, but Vince masks this by saying he wants Tony to help him build a bathroom for his guest house.



There is much more to this movie, in fact this film has many layers.There are myriad elements in this movie that makes it a notch above your average comedy-drama/dark comedy.This movie reminds me of "American Beauty (Widescreen Edition)" and "Life as a House (New Line Platinum Series)", not because it has the same story of either film.In contrast, it has same depth of both films, the ability to promote a smile and a tear.I am really shocked this movie didn't get a wide release; I think it would have done very well.It appears nowadays real films are classified as "art films" or "independent films", meanwhile the mainstream is filled with lousy remakes, CGI mind numbing drivel and the occasional good flick.I think this is an amazing movie and one to not be missed. The story, directing, writing, cinematography and acting are marvelous!So go ahead and take a trip to "City Island".

Posted on October 22, 2010

Argelia Rakowski says...

Rizzo's are a dysfunctional family and everyone has a personal secret. They hide it from each until the secrets blows up causing considerable chaos and shame on each other. Rizzo's live in a sea-side town called City Island; the father Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) works as a corrections officer (prison guard) is interested to become an actor. Instead of discussing with his wife and family, he begins to take acting classes and allow his fiery wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) believe he has an extramarital affair. His son's secret is that he has is infatuated with full figured women and his daughter works as a stripper at a local club to pay for her education. His wife Joyce is attracted to a young ex-con on parole that Vince has brought to stay with them. When Joyce learns his secret girlfriend is his acting partner (Emily Mortimer) she becomes outraged and sets out to have a romantic evening with Vince's ex-con friend, it becomes evident that he is not interested in Joyce for some strange reason. He sets out to make things straight by abducting Vince's daughter from strip club and pressure her to reveal to the family about her secret. It turns out that this young ex-con is the son of Vince from another woman before he met Joyce. This plot could easily have been melodramatic or sentimental, but writer-director Raymond De Felitta turns this into a comedy. This is a thoroughly enjoyable film with some fine performance by Julianna Margulies.

Posted on October 23, 2010

Adena Rogne says...

It sounds glib to call Raymond De Felitta's "City Island" this year's "Little Miss Sunshine," yet the comparison is apt. Both films depict dysfunctional families nearing collapse, and both are blessed with razor-sharp screenplays and ensemble casts that are wonderfully, hilariously perfect. Each member of the cast (especially top-billed Andy Garcia) gives an Oscar-worthy performance, and all will be robbed if they don't win the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Cast Award next year.



The eponymous "City Island" is a small community just off the shoreline of the Bronx, officially part of that borough but with a small-town charm all its own. As Molly Charlesworth (Emily Mortimer), one of the film's characters, declares, "It's a cross between New England and Washington Heights!" Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a "clamdigger" (a lifelong resident of City Island), as opposed to a "mussel-sucker" (someone who moves to City Island, or one of those very rare natives who moves away). Vince works as a prison guard (though he prefers the term "corrections officer"), but that job doesn't seem to satisfy him these days. His wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies), daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) and son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) wonder why Vince has a "poker game" almost every night, and also why he's brought paroled convict Tony Nardella (Steven Strait) home to live with them. The other Rizzos, meanwhile, are harboring secrets of their own...



To reveal any more of the plot would be sabotage. Let's just say the bickering of the Rizzo family reaches critical mass, with catharsis to follow. In any case, you fall in love with all the characters, and although you might be a little leery of some of the things they do, you'd still be happy to have them all over for your Sunday barbeque. "City Island" is a funny, charming, touching must-see.

Posted on October 23, 2010