donnam

(2012-04-23 23:26:38)

completely entertaining

I thought this movie was wonderful.. An unexpected delightful little film. The story is creative, original and fresh. The quirky characters are endearing and the actors must have had a blast making this picture. Andy Garcia is great as Vince Rizzo, Corrections Office #... and the ending is outrageous. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was completely entertaining, and fun fun fun! Definitely one to add to my collection..:)

(2012-04-23 11:44:53)

On a whim, this one Delivers!

This review is from: City Island (Amazon Instant Video) I rented this movie on a whim looking for something I hadn't heard of and funny...Dysfunctionally delicious. Solid cast, worth the 2 hours.

Robert

(2012-04-19 22:20:21)

A film mixed with drama and comedy

I got this film from Netflix and I found this film to be dramatic and funny BUT to be honest... this wasn't the funniest film that I had ever seen but I still liked it. Most of the scenes were mildly funny and few scenes were really funny. Like I said... it wasn't the funniest film that I have ever seen. The drama was great as well. It's not an Oscar-worthy film like a lot of people say it was but it was a Memorable film. I give "City Island" a B+ and 3 out of 4 stars. Andy Garcia did a great job acting in this drama comedy film. Alan Arkin (who was only in this film in the beginning and the end) did a great job acting in this film as well. Not a Oscar-worthy film BUT a Memorable film.

SidneyPrescott2000

(2012-04-19 12:17:06)

The best comedy of the year so far

Some people who have lived in New York their entire lives, have nevereven hear of City Island. Why is that? It's a lovely small island nextto The Bronx. Sounds like a great set-up for a Sundacey comedy, right?Well City Island fires on all counts. It's a smart little comedy thatnever seems cheesy or forced with brilliant acting and a great script.There is a conversation about ten minutes into City Island between thefour members of the Rizzo household and dinnertime. It starts frombeing an innocent "Parents are always right nonsense", then whackscreep in. Finally, it explodes into this huge argument with peopleyelling back and fourth to each other. This is just one of the manysharply written scenes in the film.It's flat-out hilarious. Cut and dry. The cast uses the colorful scriptand are directed right on the perfect note, and give you laugh afterlaugh after laugh. The direction as I mentioned is just right. Itdoesn't butcher the material by exaggerating the laughs, it workscalmly and has a head on its shoulders.Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies (who have great chemistry together)lead the marvelous cast. Garcia is wonderful with his role and iscomedic gold. His best comedy work to date. Julianna Margulies can playanything from Alicia Florrick to Carol the nurse, now she takes onJoyce Rizzo. She about steals all her scenes with a hurricane of aperformance. Emily Mortimer will charm the birds out the trees with her performancehere. She's so good here without the great comedic bait that the othercast members have. She's so darn cute and lovely. Alan Arkin has a bitrole too and does a fine job with teaching acting while acting. All thekids here are excellent too.During your viewing of City Island you will smile until your cheekshurt. Not only is it very entertaining, but also has a head on itsshoulders. It's so sharp with fantastic acting. Sure to be one of theyears best; 9-9.5

(2012-04-11 00:47:11)

Strong performances make this film about a dysfunction family enjoyable even when the material wears thin.

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) "City Island" is a likeable comedy drama that is diverting due to the cast. Andy Garcia plays Vince Rizzo a corrections officer at a prison who is secretly studying acting. He hasn't told his wife about it because he's afraid of what she'd think. The result is that she thinks he's having an affair which pushes their already strained marriage to the breaking point. When Vince discovers that an inmate Tony (Steven Strait) at the prison he works at is his son, he arranges to bring the young ex-con home to help convert his boathouse. Vince hopes that he can someone find the time and courage to admit he is Tony's father. While Vince and Joyce's (Julianna Margulies)daughter (Dominick Garcia-Lorido)has her own secret--she lost her college scholarship and is working as a pole dancer and their son Vince Jr. (Erza Miller)has an obsession with feeding women. Bring together all of these secrets and the absurd length that each person will go to so they can hide them, and you've got a family struggling to keep it together.Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta son of writer-producer-director Frank De Felitta, "City Lights" wants to be a comedic drama in the vein of "Little Miss Sunshine" but the material just isn't there. What truly elevates the movie is the cast and their performances which makes even the least inviting character at least involving. De Felitta who has won a number of Sundance Awards for his independent films, does a nice job as a director here the problem is with the writing and, unfortunately, since he's also the writer that means that he's less than objective about the problems with the script."City Island" isn't a bad movie but fails to live up to the potential of the cast. The DVD also features a commentary track by Garcia and De Felitta as well as a retrospective featurette and deleted scenes.Rent it.

PWNYCNY

(2012-04-10 10:48:28)

A must watch for every actor or wanna be.

Although the acting is a little cheesy and stagy and the story a littlecontrived, this is an entertaining movie. Andy Garcia carries the storyabout a man with a dream, a dream that he dare not share with anyone.It's also about the acting industry itself, especially the auditionprocess. Anyone who has ever answered an audition call, every wanna bewho has ever waited on line for hours for their one minute shot atfame, will appreciate this movie. Indeed, the scenes depicting theaudition process itself could have been made into a movie. Acting isone of the few professions left where one does not need a formalcredential to work. The creators of this movie do a great job drivingthis point home. As for the main theme, how the lack of communicationcan cause havoc in a family, the movie seems to draw from SaturdayNight Fever and any of John Cassavetes' movies, particularly A WomanUnder the Influence, to makes its point. The movie comes off as a lowbudget fare but covers a lot of emotional territory, all of which isset on an island, which condenses the action. If this movie was madethirty years ago, it would have starred Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands.Confusion reigns as a man is pursuing an innocent dream but is doing itsecretly. This results in misunderstandings that sometimes are amusingbut are also sad as conflicts escalate and become violent. The messageis clear: be proud of your dreams, share them with others, show up forauditions, and don't give up because, guess what: you may surpriseyourself.

John M. Clones

(2012-04-10 20:11:49)

hilarious

Very Funny! This whole family is funny. I like the fact that everybodytalks like New Yorkers. The funny parts are at the end. Also the wholeissue with Vince Jr. having a sexual fetish for fat women. That wasfunny. I never knew very many people with that kind of fetish. therewas a scene where he went in to the local IGA. WAs that actually agrocery store? I never know that there was a real place called "CityIsland". It is actually a neighborhood in Bronx New York. I don't knowmuch about the place. The movie seemed to be stereotypical of middleclass New Yorkers. Most people in New York and New jersey talk likethat. This was one of the funiest movies that i have seen for a fewyears. All of the antics by the characters were hilarious! Andy Garciawas at his best in this movie. So were the co-stars. The ending partswere among the funniest as well as the rest of the movieI would givethis movie five stars out of five!

dgardner-8

(2012-04-10 06:28:39)

Why has this one got so little attention?

This is such an outstanding little film, it is hard to understand whyit has not received more attention. I follow new releases quite closelyand missed this one entirely. Had to look it up on the Internet afterseeing it on the marquee. I am so glad I did. The plot and charactersring true, and the directing and performances by all (includingJulianna Margulies and Alan Arkin, but especially Andy Garcia) areexcellent. The opportunity to get to know a little about New York'sCity Island is an added benefit. The soundtrack is not bad also. Thebasic humanity of this film touched my heart. See it -- you won't bedisappointed if you stick with it to the end.

bbck7

(2012-04-03 03:35:40)

No car chases, guns, explosions or "special effects" what a relief

This is a story about a dysfunctional family. A funny dysfunctionalfamily. A very funny dysfunctional family. It is such a relief to go toa movie that actually has a good plot, a good funny plot. The womenactors actually look human, without protruding lips, and/or hugebreasts. Outstanding acting by Andy Garcia and Steven Strait. Thismovie makes me want to go see City Island in person. I assume itactually exists? By the way I am 70 years old and have given a "10" tovery few movies. Well I just tried to send this review and the powersto be told me I need ten lines. Anyone who needs ten lines to review amovie should be paid for the review. Go see this movie if you get achance, it is funny with good acting.

RobertF

(2012-04-02 14:34:11)

All in the family

This is the best family dysfunction movie of the year. A family of convicted criminals, strippers, closet smokers, interesting fetishes. Each person a story and all in the family!

JudgeTwist

(2012-03-24 20:16:47)

Just Weird

I went in open minded as several favorite and very familiar veteranactors are in this movie. I left bored and disappointed in the entirestory as there was perhaps 15 minutes of non-yawn time, while the restwas a sleeper.I felt like Alan Arkin was doing pro-bono work since his appearance inthis film is more cameo than sustenance. The entire movie is rushed.Rushed to introduce "intricate" characters and rushed to make it to thefinish line. There are very few memorable points and many forgettable,lackluster scenes.As I observed the small audience in the theater, the demographicspointed out an older crowd (mostly 50's/60's couples) on a Sundayafternoon. So if you're looking to cool off on a hot day and you're apre-empty nester or empty nester, then you will probably like somethingabout this movie's abbreviated time frame. Otherwise, skip this one andwait for the DVD if curious.

JosephN

(2012-03-23 23:13:53)

A GEM OF A FILM

It's been a long time since we've seen a really good movie. No vulgar humor, no loud special effects, just plain good old fashioned story telling with great characters.

tieman64

(2012-03-20 17:08:36)

Have another slice

Like most American independent movies, Raymond De Fellita's "CityIsland" is a dramedy (part comedy, part drama) about a white,dysfunctional, quirky, middle class family. And as with most of thesefilms, the message is that "the American family" isn't as perfect as itseems on the surface. Look closer and everyone's hiding icky secrets.And so the father of the Rizzo's, the family at the centre of "CityIsland", is hiding from his wife the fact that he has an incarceratedson with a former girlfriend. Meanwhile, his wife is hiding a cigaretteaddiction and an illicit relationship, his daughter is hiding the factthat she's a stripper and his son is hiding the fact that he has asexual fetish for feeding fat women. Like I said: quirky.Such "horrors in suburbia" movies started in the 50s (the melodramas ofSirk, Nicholas Ray, even Hitchcock and Kubrick with "Lolita"). Thegenre was revived in the 80s with fare like "Blue Velvet", before thesuccess of "The Ice Storm" and "American Beatuy" seemed to turn allAmerican indies into like-minded copycats.Still, "City Island" does one thing differently from its kin. The headof the Rizzo family is Vince Rizzo, played by Andy Garcia. Vince ishiding a love for acting from his family, and so secretly auditions fora role in a new Scorsese movie. He gets the job, but only because hemimicked how his tough guy son, an ex con, acts. But the son is himselfnot tough and is only acting. Meanwhile, actor Andy Garcia is himselfplaying Vince as a caricature of your typical Scorsese tough guy.So the film has a weird meta-game going on, Garcia playing a fake toughguy who idolises on screen fake tough guys and auditions for a role ina tough guy film but can't get the job because he's ridiculously fakesquared. To get the job he thus mimics his son, already an actor in thefilm mimicking, but not believing, the tough guys he sees in films. Sodouble reflexivity doesn't win Garcia the part, but triple andquadruple tough guy reflexivity does. You look at Scorsese's gangsters,from "Mean Streets" to "Casino" to "Gangs" to "Departed", and you see asimilar breakdown; parodies of parodies of parodies, until eventuallyyou get nothing but bluster and hot air.The film does two other things right. It captures the soul-destroyingnature of being a small-time actor in New York, the gruellingauditions, the huge amounts of competition, the hordes of naive folkwho "think they have what it takes" and the many who leave auditionscrushed and disappointed. The film also has a neat bit-part by AlanArkin as an acting instructor. Arkin, as he tells his class, "hatesthinking." For him, an actor should either be talking or listen. Don'tpretend to think. Conversely, most of the best actorly moments in thefilm involve us watching others think.The film climaxes with everyone in the family "opening themselves up","revealing their secrets" and "talking to one another". It's celluloidtherapy; bring your problems to me, baby, and we'll talk things outtogether. Hilariously, though, this moment is played like an angrystreet scene from Scorsese's "Raging Bull" or "Mean Streets", "CityIsland's" cast going ridiculously over the top, violently smashing oneanother as familial bonds strengthen. Meanwhile, no one seems to noticeVince's son's fetish for feeding fat women. Quirky.8/10 – Worth one viewing.

Raoul Duke

(2012-03-20 07:13:32)

on my IMDb almost an 8 but I don't round up let's not abuse the scale (I'm talking to you most useful review on here)

So I watched 2009's indy comedy "city Island", starring the underappreciated Andy Garcia. So was it good, yes not only was it good itwas borderline great. This is one of the most original comedies to comeabout in a long time. This film is not of the raunchy comedy genre thathas been so popular in recent years, but rather is a heartfeltportrayal of a family that is just too afraid to talk to each other andkeeps many secrets. The movie centers around a secret love child thelead character played by Garcia had before he met his current wife, butfound during his duties as a prison guard (I'm sorry I mean correctionsofficer). He brings this young man into his home and from there all thesecrets that this family tries it best to keep from each other slowlycome to light. This movie is very intelligent and is beautifully acted(great cast overall), with little side stories which range from thebizarrely beautiful to somewhat moving. "City Island" won the audienceaward at the Tribeca film festival and I can see why, this is not justone of the best comedies I have seen in a while, but one of the bettermovies in general I have seen of late. So now is this movie foreveryone, well I think it should have broad appeal. It is intelligent,funny, well shot, well cast, and all while not being over anyone'shead. The director and writer of this movie did another film I hadsimilar feelings for called "Two family house." So whatever yourpersonal tastes unless you are only into flicks that have the word"saw" in the title you should like if not love this flick. if you likeconcise reviews of interesting films please read my other reviews athttp://raouldukeatthemovies.blogspot.com/

Gaston Bacquet

(2012-03-19 13:13:15)

Fulfilling movie-going experience

This is a beautiful independent movie that shines at many differentlevels.It's wonderful in that explores family relationships, complex as theycan be, with a keen eye and provides great insight into the dynamics ofa regular working-class family; it does so with a fantastic andbalanced blend of comedy and drama; the film never goes too far ineither direction, although there a few scenes that will have you on thefloor laughing.It's uplifting in that, while it digs deep into dark areas, leaves theviewer knowing that hope exist and redemption is possible. Theperformances were awesome by everyone, but Andy Garcia steals the show.Don't miss it; it'll be a great cinematic experience. I totallyrecommend it.

bwdude

(2012-03-18 22:02:12)

Brilliant ... just BRILLIANT!

Well, you maybe won't believe that this movie really IS brilliant ifyou are only 30 minutes or so in. At least I didn't.I actually got bored by the multiple - but at first not very promising- story lines going on. But I like Andy Garcia, I like Emily Mortimerand after all it had a very high rating here.It got better though, and in the last 30 minutes or so, when everythingstarted coming together, I watched almost with my mouth open andsometimes I had to laugh really hard.And while Andy Garcia is a pretty good actor in general ... BOY is hegood in this one !! I predict an Oscar nomination for him this year, noI am SURE he will get nominated for this role!So, all I am saying is: Just give it a chance and sit through it. Youwon't regret it and you will end up LOVING it !!!

rube2424

(2012-03-18 19:26:13)

A Bronx AMACORD

I had heard that CITY ISLAND was good, but I was not prepared for howgood it turned out to be. Individual story lines for each member of avery loving family are laid down, and through the brilliance of writerRaymond de Felitta, are tied together warmly and satisfyingly at theend. As I watched this film, I kept thinking of Fellini's AMACORD storyof a family that loves one another, warts and all.Andy Garcia, always good, was exceptional here, as were JulianaMargulies, Steven Strait and Ezra Miller. The story, as noted above,and direction by Raymond de Felitta was sly, subtle and ultimatelysatisfying. It's a clichГѓВ© but I actually did laugh and cry, andsometimes at the same time.CITY ISLAND is simply a gem of a movie. Don't miss it.

(2012-03-18 03:49:09)

Welcome to City Island, the zip code of a good movie

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) 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".

Rick James

(2012-03-15 09:21:18)

Improbable but likable

The series of improbable coincidences are just too many and contrivedto make this a movie to recommend for anyone unless she/he is lookingfor pure escape. This is like a jigsaw puzzle that a 2-year-old couldassemble, not one of those 1000-piece babies. There is too muchcontrived plot for the amount of dramatic geography, and the actors arereally better than this. I don't get the City Island angle at all:other than the movie-tryout feature that could be in a few cities, thisfilm could have been set anywhere else in the country. Thedeus-ex-machina of landing a name role in a top movie is simply overthe top, and casting directors must cringe at the scene at the tryoutthat is utterly unbelievable.Nevertheless it's a good romp worth seeing for a fairly snappy script.Note to hairdressers and directors: never, ever cast a female withbangs: the fall of the hair is different in every cut, so the movie'sseams stand out egregiously.

(2012-03-14 19:53:24)

Dysfunction rules on City Island

It's almost unfair to try and explain the plot of City Island because it would spoil the fun of watching it unfold in front of you. It's not really that original a story, mind you, but the way the talented cast brings it to life is inspired enough to make any predictability forgivable.[...]