Review: City Island

So I realized that many of the films that were nominated/won my Awards Psychic Awards never had their reviews posted. Chalk it up to laziness/running out of time/simply forgetting, but I think it is important, that if I liked it enough to nominate it, then you should probably know what I thought of it. So here is the first one over this week. Remember to check back for PGA/WGA nods on Tuesday, and hopefully, a post-game analysis to see how they have shifted the race. For now let's start with a bright, quick little comedy that unfortunately has been lost in the shuffle of this crazy awards season.

City Island is an old fishing village in the Bronx which prides itself on the passing down of homes to children and grandchildren, stressing the importance of family and heritage. Like many families in City Island, The Rizzo family is living in a house built by their grand/great-grandparents, that has been passed on to the next generation. However, like most families, the Rizzos are not as open and close as everyone thinks, as each one of them holds a secret.

Vince (Andy Garcia) is a corrections officer, who hides from his wife that he has ambitions of becoming an actor, and has signed up for an acting class (which includes the wonderful Emily Mortimer and Alan Arkin). His wife, Joyce (Julianna Marguiles) works in an office, and is hiding the fact that she has kept smoking (As does Vince from her), and believes that her husband is having an affair. Their daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), lost her scholarship to college, and has yet to tell her parents that she is earning money to go back to school by working at a strip club. Their son, Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller), has a strange obsession with feeding fat women, particularly with the next door neighbor. Finally, the biggest secret of them all, is the fact that the released convict Tony (Steven Strait), is unaware that he is actually the son of Vince, who left his mother before he was born. Upon Tony's arrival, he begins to discover everyone's secret, and as hiding their secrets becomes more difficult, it is not long before the shit hits the fan.

City Island is a quick film, running at a little over an hour and a half, but packs quite a comedic punch in its short time. It is buoyed particularly by its sharp script and its warm, and wonderful cast that plays out the story with humor and a nice touch of realism. Andy Garcia is the standout, giving one his best performances of the last decade, and Julianna Marguiles brings a touch of fiestiness to Joyce, which spices things up. Emily Mortimer's Molly is a welcomed tenderness to an otherwise sometimes tough script, and adds a nice side story that adds a parallel to the Rizzos.

City Island isn't a perfect film, as its short run time is almost too short. Although I do appreciate the fact that it doesn't stay too long at the fair, like many comedies unfortunatelty do too often. Furthermore, while each character gets plenty of screen time to develop, the conclusion comes just a little bit too quickly, and seems to tie up all the loose ends, but in the end it seems just a little too convienent. Overall, City Island doesn't cover any new terrain, and despite its flaws, it turns out to be a fast-paced, highly entertaining family comedy that deserves to be seen.

Oscar Potential: Unfortunately none, but Andy Garcia sure does deserve at least a little attention.

Grade: B+