Summer is ready to go bye-bye, and a few films (Inception, The A-Team, Machete, Salt, The Other Guys) were actually pretty good.  Truth be told, however, my mind often drifts back to the plight of the Rizzos, a dysfunctional family who love, scream, and lie their way through the day in director Raymond De Felitta’s latest feature City Island (Anchor Bay Films, PG-13, 104 minutes), which recently came out on Blu-Ray.  The clan live in a little known area in the Bronx called City Island, a one mile plus fishing village that probably most New Yorkers haven’t been to, but after watching this flick, may actually visit.  The Rizzos are a family filled with secrets: Vince (Garcia) is a Marlon Brando obsessed corrections officer who is taking acting classes on the side (and telling his wife he’s actually at a poker game); his wife Joyce (The Good Wife’s Julianna Margulies) believes Vince is cheating on her, and is more than ready to return the favor; their daughter Vivian (Garcia’s own child, Dominik Garcia-Lorido) is a stripper who is suspended from college; and sarcastic son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) has a BBW fetish and befriends his plus-sized neighbor Denise (Carrie Baker Reynolds), who runs and stars in her own website.  Add to this mix Vince’s illegitimate son Tony (Steven Strait), a convict who Vince takes out of jail and gets a second shot,  and you’ve got the Rizzos (Neither Tony or the rest of the family know he’s Vince’s first born).  

All these hidden agendas lead to cute one-liners, shouting matches at the dinner table, and the inevitable reveal, ingredients when mixed the right way, makes an agreeable enough dish.  But director/writer Raymond De Felitta, a New Yorker himself, has put a lot of love (and thanks to the dinner scenes, pasta) into the project, and one can’t help but connect Vince’s plight with De Felitta’s own underdog story as a filmmaker (he helmed the charming 2000 film Two Family House and still remains an indie storyteller).  When Vince, struggling to follow his thespian ambition, befriends his acting classmate Molly (Emily Mortimer, who always brings a touch of grace to the proceedings), the two immediately bond, and their friendship leads our protagonist to pull out all the stops in a hilarious (yet strangely compelling) audition.  Under less assured hands, the story could have devolved into the obligatory adultery subplot, but De Felitta’s sees Vince and Molly as two lost souls at a crossroads, and sometimes the comfort (and friendship) of strangers is the perfect elixir. Thanks to loving exterior shots of the 59th Street Bridge and the Roosevelt Island Tram (along with a first rate score from Oscar winning composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek), their platonic courtship is the most evocative element of the picture.

Andy Garcia’s innate chemistry with both Margulies and Mortimer was already a given before shooting the film, as he worked with the former on The Man from Elysian Fields and with Mortimer in Pink Panther 2. One could blame Garcia for nepotism regarding the casting choice of Garcia-Lorido as his daughter, but she does a great job as a Rizzo and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb (like Sofia Coppola did in Godfather III, which co-starred Garcia).  Alan Arkin, who worked with Garcia in Steal Big Steal Little, also does amusing work as Vince’s acting teacher (watching Arkin slam Brando’s performance in The Fugitive Kind was a highlight) Credit also goes to Steven Strait, who after headlining the forgettable studio drivel known as 10,000 BC, gives a subtle performance as Tony, a mixed up youth who just needs a little family time to set him straight.  The climax of City Island, though as predictable as the New York Knicks not making the playoffs, is fitting.  Amidst all the histrionics and misunderstandings, the Rizzos truly love each other, and living in a cool spot like City Island certainly ups their taste level.  I know the next time I’m out in the Bronx I’ll stop by this little neighborhood, it’s got a great view of the water, and a few good stories to boot.

Special Features: One of the picture’s delights is the homemade touch developed by De Felitta and Garcia, and appropriately the feature Dinner with the Rizzos features a 16-minute chowdown with De Felitta, Garcia, Garcia Lorido, Margulies, and Strait (unfortunately Miller didn’t join the crew). The Blu-ray also comes with 15 minutes worth of deleted scenes, one of which includes an emotional monologue from Garcia which was drastically shortened for the film.  De Felitta and Garcia also provide commentary for the movie.  Judgment Call:  Fans of intimate, slice of life films should definitely check out City Island. It’s also one of Andy Garcia’s most memorable performances, ranking right up there with Internal Affairs, Night Falls on Manhattan, and Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead.

-  Greg Srisavasdi