City Island (2009)

The Rizzos, a family who doesn't share their habits, aspirations, and careers with one another, find their delicate web of lies disturbed by the arrival of a young ex-con (Strait) brought ... See full summary »

Director:

Raymond De Felitta

Writer:

Raymond De Felitta

Stars:

Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Garcia	...	Vince Rizzo
Julianna Margulies	...	Joyce Rizzo
Steven Strait	...	Tony
Emily Mortimer	...	Molly
Ezra Miller	...	Vince Jr.
Dominik García-Lorido	...	Vivian Rizzo
Carrie Baker Reynolds	...	Denise
Hope Glendon-Ross	...	Cheryl
Alan Arkin	...	Michael Malakov
Louis Mustillo	...	Bruno
Jee Young Han	...	Casting Assistant
Sarah Saltzberg	...	Casting Director
Curtiss Cook	...	Matt Cruniff
Sharon Angela	...	Tanya
Marianne Ebert	...	Ezmalia (as Marianni Ebert)

Storyline

The Rizzos, a family who doesn't share their habits, aspirations, and careers with one another, find their delicate web of lies disturbed by the arrival of a young ex-con (Strait) brought home by Vince (Garcia), the patriarch of the family, who is a corrections officer in real life, and a hopeful actor in private.

---

Plot Keywords:

peeping tom | subjective camera | lie | aspiring actor | teenage boy | 

---

Taglines:

Truth is stranger than family

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, smoking and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asuntos de familia

Filming Locations:

City Island, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,001, 21 March 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$6,670,712, 29 August 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

CineSon Entertainment,Medici Entertainment,Lucky Monkey Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michelle Pfeiffer was the first offered the female lead. She and Andy Garcia had worked together before and it was hoped that Pfeiffer's participation would be enough to secure much needed financing and distribution. According to Pfeiffer's agent, the actress liked the script, but was reading other projects at the time and after a few weeks passed.

---

Goofs

At 1:19, the shadow of the boom microphone can be seen onMolly's back when she says, "Please don't hate me, Vincent," on the pier.

---

Quotes

Tony: Can I ask you, like, why I'm chained to a Ford?
Vince Rizzo: I'm gonna unchain you, Tony, but first I gotta tell you something. You see this house here? That's my home. My grandfather built this home and I share it with my family.
Tony: Oh, you got them chained up in the house too?
Vince Rizzo: You're gonna get real nice food and a real nice place to live for the first time in 3 years, so you better behave yourself.
Tony: And all this because you knew my bitch mother?
Vince Rizzo: Well, I gotta admit, you know, Nan could be difficult sometimes....
[...]

---

Connections

References The Men (1950)

User Reviews

Do you want to know a Secret?

Greetings again from the darkness. I am always amazed, amused and somewhat satisfied when a writer gathers up multiple stereotypes, massages the conflict and dialogue, and emerges with a script that captures interest and holds attention. Writer/director Raymond De Felitta has done just that with working class Italian New Yorkers.

All story lines revolve around the secrets each of the family members keep from the others. Sure, we all understand that two-way communication and trust create a much stronger and healthier family, but sometimes, it's just not that simple.

Andy Garcia plays the head of this secretive bunch and he sets the stage with two whoppers. The first is his slinking off to acting classes while chasing his lifelong dream of becoming an actor - like his inspiration, Marlon Brando. To cover this one up, he tells his wife (Julianna Margulies) that he is off to another poker game, unaware that she interprets this as code for his having an affair.

They have a daughter (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) who has lost her college scholarship and is saving money to re-enroll by working (secretly) as a stripper. Their odd ball son (Ezra Miller), who believes he is too smart to attend classes, develops an online fetish habit that ends up VERY close to home.

In most films, this would be plenty of ammunition to create havoc among the players. Not here. Garcia's second, and much larger secret, throws this dysfunctional family into a tailspin - and he somehow is the last to realize. Emily Mortimer, Steven Strait and Alan Arkin all provide strong support to the story and this "family".

Mr. De Felitta explored some of these family topics in "The Thing About My Folks", but here he is working with his own script. The balance between comedy, conflict and insight is actually very good; though, the New Yorker habit of loud mealtime conversation is somewhat discomforting for this southern boy. Still, I have nothing but positive things to say about how the stereotypes end up providing self-realization to each of the characters, and even more importantly, an understanding of what their family really is. Good stuff here.