Sometimes you sit in the dark and think, “Why can’t it always be like this?” Well, that is what happened to me when I watched the delightful gift that is City Island. This film is funny, smart, moving, packed with great performances and set in a fascinating place.

City Island looks like a picturesque New England fishing village, but it is just a small community in the Bronx, at the edge of New York City and surrounded by the Long Island Sound. Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) explains that in this close knit community, people who were born on the island and never moved are called “clam diggers” and residents who come from somewhere else are called “mussel suckers.” Vince is a clam digger, and lives with his family in a house near the beach and the boats. But despite the view, the Rizzos have problems. Vince is secretly taking an acting class in Manhattan, but his wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) suspects he is having an affair. His teenage son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) has a fetish involving feeding obese women. His home-from-college daughter Vivian (Dominik García-Lorido, also the real life daughter of Andy Garcia) is acting strange. But the biggest problem may be Tony (Steven Strait), Vince’s son from a previous relationship. Vince is a prison guard (he insists on the term “correctional officer) who finds that Tony is incarcerated in the jail where he works. Vince arranges for Tony to be released into his custody, but doesn’t tell his family or Tony, that Tony is his son. Will this family survive its secrets?

Andy Garcia is both funny and touching as Vince, the rough family man who yearns to be an actor. His desire to act and his insecurity about his abilities are moving, and his obsession with Marlon Brando and his imitation of Brando during an audition are hilarious. Julianna Margulies gives an equally strong performance as Vince’s wife Joyce. She is the volatile and emotional Italian wife. When Vince asks her to make a nice dinner she answers, “You want balloons or something?” It is a treat to see Margulies as this kind of earthy and raw character, very different from her current role in The Good Wife and many of her previous roles.  Some of the best scenes in the film take place at the dinner table, as the members of the family snipe and yell at each other while passing plates of steaming and delicious-looking Italian food. Ezra Miller is hilarious as Vince Jr., the wise cracking teenager who says things like, “Oh my peptic ulcer,” as he clutches his side and feigns agony. Miller spouts sarcastic lines like these with sharpness, but without sounding mean. Steven Strait’s Tony is the perfect foil for this family, as he quietly takes in the family’s antics, while hinting at hidden depths. Emily Mortimer is wonderful in the supporting role of Molly, Vince’s acting partner. Mortimer and Garcia manage to have chemistry without having their characters cross any lines. Alan Arkin makes the most of an all-too-brief appearance as Tony and Molly’s acting teacher. His diatribe about Brando’s pauses had most of the audience howling.

One of the best things about writer/director Raymond De Felitta’s script is that these flawed characters are so likable. They seem authentic, they make mistakes and tell lies, but we sense goodness in them. Despite the drama, we see that this family loves each other. Although we can see how some of the revelations will unfold, there is enough edge in this comedy to set it apart from more predictable films. This film kept me laughing and I really cared about these people and was moved by their struggles.

In this film, City Island looks like a beautiful place to live and Raymond De Felitta’s crisp direction made me feel like a clam digger for 100 minutes. Although the end of the film is immensely satisfying, I was sad to leave these people and City Island. 

City Island.  Directed by Raymond De Felitta.  Andy Garcia (Vince Rizzo) Dominik García-Lorido (Vivian Rizzo), Julianna Margulies (Joyce Rizzo), Ezra Miller (Vince Jr.), Emily Mortimer (Molly), Steven Strait (Tony Nardella) and Alan Arkin (Michael Malakov). Anchor Bay Films, 2009.

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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