Tuesday, 21 August 2012

DVD review: City Island


A family living in the picturesque City Island hides many secrets.

A real surprise this movie, written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, an independent filmmaker who made a darkly comic movie without resorting to the usual, boring, stuff.
This is a very well written movie where every member of the family got a distinct story arc and a distinct “secret” that he is hiding from the others. The laughs arise from the complex situations that develop on the screen.
Most importantly this is one of those rare comedies, at least rare for these days, without gross humor and the usual array of cringiness that is ubiquitous these days.
The actors are all very good, with an excellent Andy Garcia leading the way with a scene that is hard to forget.
The real spark of genius of this movie is of course the setting. City Island is an amazingly cinematic setting that has been left unspoiled in a city, New York, filmed so many times that is somewhat more familiar to us than our hometowns.
This movie is the rare gem that manages to get a smile out of us while saying interesting things about not popular subjects like, for example, what does it means to live in a small island beside such a big, famous city. One not to miss.

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