Film Reviews

City Island

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Andy Garcia
• Details: US/104mins 12A

Andy Garcia makes a rare headlining appearance in this offbeat, sometimes amusing, but muddled family comedy/drama. Joined by his own daughter, that white dude with the dreadlocks from 10,000 BC and ER star Julianna Margulies, City Island is a disjointed effort, with a main character too inexplicably stupid to function.
City Island refers to a little known part of Brooklyn in New York that is surrounded by water, where Garcia's regretful prison guard, Vince Rizzo has raised two kids with his wife, played by Margulies. Whilst doing his round in prison one day, he comes across a familiar face; the convict son he's never met. Having him released into his custody, without telling him that he is the deadbeat Dad that helped ruin his life, his forced inclusion into the family home opens up numerous cans of worms.
The fractured family dynamic that we're initially introduced to is far too neat to feel real, and Vince makes such immensely stupid decisions it's hard to be on his side at all. Why he wouldn't tell his son what the deal was with their shared genetics before taking him back to his attractive daughter and wife is difficult to understand. That father/son relationship is never set up properly, and instead we've a bunch of needless scenes with Emily Mortimer inspiring Vince to go for his first audition. The film didn't need that subplot, and it just takes away focus from the real relationships skirting around Garcia's slightly dithering auld lad.
Garcia never quite scaled the heights he should have as a leading man, but he's a damn fine actor and it's good to see him leading a movie again - regardless of the failures of his character. Everyone else is solid with the exception of youngster Ezra Miller, who is by far the best thing about the film. Resembling a young Justin Long, he's a quirky sort, with excellent comic timing - expect to see a lot more of him in the future.
Fine filler watching, this just isn't worth a trip to your local cinema.

Review by Mike Sheridan