City Island

I saw this film last thanksgiving on our return flight from Bangladesh. Since it was an airplane movie, I presumed it was an older film that I had just missed. Instead, it was a new film that hadn't been released in the U.S. yet. In fact, it gets released next weekend, so this in an early review. Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies are a working class couple who live on City Island, a small fishing enclave on an island in the Hudson river. Garcia is a correctional officer who only has aspirations to be an actor. He regularly goes to acting classes, only to draw the suspicion of his wife that he is cheating. Throw in a couple of eccentric kids, and the wildcard of Garcia bringing home a "long lost son" from the prison and one would think that the film had jumped the shark before beginning. On the contrary, this is a great little portrayal of a blue collar family struggling to relate to each other and jump out of the trappings of being stuck as a blue collar family. Alan Arkin turns in a quality bit role as the acting class instructor and Garcia is clearly made for his role as the father. A good film that uses cliche and stereotype to good effect and doesn't take itself too seriously.
3 stars (out of 5)