Review of City Island (2009) by Lezlee H — 27 Aug 2010
"City Island" is a true comedy of errors. The film's centerpiece, a staggeringly dysfunctional family, is a strange yet satisfying study. Every family member has a hidden quality to them that they hide from the rest, which causes a series of mis-happenings as the family slowly starts to realize and accept each other for who they are (even if they have to go to the point of insanity to do so).
Andy Garcia shows some great comedic chops here, as does the rest of the cast. Steven Strait (the warrior dude from Emmerich's not-as-bad-as-people-said-it-was "10,000 BC") also stood out.
He's one that is going somewhere. The comedy in this is not exactly laugh-out-loud, but it's at a level that will keep a constant grin on your face until the finale where some sort of drama starts to eek out through the laughs.
I must say that this film does start to drag in the middle (especially with the scenes involving Garcia and Emily Mortimer), and the one-joke scenes with Garcia's son and his "obsession" tended to get old.
Despite it's flaws, this is a comedy that almost everyone can identify with. This is one crazy family, but isn't yours as well? This is a light-hearted fare that will please those looking for something alternative to close out the dog days of summer.
Overall, I recommend a trip to "City Island".
This review of City Island (2009) was written by Lezlee H on 27 Aug 2010.
City Island has generally received positive reviews.
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