City Island (2010)
84%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 4 nominations
Raymond De Felitta combines warmth, humanity, and a natural sense of humor, and is abetted by Andy Garcia and an excellent ensemble cast
CITY ISLAND is like a Wes Anderson movie, but for the working class! Andy Garcia shines in this charming comedy about a dysfunctional family with secrets galore. The script may not be groundbreaking, but the sarcastic wit and cynical insights make for a darkly comical truth about lies. It’s a marvellous muddle of high farce and low-brow chuckles that will keep you entertained from start to finish. Don’t miss out on this gem!
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Natant Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
Anchor Bay
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
City Island, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, smoking and language
Year of Release
2010
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 43m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2010 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 17, 2010
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer, Ezra Miller, Dominik García-Lorido, directed by Raymond De Felitta, written by Raymond De Felitta, produced by Raymond De Felitta and Andy Garcia, comedy, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, Tim Robey, Angie Errigo, Robbie Collin, Frank Scheck, Jonathan F Richards, Andrea Hubert, Mike Massie, Brent McKnight, Debbie Lynn Elias, Laura Hiros, ensemble cast, family dysfunction, prison guard, actor, long lost son, inmate, comic misunderstandings, secrets, New York City, dysfunctional family, corrections officer, acting lessons, casting call, feature film, smoking, sexual content, language
Worldwide gross: $7,878,856
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,710,411
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,948
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,167,984
US/Canada gross: $6,671,036
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $9,068,516
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,642
US/Canada opening weekend: $32,001
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $43,502
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,253
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,156,319
Production budget ranking: 1,743
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,392,178
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,838,086
ROI to date (est.): -15%
ROI ranking: 1,474
Julianna Margulies – Joyce Rizzo
Steven Strait – Tony Nardella
Emily Mortimer – Molly
Ezra Miller – Vinnie Rizzo
Dominik García-Lorido – Vivian Rizzo
Director – Raymond De Felitta
Producer – Raymond De Felitta, Andy Garcia
Writer – Raymond De Felitta
Director(s)
Raymond De Felitta
Writer(s)
Raymond De Felitta
Producer(s)
Raymond De Felitta, Andy Garcia
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (105) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (86) | Rotten (19)
This feature might work better as a television series, but Garcia himself gives the picture some much-needed ballast.
July 22, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
I won’t make great claims for Raymond De Felitta’s film – it hardly makes them for itself – but I will say this for it: as an ensemble acting workout, it exceeds expectations from the top down.
July 22, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
An at-times marvellous muddle of high farce and low-brow chuckles.
July 22, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The script, by dyed-in-the-wool New York indie filmmaker Raymond De Felitta, is like someone’s homework for a screenwriting course. The secrets aren’t interesting and you know a big showdown at the end is a given.
July 22, 2010
Robbie Collin
News of the World
TOP CRITIC
Andy Garcia demonstrates real comic chops in this charming comedy of family dysfunction.
July 6, 2010
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
This is the kind of movie that could easily sink into comedy hijinks as broad and flat as pappardelle. But it doesn’t. De Felitta… makes no apologies for the outrageousness of the coincidences and gloriously knotty relationships and secrets.
April 29, 2010
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
A surprising, thoughtful and funny gem.
May 19, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Andrea Hubert
NME
The script is an engaging blend of sarcastic wit, cynical insights, and the darkly comical truth about lies.
November 29, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
I can’t help but think of a Wes Anderson movie populated by the real working class family of a prison guard and a secretary instead of caricatures of pretentious intellectuals.
July 14, 2020 | Rating: B
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
There is nothing not to enjoy about CITY ISLAND.
November 7, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Garcia does a powerful job and his co-stars support him perfectly. [Full review in Spanish]
March 16, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Laura Hiros
Rincón de cine
While the film occasionally feels like an overblown sitcom, the cast is excellent and the crazy unfolding plotlines are a joy to watch.
February 6, 2018
Josh Forward
FILMINK (Australia)…
Plot
The Rizzos, a family who doesn’t share their habits, aspirations, and careers with one another, find their delicate web of lies disturbed by the arrival of a young ex-con (Strait) brought home by Vince (Garcia), the patriarch of the family, who is a corrections officer in real life, and a hopeful actor in private.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The ensemble cast is excellent and supports Andy Garcia’s performance perfectly.
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