By Brooke Edge
Thanks to a generous friend, I scored a last-minute ticket to the Tribeca Film Fest yesterday, in time to catch a screening of City Island, this year’s First-Place Audience Award winner.
I’d heard great reviews for Andy Garcia, and he really does captivate and charm here. He plays the head of the Bronx-based Rizzo clan, a prison guard harboring dreams of acting fame that he’s kept long-hidden from his wife and kids, who each have secrets of their own (least amongst them, each member of the family’s failure to quit smoking). When Garcia’s character brings home a grown son from a previous relationship, that added factor to the household finally brings simmering tensions to a boil.
While perhaps a bit too neat at the finish for some, City Island elicited genuine laughs and moments of recognition steadily over its 100-minute run. Plus, there’s a brief but cringingly hilarious Garcia impersonation of Brando that’s probably what’s fueling Oscar buzz for his performance.
Oscar buzz, however, for a film that as of today hasn’t been picked up by a distributor. But with a glowing review in Variety (review here) and the announcement Saturday night of its big Tribeca award, any studio looking for a funny, family-friendly flick to add to its roster might want to act quickly.
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 5, 2009.
