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City Island

City Island

Drama · Comedy · 2009

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 brought home by Vince, the patriarch of the family, who is a corrections officer in real life, and a hopeful actor in private.

Movie details

City Island

“Truth is stranger than family”

2009 Drama · Comedy 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

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 brought home by Vince, the patriarch of the family, who is a corrections officer in real life, and a hopeful actor in private.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over City Island?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Raymond De Felitta

Written by

Raymond De Felitta

Andy Garcia

Andy Garcia

Vince Rizzo

Julianna Margulies

Julianna Margulies

Joyce Rizzo

Steven Strait

Steven Strait

Tony

Emily Mortimer

Emily Mortimer

Molly Charlesworth

Ezra Miller

Ezra Miller

Vincent "Vinnie" Rizzo, Jr.

Dominik Garcia

Dominik Garcia

Vivian Rizzo

Carrie Baker Reynolds

Carrie Baker Reynolds

Denise

Court is in session

Put City Island on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.