City Island (film)

City Island is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed and written by Raymond De Felitta. The film stars Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer, Ezra Miller, and Alan Arkin.

The film centers around the Rizzo family, who live in City Island, a small, close-knit community in the Bronx, New York. Each member of the family harbors secrets from one another, leading to a series of comedic and dramatic events when these secrets begin to unravel.

Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a corrections officer who secretly dreams of becoming an actor and attends acting classes in Manhattan without his family's knowledge. His wife, Joyce (Julianna Margulies), suspects him of having an affair. Their son, Vince Jr. (Steven Strait), is obsessed with overweight women and is studying literature but pretending to study law. Their daughter, Vivian (Dominik García-Lorido, billed as Emily Mortimer's "daughter"), is secretly working as a stripper to earn money for college.

The family's secrets are further complicated when Vince is assigned to mentor a parolee named Tony Nardella (Steven Strait), whom he brings home without informing his family. Tony's presence forces the Rizzo family to confront their hidden desires and hidden lives, leading to unexpected consequences and revelations.

The film explores themes of family, identity, ambition, and the lies we tell ourselves and others. City Island was generally well-received by critics for its writing, acting, and humor.