‘Island’ offers nice blend of silly, sweet
Vincent Rizzo is a correctional officer with a lot of secrets, including a lifelong yearning to be an actor. Thus begins “City Island,” a loopy comedy about a lovingly dysfunctional Bronx family where everybody squawks at once but doesn’t listen.
If they did, they would notice that Vincent (Andy Garcia) is afraid to tell wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) that he’s taking acting classes, and she wouldn’t be harboring suspicions he’s cheating. Their daughter wouldn’t need to pretend she’s on spring break, and perhaps their alarmingly precocious son wouldn’t stay holed up in his room so much looking at websites for big beautiful women.
When Vince’s illegitimate son Tony (Steven Strait), he of the jail record and the hot bod, enters the scene — you know there will be trouble for sure.
Emily Mortimer has a lovely turn as Vince’s friend in acting class, and gives my favorite line, “Women are emotionally incoherent.” Garcia’s cringe-worthy but hysterical imitation of Marlon Brando is worth the admission price alone.
“City Island” has a silly plot but there’s a sweetness about it like a modern-day episode of “The Honeymooners.” Call me a sentimental slob, but I liked it.
‘Furry’ should be rated NV-7: No viewers over 7 permitted
It’s only May, but the worst movie of the whole year may already be in a theater near you. “Furry Vengeance” masquerades as a family comedy aimed at younger kids. The plot offers the promise of good vibes and green energy as fuzzy creatures fight heartless developers.
But the jokes are so feeble and the slapstick so silly that the mind goes numb. The farce includes lots of skunk spray, poop humor and crotch attacks. The sorry humans are led by a hapless Brendan Fraser.
His lame performance is a total embarrassment. Brooke Shields is less awful as his unhappy wife.
The computerized animals squeak and chuckle as they pummel the foolish humans to save the forest. It might sound funny, but anyone older than 7 will likely groan.
Adults will cringe and head for the exit. But be careful. This film is so stupid; a child might lose five points off their IQ just by watching this brainless exercise.