Warm and Hilarious! You will love Andy Garcia!

I must confess I’ve had a “thing” for Andy Garcia ever since I first saw him in “Godfather 3.” He was gorgeous and sexy in his role as a tough, dangerous Mafia type in that blockbuster film. I thrilled at his love scenes with Sofia Coppola. He was hot!

I could not picture my “find” being a comic, but this movie opened my eyes to Garcia’s versatility. He is hilarious as Vince Rizzo in City Island where he plays a prison guard (he prefers the title “correction officer”). He appears to have a normal family life with a beautiful wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies), a mouthy son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) and a collegiate daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido). But all is not as it seems…

Vince has a big secret that he can’t share with his family: he’s taking acting classes and is a bit ashamed to admit it because he never shared those aspirations with his family. The fun begins with the hi-jinx he pulls to guard his secret ambition. To further complicate matters his acting partner (Emily Mortimer) urges him on…And, guess what?: She has secrets of her own.

And then Vince discovers that one of his inmates (Steven Strait) is his illegitimate son…which is another secret. He arranges to have the young man released in his custody and brings him to live with his family. Which makes matters worse because his son doesn’t know Vince is his father and the family is completely in the dark about why this “con” is suddenly thrust upon them.

And what secrets do members of his family have? Where is his daughter when she’s supposed to be in college? What kinky secrets does his young son have? And why does his faithful wife suddenly get a hankering for his illegitimate son when she’s always been faithful? Surprisingly, Vince’s secret son turns out to be the voice of reason in this movie. How does he save the day?

You’ll learn the answers to all those questions in this rollicking movie that’s filled with warmth and humor. Writer/director Raymond De Felitta has created one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in ages. Kudos to him and the entire cast for making this sweet, charming movie so engaging from start to finish.

You know that old saying: “What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive?” Well, this movies proves the truth in that…in the most delightful way.

Highly recommended for the entire family.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, January 14, 2010
Author of “Dream Reachers” (with Chase Von) and other books