Overview
A family of secrets and lies confronts their hidden truths when an unexpected guest arrives.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- awkward
- lazy sunday
- family movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as a charming, well-acted dysfunctional-family comedy-drama whose warmth and ensemble performances outweighed its conventional plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Each Rizzo conceals habits, ambitions, or relationships, and Tony's arrival destabilizes the family's shared web of lies.
Vince works as a corrections officer while privately pursuing acting and preparing for an audition.
The family's respectable suburban presentation is repeatedly disrupted by secrets involving sexuality, infidelity, and unconventional ambitions.
Vince, Joyce, Tony, Molly, Vinnie, and Vivian each contribute concealed motives that converge around the Rizzo household.
Films like City Island, and why
The Royal Tenenbaums
dysfunctional family comedy-drama, concealed personal secrets, and warm ensemble interplay
Little Miss Sunshine
bittersweet family dysfunction, eccentric characters, and understated comedic drama
The Savages
new york setting, intimate domestic tensions, and humane dysfunctional-family storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Raymond De Felitta
- Release Date
- 2009-03-06
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (411)
Cast
- Andy Garcia
- Julianna Margulies
- Steven Strait
- Emily Mortimer
- Ezra Miller
- Dominik Garcia
- Carrie Baker Reynolds
- Hope Glendon-Ross
- Alan Arkin
- Louis Mustillo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is City Island about?
- A Bronx corrections officer secretly pursuing an acting career brings home a young ex-con, forcing his already secretive family into comic emotional upheaval.
- What is City Island like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of City Island as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is City Island violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in City Island as mild.
- What did critics think of City Island?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as a charming, well-acted dysfunctional-family comedy-drama whose warmth and ensemble performances outweighed its conventional plotting.
- Which films are like City Island?
- Films with a similar feel include The Royal Tenenbaums, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Savages.
- How long is City Island?
- City Island runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch City Island?
- In United States, City Island streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
