Two Family House

Last updated

Two Family House
2familyposter.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Raymond De Felitta
Written byRaymond De Felitta
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichael Mayers
Edited byDavid Leonard
Music by
Distributed by Lions Gate Films
Release dates
  • January 21, 2000 (2000-01-21)(Sundance)
  • October 6, 2000 (2000-10-06)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million [1]

Two Family House is a 2000 American film produced by Alan Klingenstein, based on the story of the uncle of the film's writer and director Raymond De Felitta. [2] The film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Many of the film's actors later reached national prominence as part of the HBO cable television series The Sopranos , including Michael Rispoli, Kathrine Narducci, Matt Servitto, Vincent Pastore, Joseph R. Gannascoli, Sharon Angela and Michele Santopietro (Jackie Aprile Sr., Charmaine Bucco, Agent Harris, Big Pussy, Vito Spatafore, Rosalie Aprile and JoJo Palmice, respectively, in The Sopranos). The songs on the film's soundtrack were done by John Pizzarelli and his trio, a jazz recording artist.

Contents

Plot

An unseen narrator looks back to the year 1956, in the Elm Park neighborhood of Staten Island, New York, to one Buddy Visalo, an Italian guy with "Ralph Kramdenesque" dreams. Buddy is a wannabe crooner. Buddy had nearly been discovered by Arthur Godfrey ten years earlier when he performed at a USO show while in the service. His fiancée, Estelle, gave him a Hobson's choice: "Who's it gonna be, Buddy, Arthur Godfrey or me?" In a decision he'll live to regret the rest of his life, he chooses Estelle, and over the next 10 years tries all sorts of schemes to get ahead. "I just wanna be somebody!" he declares.

Italian-American Buddy decides to buy a dilapidated two-family house in the Irish section of town, intending to live upstairs with his wife Estelle and run a bar downstairs, where he could live out a smaller version of his dream, singing along to a "Music Minus One" jukebox. Estelle has no confidence in Buddy and just wants a "normal" blue-collar husband who, most of all, won't "embarrass" her by doing anything to make himself stand out, and manages to undermine his plans time and time again. He discovers, to his dismay and her horror, that the upstairs Irish tenants, drunken, violent Jim O'Neary and his very pregnant young wife Mary, refuse to move and won't pay rent.

When the baby is born, it's clear his father is black – and the much older, drunken Irish husband immediately skulks off, knowing it's not his child. Buddy evicts Mary and her child, then feels guilt and sets her up in an apartment while she sorts out an adoption. Estelle's lack of faith, the small-minded prejudices and low ambitions of his "friends", the Irish lass's spirit, Buddy's dream, racial prejudice, and the baby's fate play out in an engaging story with real chemistry between the leads and a message that ultimately exemplifies a Joseph Campbell-like "Follow your bliss."

Cast

Reception

On review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Two Family House has an approval rating of 89% based on 35 reviews. [3]

Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 and ½ stars out of 4. In his review, he wrote, "Michael Rispoli gets one of the roles of a lifetime. He's the kind of guy we all know, who is unwilling to accept the hand that life (or his wife) has dealt him. His victory may be small in the great scheme of things, but it is satisfying." [4] He concluded Two Family House "is about a guy doing someone a good turn when they need it. It doesn't need the uplifting apparatus of 'Pay It Forward.' It may not be as commercial, but I suspect it may strike deeper in the hearts of its viewers." [4]

In a review that awarded an A− grade, Entertainment Weekly 's Lisa Schwarzbaum said, De Felitta "bathes a very specific time, place, class, and ethnic experience — that of working-class Italian-American New Yorkers on Staten Island in 1956 — with a warm, clear light. His is 'Sundance-style' filmmaking at its most successful — personal with universal undertones, told with an unobtrusive flair that keeps the story, rather than the storyteller, in the foreground." [5]

At the 2000 Sundance Film Festival where the film had its world premiere, it won the Audience Award in the Dramatic section. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mickey Blue Eyes</i> 1999 American romcom crime film

Mickey Blue Eyes is a 1999 romantic comedy crime film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father-in-law's mafia connections. Several of the minor roles are played by actors later featured in The Sopranos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Pastore</span> American actor (born 1946)

Vincent Pastore is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series The Sopranos.

<i>The Broken Hearts Club</i> 2000 American comedy-drama film

The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy is a 2000 American romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Greg Berlanti. It follows the lives of a group of gay friends in West Hollywood, centered on a restaurant owned by the fatherly Jack and the softball team he sponsors. The friends rely on each other for friendship and support as they search for love, deal with loss, and discover themselves.

<i>Return to Me</i> 2000 film by Bonnie Hunt

Return to Me is a 2000 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Bonnie Hunt and starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It was filmed in Chicago and was released on April 7, 2000 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was Carroll O'Connor's final film before his death the following year.

<i>Waking the Dead</i> (film) 2000 American film

Waking the Dead is a 2000 mystery drama film directed by Keith Gordon and starring Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly. The screenplay by Robert Dillon is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Scott Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph R. Gannascoli</span> American actor (born 1959)

Joseph R. Gannascoli is an American actor and chef. He is best known for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series The Sopranos.

"Proshai, Livushka" is the 28th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the second of the show's third season. It was written by David Chase and directed by Tim Van Patten, and originally aired on March 4, 2001.

"The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" is the eighth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It was written by David Chase and Frank Renzulli, directed by Tim Van Patten and originally aired on February 28, 1999.

"Denial, Anger, Acceptance" is the third episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It was written by Mark Saraceni, directed by Nick Gomez, and originally aired on January 24, 1999.

"...To Save Us All from Satan's Power" is the 36th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the 10th of the show's third season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by Jack Bender, and originally aired on April 29, 2001.

"Army of One" is the 39th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the finale of the show's third season. It was written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner, and directed by John Patterson, and originally aired on May 20, 2001.

"I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" is the 13th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the finale of the show's first season. Written by David Chase and directed by John Patterson, it originally aired on April 4, 1999.

<i>Lonesome Jim</i> 2005 film by Steve Buscemi

Lonesome Jim is a 2005 American comedy/drama film directed by actor/filmmaker Steve Buscemi. Filmed mostly in the city of Goshen, Indiana, the film stars Casey Affleck as a chronically depressed aspiring writer who moves back into his parents' home after failing to make it in New York City. His older brother already lives there with his two daughters. Liv Tyler stars as a good-hearted nurse who begins a sexual relationship with Jim and starts to see him as a potential stepfather for her son.

Michael Rispoli is an American character actor. He was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano in the HBO television series The Sopranos, but was ultimately cast as Jackie Aprile, a recurring character in the show's first season. Rispoli reunited with Sopranos co-star James Gandolfini in the 2009 thriller The Taking of Pelham 123.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond De Felitta</span> American independent film director, screenwriter and musician

Raymond De Felitta is an American independent film director, screenwriter, musician, blogger and podcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele Santopietro</span> American actress

Michele Santopietro is an American actress best known for her recurring character JoJo Palmice on HBO's The Sopranos. Santopietro also made guest and recurring appearances on television shows such as Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Sex and the City, and the CBS television series New York News.

<i>Rob the Mob</i> 2014 American film

Rob the Mob is a 2014 American romantic crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta and written by Jonathan Fernandez. The film stars Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Andy García, Ray Romano, Aida Turturro, Frank Whaley, Michael Rispoli and Joseph R. Gannascoli, and is based on a true story. It was released on March 21, 2014.

<i>The Sopranos</i> (season 1) Television show season

The first season of the American crime drama series The Sopranos aired on HBO from January 10 to April 4, 1999. The first season was released on DVD in North America on December 12, 2000, and on Blu-ray on November 24, 2009.

<i>Person to Person</i> (film) 2017 American drama film by Dustin Guy Defa

Person to Person is a 2017 American drama film directed and written by Dustin Guy Defa. The film stars Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson, and Abbi Jacobson.

<i>Bottom of the 9th</i> (film) 2019 American film directed by Raymond De Felitta

Bottom of the 9th is an American drama film, directed by Raymond De Felitta, from a screenplay by Robert Bruzio. The movie's original title is STANO. It stars Joe Manganiello, Sofía Vergara, Michael Rispoli and Denis O'Hare.

References

  1. ↑ "Two Family House". The Numbers . Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  2. ↑ De Felitta, Raymond (June 3, 2009). "Two Family House": Who Was the Real Buddy Visalo". moviestildawn.
  3. ↑ "Two Family House". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Ebert, Roger (October 20, 2000). "Two Family House". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (October 27, 2000). "Two Family House". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  6. ↑ Lyman, Rick (January 30, 2000). "Sundance Jury Picks the Best of Rich Crop of Independent Films". The New York Times . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.