When the location of the movie features prominently in the title, the viewer expects said location to play a significant role, possibly even bringing its own character to the film. Movies such as Chicago, Fargo, and Out of Africa come to mind. City Island, named after a cozy fishing community near New York City, would not. The town itself, which is supposed to give the feeling of a small town haven from the hustle and bustle of the big city, never seems to play a big enough role – its beauty doesn’t quite inspire awe and each mention or description feels, well, scripted.

Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a middle-aged corrections officer who has always dreamed of becoming an actor. Ashamed of his aspirations, he tells his wife (Juliana Margulies) that his frequent acting classes are really poker games, leading her to believe that he’s having an affair. One secret leads to another, until it appears that everyone on City Island has something to hide. Hilarity ensues, to be followed by a heart-warming reconciliation. But, not really.

Andy Garcia stretches very little acting muscle in a role about an Italian family-man who dreams of Hollywood stardom. Juliana Margulies’ Joyce is described as fiery, but the movie seems to have redefined “fiery” as “cold and shrill”. Emily Mortimer as Molly, Vince’s acting partner, is charming, but her role and eventual exit from the screen lack any significant fanfare. The secret she reveals is anticlimactic, and the audience is left wanting more, or maybe just anything else. Even the dry charm of Alan Arkin is extremely underused as Vince and Molly’s acting coach.

That is not to say that there are no bright elements. The success of a movie often requires that the main character be likeable, and Vince Rizzo is that. Despite his faults, viewers find they want to encourage and support him as he pursues his dream. Although the character of Vinnie Jr., Vince’s son, is at times an overbearing caricature of a teenage boy, his inappropriate jokes and awkward behaviour does cause the audience to laugh, almost despite themselves. And, Molly’s quirky personality presents an excellent foil to Vince’s straightforward, guileless, and sometimes naïve traits.

The biggest problem with City Island is that everything is formulaic. Viewers are presented with the stereotypical Italian-American family that spends every meal screaming and arguing around the dinner table. In a failed attempt at irony, the convict (Steven Strait) Vince sponsors to have paroled for private reasons, is the only honest person in the movie. Tony quickly becomes the unofficial family secret-keeper, but yet he has no secrets of his own. Just in case the audience doesn’t understand the incongruity of this situation, he loudly declares in the film’s climactic scene that he’d rather go back to prison where everyone is honest. Subtlety is completely lost in this script.

Unfortunately, a script lacking in subtlety also lacks suspense. Writer and director Raymond de Felitta doesn’t manage to create a story that draws in its audience. Each secret is revealed early on and the characters, having very little depth, do not undergo any type of evolution as the movie progresses. There is no great epiphany in the climax. Instead there is only revelation upon revelation that leads to no substantial change. Perhaps City Island does indeed warrant being the title of the movie – the town has no less character than the residents who live there.