I went to see "Two Family House" expecting an above average feel-good drama. Well, I guess two out of three ain't bad. The story itself wasn't bad, but the film relied too heavily on caricatures of Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans.
Buddy (Michael Rispoli) could have had a brilliant singing career, but his wife Estelle (Kathrine Narducci) forbade it. Ever since, she has thrown a wet blanket on any dream Buddy may have ever had. And if the dream doesn't fail on its own, she tries to sabotage it. Now Buddy wants to own his own two-family home and run a bar on the lower floor while living in the upstairs apartment, but there are a couple of problems. First, Estelle hates the house and the dreams that come with it. Second, the upstairs tenant is an alcoholic Irish immigrant (Kevin Conway) who refuses to leave. He also beats his pregnant wife Mary (Kelly McDonald).
Once we see that Mary is younger and prettier than we would expect and her husband taunts Buddy by saying "You want her, don't ye?" we know exactly how the rest of the film goes.
The only two characters in this film who aren't cartoons are Mary and her child (who narrates the film). Not only is the Irishman a filthy abusive drunk, but the Italian-American men are all good-natured lunkheads who sit around the bar saying "fagedaboudit" and the like. Given that the film is made by an Italian-American man, I suppose the latter is forgivable. What is *not* forgivable (from my point of view) is the portrayal of Italian-American women. All of them are shown as vicious and gossipy creatures whose only aim in life is to make their husbands suffer.
The film has its good points. If someone were to tell you the story in passing you'd probably think it was cute and sweet. And Kelly McDonald is a fine actress. But "Two Family House" could use a few more three-dimensional characters. 6 out of 10.
Buddy (Michael Rispoli) could have had a brilliant singing career, but his wife Estelle (Kathrine Narducci) forbade it. Ever since, she has thrown a wet blanket on any dream Buddy may have ever had. And if the dream doesn't fail on its own, she tries to sabotage it. Now Buddy wants to own his own two-family home and run a bar on the lower floor while living in the upstairs apartment, but there are a couple of problems. First, Estelle hates the house and the dreams that come with it. Second, the upstairs tenant is an alcoholic Irish immigrant (Kevin Conway) who refuses to leave. He also beats his pregnant wife Mary (Kelly McDonald).
Once we see that Mary is younger and prettier than we would expect and her husband taunts Buddy by saying "You want her, don't ye?" we know exactly how the rest of the film goes.
The only two characters in this film who aren't cartoons are Mary and her child (who narrates the film). Not only is the Irishman a filthy abusive drunk, but the Italian-American men are all good-natured lunkheads who sit around the bar saying "fagedaboudit" and the like. Given that the film is made by an Italian-American man, I suppose the latter is forgivable. What is *not* forgivable (from my point of view) is the portrayal of Italian-American women. All of them are shown as vicious and gossipy creatures whose only aim in life is to make their husbands suffer.
The film has its good points. If someone were to tell you the story in passing you'd probably think it was cute and sweet. And Kelly McDonald is a fine actress. But "Two Family House" could use a few more three-dimensional characters. 6 out of 10.