Two Family House (2000)
Buddy Visalo (Michael Rispoli) is a factory worker, a frustrated crooner who once had a shot at the big time. Buddy's dreams of greatness have been reduced to an endless series of failed moneymaking schemes. His latest is buying a two-family house for him and his wife, Estelle (Katherine Narducci) and converting the ground floor into a neighborhood bar where he can perform. The wrench in the works is that he also inherits the upstairs tenants, Mary,a pregnant Irish girl fresh off the boat (Kelly Macdonald) and her abusive, alcoholic husband, Jim (Kevin Conway). As Buddy's gang of Italians tries to handle the situation, the girl goes into labor, and a baby is born, forcing them all to confront the limits of their tolerance and compassion.
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A waste of 90 minutes of my life
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
This is a fine movie, by a talented artist. The music, the photography, but especially the story are of one piece. Ray Defelitta could have jazzed it up but wisely stayed within the characters and the spirit of his script. He makes it seem so easy. I don't know what to make of it taking 5 years for his next movie to be made, except this business is absurd. I hope he doesn't ever lose what he has here, a place that is fully realized and characters who breathe real air and have real emotions. The acting is extraordinary. The movie kind of reminds me of De Capra. I can't wait for his next film and boy it would be so nice if it was a commercial success. Or am I living in dreamland. We will see.
Buddy's repressed. A young Italian-American man living in Staten Island in 1956, he sees opportunity all around him. It's laying there waiting for him to pick it up and run with. Except for one major obstacle, his wife Estelle. She wants only for Buddy to find his narrow niche in the local community, with its dead-end job and familiar surroundings, and exist quietly in her idea of the American dream. But it's not Buddy's vision. So Buddy perseveres, undercut at every turn by Estelle. He finally manages to buy a two-family house to turn into his dream; a bar on the first floor, his home on the second. The current occupants are a foul-mouthed white trash Irish immigrant family, the very young wife in a very pregnant way. When she gives birth to a child whose father is obviously black, the older husband abandons her. And from this point Buddy's life journey takes a remarkable turn.Two Family House is a prototypical Indie film in all its positive aspects. It does very well with little budget, maximizing the contributions of cast and crew. The uplifting story is told without pandering or exploitation. The movie's not great, but it is effective, and most importantly, very enjoyable.
I just want to say, I had a friend that worked on this film so I read the script before the movie was released. I found the characters to be very stereo typical. Ex. "The Drunk Irish Man" "The Tough Italian" But I tried to have an open mind and give the screen version a chance. The film is not all bad. The acting is commendable, and the production value is great for the budget, but "Winner of the Audience Award at Sundance"? I don't know, maybe I should watch it again, cause I'm not seeing it.....
"Two Family House" tells the story of a 1950's Staten Island man (Rispoli) who finds that the road from dreams to reality is paved with difficulty but leads to happiness. A cute little romantic comedy with a big heart, "TFH" makes some big points about the importance of being true to one's own conscience above all else as it spins its simple tale. Well received by critics, "TFH" is an enjoyable watch with a message for everyone mature enough for a mild R rating.