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Post by Nora on May 8, 2023 18:19:33 GMT
what a great little movie. For sure go see it. Such a layered and touching performances, especially from Ray Romano and Laurie Metcalf.
Enjoyed it immensly. Its everything that God/Margaret wanted to be but is somehow less so Entertaining, deep, unique, touching.
9/10
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Post by joekiddlouischama on Jun 8, 2023 22:56:47 GMT
I enjoyed Somewhere in Queens as well and found it "good." Writer-director-star Ray Romano—making his directorial debut—knows the material well and achieves something of a black comedy. Indeed, the film's title could have actually been "Only in Queens." One recognizes the movie's TV sitcom roots, but Romano uses the greater time and continuity of the cinematic format to create layers of ambiguity, irony, and depth that a television comedy would never allow for.
Somewhere in Queens is amusing yet also discomfiting. None of the characters are villainous, yet none are easily embraceable, and the acting is excellent—especially Romano, Laurie Metcalf as his wife, and Jennifer Esposito as an attractive and empathetic client of the Romano character. The various characters—most notably Romano's and the high school senior played by Sadie Stanley—have understandable reasons for their dubious moral choices and earthy behavior, but their actions are not entirely defensible, either. Indeed, you have a lot of competing agendas and conflicted feelings, leading to questionable compromises and curious alliances. And the best part is that all of this nuance feels organic rather than contrived.
One might wish that Romano had made more visually of the Queens locations—the only grittily memorable shots come during the opening sequence and sometime later when his character is stumbling home drunk following a celebration-turned-disaster at a restaurant. But unlike on a TV sitcom, at least he features real locations, giving the movie an authentically lived-in feel. And Somewhere in Queens raises real issues—and real ironies—about whether certain means justify certain desirable ends. Part of what makes the film work is that those problematic means are not obviously bad—there is nothing illegal or flagrantly immoral here—but they are uncomfortable nonetheless. So the material is richly comedic in a deeper, darker way than the typical romantic or screwball comedy. Some of the film's authenticity comes in how one could imagine most anyone bumbling through these dilemmas in a similar manner, only not with the humor that comes with Ray Romano's feel for Queens.
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