Explain Vince Rizzo's search for identity in the movie City Island - Essay Example

Client’s 15 July A man with a decent job trying to become an actor is quite uncommon; Island was released in the year 2009. The movie was not very successful but it presented a lot of intriguing facts and secrets which entertained the audience. A jaded old pro in Alan Arkin teaches Vince acting, Vince also auditions for a Martin Scorsese picture, the movie presents the secrets of the characters involved and how they try their best to hide the darker side of their life, it culminates in a coming together of all the family members, it also uncovers all their dirty secrets.

This paper will shed light upon Vince’s search for identity in the movie; light will also be thrown upon how he fathered a child in his teenage, who comes back in his life and how things progress from there. Vince is a native of the island, he is uncomfortable with people who come to stay there and bring about unwanted changes, and the opening scene of his voiceover presents the same very comprehensively. Vince is not comfortable with his job, he is a prison guard, and his ambition of becoming an actor is perhaps the most important thing in the movie.

He lies to his wife and moves to Manhattan to pursue a career as an actor. There are a lot of misunderstandings in the movie, Vince’s wife thinks that her husband is after some mistress who he has been pursuing for quite some time, Vince’s ambition and several misunderstandings make this movie very intriguing. Vince has several problems which he is completely unaware of, his daughter strips at a club in order to pay her school fees; he meets his step son who he fathered out of wedlock. Vince’s son is addicted to porn on internet and wants to fulfill his fantasies with a girl residing in the neighborhood; these are some of the many problems which Vince was facing.

The introduction of Tony, Vince’s step-son brings a huge twist in the movie. Vince takes Tony home without disclosing his hidden secrets; this point made the move very interesting and added to the mounting problems of Vince. “This is the kind of movie that could easily sink into comedy hijinks as broad and flat as pappardelle. But it doesn't. De Felitta, an accomplished jazz pianist, keeps the riffs lively, and makes no apologies for the outrageousness of the coincidences and gloriously knotty relationships and secrets.

They're just there to be enjoyed, and they're hard to resist.” (Secrets and Lines) The movie ends when the members of the family get to know about each others’ secrets, all the misunderstandings also get cleared up. To conclude it is fair to say that Vince struggles all through the movie, he moves to Manhattan to become an actor, his search for identity leads him to meet his step-son, all these secrets and surprises end up making the movie quite interesting. Vince as a central character is very clear about his ambition and he gives a fine shot, he is ambitious and does not settle with his safe job like many others would have done, his search for identity in the movie shows the pursuit of a man who has made mistakes in his life.

The movie is quite light-hearted and entertaining. Works Cited “Secrets and Lines.” City Island. n.p., Web. 14 July. 2011.