Film: Two Family House
Cast includes: Michael Rispoli (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3), Kelly MacDonald (Gosford Park), Kathrine Narducci (The Sopranos)
Writer/director: Raymond De Felitta (Café Society, City Island)
Genre: Comedy/drama/romance (2000)
In brief: The year is 1956; the place is Staten Island. Buddy Visalo has found his next dream. It starts with buying the ramshackle house at 19 West Street in the Irish neighborhood, of all places. It’s a two-family house, so Buddy and Estelle can live in the apartment upstairs and turn the first floor into Buddy’s Tavern. Actually, this isn’t Buddy’s first dream. He’s had a few of them… all failures. But the one that will stay with Buddy forever is when he passed up the opportunity to audition for Arthur Godfry. Estelle wouldn’t hear of it… and wouldn’t marry Buddy until he gave up that ridiculous notion. When Julius LaRosa, another young Italian singer, became the next big singing star on the Arthur Godfry Show, Buddy always knew it should have been him. So for the next 10 years, Buddy and Estelle lived in a little room in Estelle’s parent’s house… until Buddy buys the house on West Street.
As it turns out, there‘s one big hitch. The apartment upstairs has tenants, and the tenants aren’t planning on going anywhere. Jim O’Neary is an old drunk, Irish reprobate. And his beautiful, young wife, Mary, is ready to give birth any minute. When attempts to get them out fail, Buddy’s friends come over to lend a hand… a baseball bat and some other implements of violence. But that’s when Mary goes into labor. While the “knuckleheads” are outside debating what to do, Estelle rushes upstairs to help deliver the baby. And that’s when things take a strange turn. Even though he has two Irish parents, the baby seems to be made of “somewhat darker material.” Well, that finishes off Jim O’Neary, who disappears that very day. But he leaves behind that “Irish whore” and her “colored baby.” They have to go, Estelle and her friends tell him… not next week… but now! When Mary finds a room to rent in a sleazy hotel, she packs her small suitcase, takes the baby and struggles off to start a new life. “No hard feelings,” Buddy says. “What’s wrong with you, Mr. Visalo,” is all she can answer.
At this point, it may not be obvious, but Mary and Buddy are on a collision course. Buddy does love his wife, but Estelle has never understood why Buddy has “dreams of being something he’s not.” Mary’s had dreams too that haven’t exactly worked out… and now there’s the colored baby, who’d be better off with a more appropriate family. Inspired by a true story, the plot is complex, and much of it sounds like the makings of a good farce. But Two Family House is a heart-felt, character-driven narrative, and we can truly empathize with each main character. After all, it’s the 50s, and the world is changing. It’s a time when the WWII generation is reexamining their values and trying to decide what’s worth risking everything for.
3 popped kernels
Popped kernels for charming, wonderful characters. It's a wonderful script that takes us to a place and time of social significance. Excellent acting.
