Somewhere in Queens

"Somewhere in Queens" is a charming indie comedy with engaging characters, thanks to Ray Romano's writing and acting. The film tackles darker themes, and the supporting cast, including Laurie Metcalf, delivers strong performances. However, it lacks innovation in storytelling and visuals, with sitcom-style staging and evident directorial inexperience. Some absurd character decisions, rushed resolutions, and unearned outcomes detract from the overall impact of the film.

Somewhere in Queens is a solid effort from Romano that delivers family drama with a few chuckles along the way. The film is fairly conventional both plot-wise and stylistically, setting up reasonably grounded characters and situations before throwing in some low-level hijinks. Metcalf and Romano's performances are largely why the film works. The basketball, Guido family gatherings, and high-school love life aren't particularly interesting though.

A lovely watch! Whether you’re here for the bickering Brooklyn-Italian extended family or the touching father-mother-son dynamic, it’s a funny and engaging piece of work. The self-destructive main character lends a vaguely Holofcener-esque vibe, although this is far sweeter than one of her films.

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Quite the drama. Deep. Painfully awkward too but that is part of its depth. Great character acting.

Cute low-key dramady, which increasingly devolves into tackiness (with flourishes of maudlin soundtrack to match), but does have its moments of good sense along the way. For something that feels like a long TV episode with inevitable closure, it could be worse. Romano does okay in his first directorial effort, and he and young Sadie Stanley carry the cast along.

Very good drama. Only some of the dialogue wasn't totally believable for me. Otherwise, well done all the way around.