Plot: What’s it about?
Buddy Visalo (Michael Rispoli) has dreams like anyone else, but as time has passed, he finds himself no closer to them than ever before. As he takes stock of his life, he discovers that his wife Estelle (Katherine Narducci) has been holding him back, while his friends have offered no support in the least. So Buddy realizes he must go against the wishes of them all, if he is to ever make his dreams come true, which is his goal as of right now. His life has been average to this point, but Buddy is now prepared to make serious chances, to take risks like never before. Buddy now wants to purchase a two story building, to live on the top floor and on bottom floor, to open a bar and general local hangout. Though his wife hates the idea and Buddy has no one to stand by him, he pushes ahead and gets his dream on the road, but some problems still surface. There’s already tenants upstairs, in the form of an abrasive Irish drunk and his young pregnant wife, who have no plans to leave. But as time passes, Buddy and the young woman (Kelly Macdonald) begin a friendship and at last, he might have someone to be at his side, as he makes his dream come true.
This film wasn’t much of a financial boon, but it did receive good word of mouth, as well as winning the audience award at Sundance 2000. I was never able to see this on the big screen, but I was looking forward to this home video edition, so I decided to give it a spin. In the end, Two Family House is a good little movie, but it never makes it to that next level of success. I liked the film and would recommend it, but it lacks that extra punch that makes a great movie great, as opposed to just good. It seemed as if all the elements were solid, but no aspects seemed to stand up and charge ahead, to make the movie that much better. The story is well written and allows the film to move at a nice pace, but again, is not too memorable in the end. It has moments of drama and comedy, mixed well and never forced, which certainly helps the cause here. I like the performances also, but while the actors do very well, no one gives that excellent turn and that might have pushed Two Family House up a notch or two. In the end, I think this film would make a solid rental choice, but I don’t think a purchase is needed. I’d seen Michael Rispoli in some supporting roles, but I was unsure of how well he could handle a lead performance. As it turns out, Rispoli is more than up to the task, but just doesn’t have the spark needed at times, which keeps his work from being great. He does have solid material however, but again, it never offers him many moments to truly shine, though it does allow him to showcase some depth and range. Rispoli seems to be a good choice here, as he comes off as very relaxed within the role, never out of place or tense. And since this is a movie about pretty normal people, I think that natural state is a crucial portion of his performance. You can also see Rispoli in such films as Summer of Sam, Snake Eyes, To Die For, Feeling Minnesota, Above the Rim, The Third Miracle, Rounders, and One Tough Cop, as well as on Tv’s The Sopranos. The cast here also includes Kevin Conway (The Stupids, Thirteen Days), Katherine Narducci (A Bronx Tale, Tv’s The Sopranos), Matt Servitto (The Siege, Cherry), and Kelly Macdonald (Trainspotting, Elizabeth).
Video: How does it look?
Two Family House is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a solid visual treatment, but I think a step down from Universal’s normal efforts in this area. I saw compression flaws more than a few times, as well as some minor source print nicks, strange for such a recent (2000) motion picture. These problems weren’t severe, but I wanted to mention them, as I think most people will assume this is the usual Universal transfer, which it isn’t. The image is on the soft side, but retains the intended muted color scheme and as far as contrast, it is stable, though sometimes too dark. This transfer is still solid however, so don’t think it is bad, it just isn’t up to the usual Universal standards.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a very dialogue reliant picture, so the included 2.0 surround track proves be effective enough. The surrounds see some limited activity however, such as some subtle atmosphere elements, as well as the musical soundtrack. The elements sound as needed, but since this is a dialogue driven flick, the audio remains in the front channels most of the time. The vocals come across in fine form here, very sharp and clean, never hindered by volume problems in the least. This disc also includes English subtitles, in case you’ll want to use those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
