House of Race Cards
Two Family House's humor is deadened by stereotypes and sap.
Italian-Americans
might be glad to note that Two Family House, which centers around
the Italian community on
Michael Rispoli (The Sopranos)
is Buddy, a middle-aged working stiff who lost his one chance at singing fame
when he decided to get married instead. Since that time, he's been determined
to be his own boss, leading to a number of harebrained schemes that include a
limo service for a borough small enough to walk around, and a house-painting service
in a community that favors wallpaper designs. As his wife Estelle (Kathrine
Narducci, also of The Sopranos) puts it, "He's pregnant with
failure." But Buddy's convinced his latest scheme will work: He's
purchased a turn-of-the-century house dirt cheap. It's big enough for two
families: He intends to live upstairs, and make the downstairs into a bar (his
biggest dilemma is whether it should be called "Buddy's Place" or
"Buddy's Tavern"). Estelle hates the building, but given Buddy's
track record, she simply shrugs, and tells her friends "Don't worry about
it. We'll be in and out in a month." Naturally, there's a small hitch: The
place is already being rented to an Irish couple, and under an ancient bylaw,
they can't be evicted for a year. It doesn't make matters any more pleasant
that Jim (Kevin Conway), the man of that family, is an aged drunk with a
penchant for urinating on front porches and beating his pregnant wife, Mary
(Kelly Macdonald of Trainspotting).
Two Family House initially feels like a homegrown version
of such English and Irish working-class comedies as The Full Monty and Waking
Ned Devine, with its whimsical proletariat protagonist fighting for a
simple dream against ridiculous obstacles. But just when we think we've got a
bead on it, as the conflict between comically obnoxious tenant and
mild-mannered landlord gets underway, the film turns into something else.
First, said conflict is instantly defused, as Mary gives birth and her husband
promptly flees. And then the movie turns serious. Mary and her baby are made
the butt of ethnic jokes everywhere, and Buddy, feeling guilty, tries to find
her another place to stay. Meanwhile, Estelle becomes progressively more
aggressive about defusing Buddy's bar idea before he has a chance to fail, which,
in her mind, is inevitable.
If you can't see where this is
headed, keep in mind that the actress playing Mary is younger and better
looking than the actress playing Estelle. Add in some sentimental crooning, a
switch to grainy film to indicate that love is in the air, and soon all the
comedic energy is sucked out of the story. Conway takes much of it with him
when his character bails, but the sappy trappings that director Raymond De
Felitta piles onto the burgeoning romance story line kills any spark that
remains, despite the best efforts of the cast to keep it alive.
It's hard to talk much more
about the film without giving away a significant plot twist that occurs about
halfway through (previews and other critics may have already spoiled it, but
just in case...). Suffice it to say that it involves racism, and the playing of
repeated racial slurs like "coon" and "pickaninny" for
laughs. The film is set in the '50s, when such remarks were more socially
accepted, but the humor falls flat after a while. Oh, those racists -- aren't
they just adorable in their ignorance? Depending upon one's race, the answers
to that question likely range from "no" to "hell, no."
Having said all that, it should
be noted that Two Family House won an audience award at Sundance. It
should also be noted that mainstream audiences probably have a higher tolerance
for sap than many critics, and the film's ultimate message is that love
conquers prejudice. Still, the prejudiced folks walk away with only a mild slap
on the wrist, if that. The film is apparently based on the life of the
director's uncle, and that might explain the somewhat disjointed nature of the
story; real life seldom conveniently condenses itself into three acts.
Nonetheless, since it is presented as fiction, it will be judged as fiction,
and in this case it comes up short.