Customer Reviews

Two Family House [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What an absolutely lovely film this was. And what a shame it never enjoyed wider release, for it is eminently worth viewing. I was even more delighted when I found out that it really was based on a true story...the director/writer is Buddy's nephew.

Buddy Visalo is a lovable, warm, and bumbling dreamer whose wife Estelle constantly deflates his trial balloons--because she is expected to by her culture and the times they lived in. She wants Buddy to take no chances and would rather he kept a job he hated than try something new and more daring.

To realize his dream, Buddy must ignore Estelle and also evict the pregnant Mary O'Neary from the upstairs of the place where he hopes to start his bar. This eviction pains him greatly. How he assuages his pain and helps her out is the heart and soul of "Two-Family House".

This is a movie about doing good for someone and expecting nothing in return, about trying to fulfill a dream and dealing with the obstacles that are in your way. It is not a complex movie with a hidden agenda and messages tangled up in a lot of gimmickry. There are serious themes treated seriously, but never in a preachy way. It is just uplifting and full of truths with a hero who is Everyman. As one reviewer said ...."Buddy is off on an adventure that surprises even him. To accompany him is to experience filmgoing joy."

This is essentially a character study of a decent guy, Buddy Visalo, who realizes 11 years into his marriage to Estelle that his family and friends are his jailers, stopping him from realizing his dreams of running a tavern. Estelle crushed his dream of auditioning for Arthur Godfrey's TV show, now she would have him stay at a mind numbing factory job for the sake of conformity. He buys a two-family house (against Estelle's objections), and when he meets his upstairs tenants, an Irish-American boozehound and his pregnant wife, his life starts to change. There is a happy ending, there is virtually no profanity (hurray!), and the setting of time and place, 1956 in Staten Island, NY, is realistic. Many of the actors are from The Sopranos, and this enhances the sense of familiarity one feels instantly with this group of Italian-Americans leading ordinary lives. There are no big speeches, no grandstanding displays of emotions, just the quiet depiction of a man re-gaining his own sense of self worth after years after putting his dreams on hold. Buddy is a decent guy, and you cheer him on his journey.

A great movie with many outstanding performances by relatively, really relatively, unknowns. Heartwarming, humorous, nostalgic, totally elevating and causing much reflection on how humans treat one another today, in the past and with hope for the future. Very hard to forget this movie, its characters and its lessons. Hope not to.

This was simply the most appealing movie we've seen in years. It was touching, funny, moving and romantic. Unlike most romantic comedies it entertains men and women equally.The music alone makes it worthwhile. A must see for anyone from 18-80!

This is one of the sweetest, most intelligent, authentic films of the decade: perfectly acted, beautifully directed. It's one of the first films I've seen in a long time that gives the story time to breathe. It's a pleasure to see the Sopranos cast giving this simple story their best attention. In a better world TWO FAMILY HOUSE would have gotten the Oscar. It's like MARTY but with more grit, and deserves a wide audience.

As a movie fan, every once in awhile, I surprise myself by finding a small, unknown, cinematic treasure, that is truely an enjoyable experience. This seems to be the case, when one night at a sleepless 2am, I found the wonderfully, nostalgic drama, "Two family House" on HBO. There is no big budget, ego filled superstar actors, over done special effects or loud explosions. All this film seems to offer up is a moving script and fine, nuanced performances from the actors. "Two Family House" takes place in a working class, Italian neighborhood of 1950's Staten Island. Buddy Visalo (Michael Rispoli) is a little guy with big dreams and a plan to fulfill them. He wants to own a bar and fulfill his aspirations of singing in front of an audience. His plan is to buy a two family home, construct and build the bar on the bottom and rent out the second floor to borders to make the venture pay for itself. Unfortunately, his wife, Estelle (Katherine Narducci) dosn't share in his dreams, nor does she have any confidence in her husband being successful at anything. This is a women, who is deeply afraid of being made a laughing stock and is almost obsessed with conforming to the social standards of the neighborhood and community. All is going to plan, until the appearance of the upstairs renters, a married Irish couple expecting a baby. The Irish women, Mary (Kelly Macdonald) gives birth to a mixed-race child. She is subsequently abandoned by her husband and thrown out of the house by Buddy and an insistant, Estelle. Feeling guilty, Buddy secretly helps Mary out and soon a relationship transpires. Mary, a tough and very proud women, turns out to believe in Buddy and his dreams. She helps him realize, what is holding him back in achieving them. It is through his love for her, that Buddy realizes "who his jailers are" and how to really change his life. Writer/Director, Raymond De Felitta has created a moving film, with an almost magical tone, based on the true life story of his relatives. This is a smart script about working class people, who share complex emotions. It would be easy for the script to fall into using lazy stereotypes of these people. Instead we get three in-depth character studies of what makes these folks tick. This is especially effective becuase of the great performances, that come from a vey talented cast. All three of the lead actors just make their roles come alive with wonderfully nuanced readings, that brings out both the joy and sorrow that these characters experience. We get to really understand why these people make the descions they make. Finally, mention should be made of the splendid original music soundtrack by Composer, Stephen Endelman. He does a great job of nostalgicaly evoking both the time period and setting of the film. For an evening of wonderful drama, I highly recommend "Two family House".

This is one of those rare movies that stays with you long after you've seen it. I watched this on cable and the next day had to buy the DVD. Excellent potrayals all around with story that tugs at your heartstrings. Well written and very well acted. And it really goes to show you, forget what people think about your dreams! Live your life! If you want a really good movie then this will not disappoint!

-- "My husband and I just finished watching Two Family House. It was a wonderful (and true!) story about an American-Italian man home from WWII who returns to his neighborhood on Staten Island and marries, and above all wants his own home, his own business, and wants to sing (having missed an opportunity to appear on the Arthur Godfrey show). He wants the "American dream" -- and how he goes about getting it and who builds him up and who sets out to kill his spirit -- and this is the stuff that movies are made of -- an engrossing character study of a very fine man and the people and women around him. I don't want to give too much away -- this movie unfolds, and many prosaic holes are punched in the local fabric of "society" -- conform or not to conform? follow a dream or not to follow a dream? love who you're supposed to love or not? Some very, very libertarian messages are worked into this film without preaching or hitting anyone on the head -- my husband and I both agreed on this. While there is a lot of profanity and racist and ethnic profanities dropped, it is definitly not out of context - in fact, they're used to emphasize the anti-libertarian messages. Be that as it may, the movie was released or made in 2000. It was written and directed by Raymond De Felitta based on the story told him by the hero's adopted son and present owner of the real "Buddy's Tavern" - De Felitta is "Buddy's" nephew. This is a very non-cliched movie - warmhearted, and thoughtful. Movie running time: 107 mins. Please, please see this movie - I guarantee you you won't be disappointed." --C.B.

This was really a beautiful movie about a working class guy (Buddy) from a close knit Italian neighborhood. He gives up an opportunity to become a singer (his dream) to marry a shrewish woman who has no faith in him or his dreams. Fate causes Buddy to cross paths with a young Irish woman who gives birth to a bi racial baby while married to an older irish drunk. keep in mind, this was the 1950s and in Staten Island As time goes on, Buddy falls in love with this fiery, but loyal young woman (Mary) and eventually marries her and takes on the rearing (and loving) of her baby.The affection that the baby had for Buddy shows clearly that was not only was Buddy kind, but strong. In the end you see that Buddy's friends abd family had abandoned him because of his love for Mary and her son.

This film takes place on Staten island in the late 1950s. It examines the story of an Italian family, Buddy and Estelle, and the way their lives affect an Irish woman whose husband has left her due to her having a black son. It is a funny film, heartwarming and cute, slightly slow moving, with wonderful vignettes of the 1950s and the ethnic mish-mash of New York in that period.

Buddy is a down on his luck workman who has always dreamed big. But his businesses have failed: pizza backing, limosine service and finally he has decided to make his house into a bar. It turns out the house is inhabited by an Irish couple, of whome the husband is an abusive drunkard and the wife turns out to have been pregnant with someone elses baby. The movie is narrated by the now grown up baby, and follows the interactions, hardships and joys of these people and their community.

Wonderful stuff,
Seth J. Frantzman