Somewhere In Queens

I’ve always liked Ray Romano. Calling myself a fan feels like it oversells it, but whenever I would flip past Everybody Loves Raymond, I got a chuckle. And his bits on Dr. Katz still rattle around in my brain. He’s just one of those cultural presences most people absorb without realizing it, and it was the same for me. And everything I knew about him put him squarely in the camp of “comedian” with a very specific vibe. So when I heard not only that he was directing a movie, but that it was primarily a drama, I was very curious.

Many comedic actors hit that point eventually. They want to be taken more seriously, and so they start eyeing roles they think will reinforce that. While that’s lead to some incredible performances, such as Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting and Jim Carey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it’s also given us garbage like Jim Carey in The Number 23, or a just passable performance like Jack Black in King Kong. And I had no beat on which one Romano would be. Only one way to find out!

Leo Russo (Ray Romano) is middle-aged and feeling stuck. He works for his dad and brother (Tony Lo Bianco and Sebastian Maniscalco), who berate him at every turn. His wife Angela (Laurie Metcalf) is high strung, especially concerning their son Matthew (Jacob Ward), leading them to butt heads frequently. The one thing that seems to really energize him is Matthew’s success on the basketball court. When an opportunity arises for Matthew to land a basketball scholarship and go to college, it’s all Leo’s dreamed of. But when teenage heartache looks to derail that dream, Leo takes matters into his own hands, threatening to unravel his tenuous home life in more ways than one.

This is the type of movie almost perfectly formulated to land for me. It’s a small drama with stakes only for a certain family, involves them attempting to navigate real life situations, and is pretty damn grounded. It’s full of colorful characters without turning them into cartoons, and everyone gets a rich internal life, even if we don’t spend much time with them. The events of the film are all in service of furthering the characters, so the emotional beats later on land quite hard. And it’s entertaining without being a flat out comedy.

The family dinner scenes were particularly enjoyable. I don’t have a large family, so I can’t vouch for veracity, but they achieved the vibe of a loving albeit intense family, complete with bickering and teasing and everything. Just a bunch of people comfortable with each other, and who care about everyone else at the table, regardless of whether they like them.

As for the main plot threads, there was a good amount going on there. Matthew’s seeming social anxiety is a key, since his ability to shed it on the court leads to Leo’s own insecurities coming out and driving the plot. Which is something Romano nails from the first game. Of course he wants his son to be happy. But the way he wants Matthew to be happy is guided by his own need to be acknowledged and validated for something, anything. Even if it’s just for being the father of the star player. The lengths to which he’ll go to achieve that drive it home even further. Not to mention that those lengths clearly don’t consider how they’ll make Matthew feel.

And the movie doesn’t hide any of these motivations. It’s not a reveal, or something we realize gradually. It’s present in his performance from the beginning, in his reaction when the crowd starts chanting his name at the game, at the deal he tries to present Dani (Sadie Stanley) with. We see it in the way he responds when Angela or Frank or his dad chastise him, as well as when he gets the least bit of attention from Connie (Katie Kreisler). He doesn’t want to make something of his life, he just wants people to see him.

For me, the standout performance is Sadie Stanley as Dani, Matthew’s girlfriend. Maybe it’s just because most of her scenes are with Matthew, who’s so low energy that she can’t help but to pop. But I don’t think so. For one, her presence at the family dinner table is unmistakable. I have no problem believing this teenager has the self-assurance and composure to go toe to toe with Pops. She feels like such a natural part of the family, despite having a completely different overall demeanor. But even without speaking, she communicates her internal life quite well. The first time we see her after Leo’s proposed deal, it’s clear there’s been a shift long before she says a word. Her interactions with Matthew are different, but in a subtle enough way that you could see him missing or explaining away given how he feels about her.

All of this build and minor incidents make for Leo’s eventual fall so much more dramatic. In a short time, he sinks lower and lower, as he’s forced to face all he’s done. Without spoiling anything, suffice it to say I absolutely adore each aspect of the ultimate resolution of the plot. The final few scenes and all they say about the characters hit super hard. And right in the middle of Leo’s reckoning, we get what I think is a perfect line, although it will be meaningless until you see the film: “Not yet”.

Oh, and one last thing: shout-out to Drexel University! I’m not sure how I heard of it, but back in high school I visited the campus and eventually applied Early Access. It was my first time in Philly, and while there my dad and I went to see Michael Clayton, for some reason. I didn’t end up attending, but it always brings back good memories.

In any case, this was a movie I went into with no expectations, and came out absolutely loving. It’s not one which begs to be seen on the big screen (although I’ll advocate seeing anything in the theater), so waiting for it to hit streaming or VOD won’t harm the experience. But no matter how and when, I highly recommend watching.