In a little-known suburb of the Bronx called City Island, the juxtaposition of clam-diggers (born-and-bred locals) and mussel-suckers (those who moved there later) works about as well as the chemistry of the Rizzo family. We are introduced to the Rizzos at a lovely dinner-table conversation, where, if you don't feel at least a little uncomfortable and agitated watching, your own family might need a minor intervention.

The father, Vince(played wonderfully by Andy Garcia), is the master of his castle, but his regular "poker games" are starting to wear down his distrusting and embittered wife, Joyce (Julianna Margulies). Daughter Vivian (played by Garcia's real-life daughter, Dominik Garcia-Lorido) is home from "college" for Spring Break, and her bratty little brother excels at making smart comments and trying to pit the family against each other. On top of this, all four characters have major secrets that are driving a wedge between their family, and it's going to get a lot worse before it can get better.

Watching it all play out is like some intensive therapy session/train wreck, and thoughts of Little Miss Sunshine will definitely enter your mind (especially since Alan Arkin plays a great part as an acting teacher as well). When Vince decides to bring a ne'er-do-well convict home from his Corrections Officer job, the rugged stranger is forced into the depths of a family drama he could never imagine. Suddenly, prison doesn't look quite so bad. Add to that Vince's new female "friend" Molly, and her longing for his secrets to all be laid bare to his wife, and the recipe for disaster is just about complete.

I want to tell you all the family's secrets, but it's just too much fun to let you watch them all unravel on your own. Some are pretty obvious, some are out of left field, and some will leave you with a serious side-ache (just remember the word "Botero"). When all is said and done, though, the eventual climax and necessary disclosure session is classic movie magic, but also a chance at redemption for the family. City Island paints a perfect picture of how secrets left in the darkness can fester and grow, but once brought to light, can possibly bring people closer and give them a second chance.