Somewhere in Queens

Coming from a large family myself, I get the ups and downs of family portrayed in this movie. But the downs are just down right depressing and overall made this a difficult movie to watch and even enjoy. Appreciate everyone's efforts in portraying their characters and trying to tell a story but don't be fooled in thinking that both of the main roles are two that are well versed in comedy that this movie is a comedy. Misleading classification on this one for sure. Ray's character is just odd and difficult to like. Really wanted to like this movie, the trailer was funny - movie not so much. Didn't rate.

I liked the movie but cannot rave about it as some of the other reviewers. For me the film's fault-line has to do with the working class parenting which experiences great challenges in raising their only teenage son. The parents are portrayed by Ray Romano and Laurie Metcalf. I liked Ray's portrayal of the father but I thought Laurie Metcalf was miscast perhaps because the range of reactions/responses she has is very limited. I found her portrayal of the character wanting at every point. Ray Romano is the sad sack of his family who works at the family business. Ray remains the quintessential Ray, he never strays from his range as characterized in "Everybody Loves Raymond". I think Ray needs to get out of the Sad Sack dead pan delivery style he is so known for. It will do him well to get out of that stereotype we are so used to. In the movie he could have done with a shave at least in some scenes. Jacob Ward plays the couples teenage son who has come of age and on the verge of entering college. His portrayal was at best average even though his role could have had some more meat. Overall it's a watchable film but one thing the film portrays beautifully is how working class families deal with parenting and fail miserably at every step. I think it was a true reflection of what happens in a working class family i.e. The conflict that drives a wedge in pulling away from a blue collar life to one where education is valued, albeit in the film it has to do with a basketball scholarship for the son.

I write this as a huge Ray Romano fan. The movie wasn't good at all. And the casting was weird. Incredibly boring. I doubt I'd ever watch it again. Very very disappointing and the story wasn't even good. 3/10 only because Ray is in it. Otherwise, it would be a 1/10. Acting was ok I guess. Boring movie, boring story, kid cast is weird looking. Metcalf doesn't belong here. Such a dry, boring movie that never drew me in or made me care at all.. The good reviews for this must be from people who love boring movies like Lincoln, which was terrible. What is wrong with people that this has positive reviews? I REALLY want my money back. I feel like a fool for buying this based on Ray Romano's history and positive reviews.

My Review - Somewhere in Queens My Rating 7/10. In cinemas If you enjoy an uncomplicated, entertaining family movie full of diverse characters from an ethnic background in this case Italian I think this movie fills that category well. The Script is Co Written by Ray Romano and Mark Stegemann and tells the story of the Russo's an Italian-American family headed by Leo played by Ray Romano who also directed the movie and his wife Angela my favourite character in the movie beautifully played by Laurie Metcalf. Laurie Metcalf as Angela doesn't hold back and isn't subtle in voicing her opinions on her husband's defects of character or her sons choice in a girlfriend. This movie is a familiar tale of a father Leo who lives a blue collar life living his unfulfilled dreams through his sons sporting prowess . He attends every basketball match barracking from the sidelines . He is concerned with his son's ambition goes to devious lengths to make certain his lanky good natured son 'Sticks' gets a place in a Sports College that will take him out of the family's traditional business that will launch him toward a professional career. Somewhere in Queens has a delightful cast that includes many actors I'm not familiar with including Jacob Ward who plays Matthew 'Sticks' Russo the son . He's not your usual ego driven sports jock . 'Sticks' personality has a quiet naivety . 'Sticks excels on the basketball court but his courtship and infatuation with his more worldly girlfriend Dani also played delightfully by Sadie Stanley is problematic. I read that Jacob Ward played basketball in high school, but realized he wasn't good enough to go pro, so he decided to pursue his second passion acting and he looks promising in his first major role . There's a lot of fun and the usual big Italian family gatherings and interactions in Somewhere in Queens I really enjoyed it.

Can't believe we sat through this mediocre waste of time. Dull and boring.. Ho-hum all the way..this did not deliver anything... Ray Romano is better than this or so I thought. It's as if he were looking up into the sky thinking "what in the hell can I write about"? .. Boring dull storyline, characters, the whole thing..Sometimes it's better to do nothing than try to stay relevant with garbage like this. Stay on top and in people's memory with a little dignity for Gods sake. . Disappointed in this sham of a farce passed off as entertainment. Save your money and see anything else. Bland as old oatmeal....

This is the best I've ever seen of Ray Romano. After I watched it I found out that he wrote and directed this movie and I was blown away. We need Ray to write and direct more. It was that good. The characters were real, the acting was real and the pain was real. It reminded me of how movies used to be made before the studios started to worry about being woke. The relation between Ray and his wife (Laurie Metcalfe) seems on the surface to be tired and old but as the story unfolds we get to know that it's actually a much deeper relationship. Their son (Jacob Ward) plays his role perfectly and we follow his coming of his age with heartbreak and joy. Sadie Stanley does a stellar job as his love interest. I don't want to spoil it by going into detail but I guarantee you will love this movie . Well done to all involved in this fabulous film. I loved it.

Because they come along far too infrequently these days. No excessive cgi carnage, no confusing interconnected universes, not another pointless big budget Hollywood remake, this is just an extremely well acted and expertly told small and personal story about family. Ray Romano, here as writer, director and lead actor, has a true gift of presenting us with very real characters dealing with everyday problems while keeping it compelling throughout the movie's modest 107 minute runtime. If by chance anyone reading this review enjoyed Romano's criminally underrated show 'Men of a Certain Age' You absolutely owe it to Yourself to watch this film. Conversely, if You enjoyed this movie and haven't seen that show, go ahead and seek it out immediately and binge its essentially perfect 22 episode run.