Critic Reviews
Two Family House (2000) Rank 5 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (84) reviews
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Reviews by Score:
Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
Well-acted, lovingly put together and heartbreakingly honest. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
San Francisco Chronicle (Carla Meyer)
It's the kind of small but amazing character study (think ``Marty'') that film lovers yearn for while griping that this type of picture no longer gets made. Turns out it does. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Carla Meyer)
Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)
Michael Rispoli is so perfect in each and every scene that you can't even imagine him playing any other parts, much less somebody else playing his. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
The charm and art of De Felitta's gentle domestic sketch expand far beyond biographical borders. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
Film.com (Ernest Hardy)
An unassuming little film that packs a huge emotional and artistic punch. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Film.com (Ernest Hardy)
Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
A fairy tale that presents love as a case of mutual enchantment, Two Family House is not only uniformly well acted, superbly designed, lovingly lit, and sensitively scored, it's as romantic as it is funny. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
The New York Times (Lawrence Van Gelder)
Experience filmgoing joy. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at The New York Times (Lawrence Van Gelder)
Slate (David Edelstein)
Beat by beat, scene by scene, gorgeous...at times emotionally devastating. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Slate (David Edelstein)
Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
It's all about the little things, and the way in which the little things can steal into your heart in big ways. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
A touching and effective film. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
DVD Talk (Matt Langdon)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)
Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
There really was an Uncle Buddy, and he really did finally open his own bar on Staten Island, and sing on Saturday nights to the customers. "Two Family House" vibrates with the energy of his presence. You can sense that real things are at risk, that Buddy ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
filmcritic.com leases Two Family House
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)
In the face of intolerance, Two Family House lovingly celebrates the triumph of love and acceptance over prejudice. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)
San Francisco Chronicle (Carla Meyer)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
Swimming to Casablanca - sprint reviews
New York Times (Lawrence Van Gelder)
Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
The story, which deals straightforwardly with racism, miscegenation, adultery and consumerism, is a fascinating combination: a movie with an almost Capraesque heart and pristine, almost stagey lighting schemes, that addresses uncomfortable moral issues ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Salon.com (Charles Taylor)
The epitome of the small, character-driven film that the indie movement was supposed to champion before it became a hip mirror of the Hollywood star system. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Salon.com (Charles Taylor)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
A film of rare, delicate sensibility. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
LA Weekly (Ron Stringer)
Tenderhearted Staten Island Christmas comedy. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at LA Weekly (Ron Stringer)
Variety (Joe Leydon)
For all the pic’s sentimentality, De Felitta refuses to back away from some unpleasantly realistic touches. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Variety (Joe Leydon)
Mr. Showbiz (Kevin Maynard)
A sentimental slice of 1950s Italian-American life that doesn't soft-pedal its characters' simmering prejudices within their insulated community, or pander to their dreams of getting out. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Mr. Showbiz (Kevin Maynard)
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
ReelMovieCritic.com (George O. Singleton)
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Low key yet utterly charming... ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Globe and Mail (--)
Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Brimming over with affection and humanity, this memory drama about the destruction of one family and the birth of another is nostalgic in a good sense: funny, bittersweet, poignant. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
San Francisco Examiner (Walter Addiego)
De Felitta has taken potentially overripe material and given it real heart. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Walter Addiego)
New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
A gentle, soulful comedy about everyday dreams and what it takes to make them come true. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
A charming, (mostly) briskly unsentimental love story, written, directed and acted with remarkable assurance. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
A tender and affirmative movie, if never a transporting one. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
UpcomingDiscs.com (Brian Ludovico)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Note to readers: this review contains spoilers. While I do not believe the revelation of certain plot points will in any way compromise the viewing experience, those who wish to see Two Family House without having previous knowledge of key elements would ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Fulvue Drive-in
One of the unrecognized gems of 1999 is Two Family House, with Michael Rispoli of TV’s The Sopranos as Buddy, a good guy trying to build a better future by launching a neighborhood bar against financial odds. Buddy has always been a dreamer and will ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Fulvue Drive-in
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
eye WEEKLY (Jason Anderson)
Films on Disc (Stuart J. Kobak)
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews (Harry Knowles)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
Chicago Reader (Joshua Katzman)
Writer-director Raymond De Felitta has crafted a pleasant, low-key script that's full of small surprises, nice turns, and engaging, naturalistic dialogue, and he keeps the big, emotional family scenes, which often render this sort of material cliched and ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Chicago Reader (Joshua Katzman)
CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)
Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
Reel.com (Pam Grady)
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Flak Magazine (Eric Wittmershaus)
Philadelphia City Paper (Cindy Fuchs)
Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, Two Family House won Sundance’s Audience Award for the usual reasons: It’s heartwarming and small, with well-drawn and well-acted characters and a few serious socio-political references (mostly, to race and ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Philadelphia City Paper (Cindy Fuchs)
Film Freak Central
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
Worth staying with for the respect it pays to its characters' emotions. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Sweet-natured but overdone, over-long film. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
A sappy independent, Two Family House creates a romantic dramady out of the two unlikeliest characters -- a tubby married Italian guy who lives in Staten Island (Michael Rispoli) and a pregnant, Scottish import (Trainspotting's Kelly Macdonald) married to ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
TV Guide (Frank Lovece)
Bighearted and wistful, but with no fresh spin or anything new to say. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at TV Guide (Frank Lovece)
Dallas Observer (Luke Y. Thompson)
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 real. ...read the complete Two Family House movie review at Dallas Observer (Luke Y. Thompson)
Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
Palo Alto Weekly (Susan Tavernetti)
User Reviews
by Marilyn Schneider on May 12, 2007
I loved this movie. As an Italian American growing up in the 50's and 60's it was a walk down memory lane. ...
by Seth J. Frantzman on May 08, 2007
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, ...
by E. Igneri "Liggie... on July 03, 2006
This was really a beautiful movie about a working class ...
by Gregory Townes "A... on September 18, 2005
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 ...
by Kenneth M. Gelwas... on September 16, 2005
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 ...
by Robert J. Kresse on January 07, 2002
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. ...
by BeachReader on June 10, 2001
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 ...
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 ...
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