Leo (Romano) and Angela (Metcalf) Russo live a simple, blue-collar life in Queens, surrounded by the big personalities of their overbearing Italian-American family. When their lanky soft-spoken son 'Sticks' finds success on his high school basketball team and a chance at a life beyond what tradition expects, Leo tears the family apart trying to make it happen.... (Full plot summary below)
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Leo (Romano) and Angela (Metcalf) Russo live a simple, blue-collar life in Queens, surrounded by the big personalities of their overbearing Italian-American family. When their lanky soft-spoken son 'Sticks' finds success on his high school basketball team and a chance at a life beyond what tradition expects, Leo tears the family apart trying to make it happen.
Leave your thoughts about Somewhere in Queens.
| The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenAs its title suggests, the movie embraces generic types, but smart writing, unforced direction and a superb cast give the sentimental-but-not-gushy comic drama the messy specifics and narrative friction to lift it well beyond been-there-done-that. |
| Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerIt's quiet and charming and has some beautiful, if also familiar things to say about fathers and sons, and the question of legacy. But it's not breaking any new or revelatory ground. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperBeyond the often hilarious dialogue and some slapstick humor, when Somewhere in Queens gets into serious territory, including Leo possibly having a fling with an attractive widow (Jennifer Esposito), the material is handled deftly and with intelligence and care. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanThe love language of the Russo family is shouting — one of several cliches deployed here — but Romano and his co-writer, Mark Stegemann, deftly deflate and dodge most other stereotypes, creating a funny and touching father-and-son tale about aspiration and finding your own path. |
| ColliderEmily BernardIt’s a film that doesn’t feel the pressure of reminding the audience that it’s a comedy, which makes the story and the dysfunctional—but very loving—family that much more endearing and authentic to real life. |
| VarietyMichael NordineSomewhere in Queens is a low-stakes slice of life for much of its runtime, with most of the actual conflict stemming from a questionable decision Leo makes to ensure his son’s success. That doesn’t necessarily make it feel slight, however, as the film is such an affectionate love letter to the Italian American families who populate the eponymous borough that you don’t mind simply sharing the dinner table with them. |
| IndieWireDavid EhrlichLiberated from the bumper lanes that are built into the sitcom format — from the oppressiveness of canned laughter, throwaway B-plots, and the steady drumbeat of commercial breaks — Romano’s latest semi-autobiographical charmer is free to tell a more nuanced story within his favorite milieu, and it often does so with enough grace and sensitivity to suggest that Romano might be even better-suited to the big screen than he was to network broadcasts. |
| Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinSomewhere in “Queens” lies a stronger, more unique and inspiring story about family, culture and the place we call home. It’s too bad Romano didn’t fully find it. |
| Screen DailyTim GriersonThe film takes commendable tonal chances, but too easily succumbs to easy jokes and unconvincing plot twists. |
| The PlaylistJason BaileyYou can see the conflicts and dramatic beats coming from a mile away, and the corniness of the ending is absolutely immeasurable. It’s an inoffensive and even likable picture, but not a particularly compelling one. |
