Ray Romano has been a household name in the US for decades now, thanks to his sitcom career. However, in recent years, he’s been doing a lot more indie stuff, flexing his dramatic muscles a bit. However, with “Somewhere in Queens,” we see a new side to Romano, as he makes his directorial debut.
As seen in the trailer for “Somewhere in Queens,” the film follows the story of a married couple trying to help their teen son figure out what to do with his life. The young kid is being pulled in different directions—either graduate and work at the family business or try for his dream of being a basketball player and get a college scholarship.
Joining Romano in the cast are Laurie Metcalf, Tony Lo Bianco, Sebastian Maniscalco, Jennifer Esposito, Jacob Ward, Sadie Stanley, Dierdre Friel, and Jon Manfrellotti. As mentioned, Romano not only stars in the film, but he is making his feature directorial debut. He also co-wrote the script alongside Mark Stegemann.
We saw “Somewhere in Queens” when it had its world premiere at Tribeca. In our review, we said, “‘Somewhere in Queens’ meanders as amiably as its title, with efficient little montages and heartfelt, truthful monologues accompanied by that bane of the indie comedy/drama, the gentle guitar and piano score. You 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.”
“Somewhere in Queens” is set to hit theaters on April 21. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Leo Russo (Ray Romano) lives a simple life in Queens, New York with his wife Angela (Laurie Metcalf), their shy but talented son “Sticks” (Jacob Ward), and Leo’s close-knit network of Italian-American relatives and neighborhood friends. Happy enough working at the family construction business alongside his father (Tony Lo Bianco) and younger brother (Sebastian Maniscalco), Leo lives each week for Sticks’ high-school basketball games, never missing a chance to cheer on his only child as he rules the court as a star athlete. When the high-school senior gets a surprising and life-changing opportunity to play basketball in college, Leo jumps at the chance to provide a plan for his future, away from the family construction business. But when sudden heartbreak threatens to derail Sticks, Leo goes to unexpected lengths to keep his son on this new path.
