Somewhere in Queens (2022)

Somewhere in Queens (aka Untitled Ray Romano Film / Untitled Ray Romano Dramedy) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Ray Romano has a way of melting so effortlessly into the role of an everyman that it’s no surprise he meshes too perfectly into his directorial debut. Having been used to playing a flawed husband and father on his sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, Somewhere in Queens feels like a continuation of that role as Ramano becomes older and more insecure with his place in society. While the result of this film is more of a mixed bag, the earnest nature and performances are still fascinating.

Romano plays Leo Russo, a construction worker of Queens who is married to his recovering wife Angela (Laurie Metcalf) and father to his teenage, basketball-playing son, Matthew (Jacob Ward). Leo means well but is so absorbed in his world that he can’t accept any deviation. He’s not respected at work but rarely speaks up for himself around his scrutinizing family. His focus is most prominently on his son, who has a chance to obtain a basketball scholarship. So, when Leo watches his son suffer from heartbreak, he tries to find a way to rebuild his son. Unfortunately, Leo is not that smart, and the reason that the best way to do this is to bribe the teen girl Dani (Sadie Stanley) to stay steady with his son. She agrees, but there’s more to Matthew than merely a broken heart. He also dreams of writing poetry, which deviates from his dad’s desires. Appeasing dads seems to be a bad habit in this family.

This domestic melodrama is full of awkward moments for the coming-of-age teenager and the midlife-crisis father. Some solid conversations emerge with this dynamic, as when Dani debates with Matt’s family at the dinner table about plans after graduation. There are some somber moments of tenderness, as when Angela agonizes over the possibility of her cancer returning and whether she has the strength to be it again. The longing for the past feels genuine with Leo as he is too into basketball to see anything else as important. This leads to another mistake: he nearly cheats on his life to find something more when his life comes apart. There’s also something so mesmerizingly cathartic about watching Leo’s scheme undone and his cards on the table. This expected moment doesn’t bring an end to his family; it’s just a nasty fall that’ll take some time to heal and proceeds with a surprising level of heart and understanding.

The most frustrating aspect of this type of film is that it rarely hits the sweet spot of its tightrope between drama and comedy. There weren’t scenes that evoked a relatable sense of realism or a keen eye for the absurdity of the mundane. Romano’s performance is great, but only about as great as it’s ever been for playing a father and husband. He’s in his safe zone for this type of film, but one would hope there’d be more to Romano’s directorial debut than merely continuing to typecast himself. It’s a comfy and flawless role, but he’s treading down familiar territory that becomes so familiar at times I wished some major twist were thrown into the mix if only to break up the predictability that the film settles into by its third act.

Somewhere in Queens is a fine first film for Ray Romano to helm, but it’s only fine. It looks exactly like the type of film Romano could wield with his eyes closed. An almost clawing gentleness becomes aggravating because of how narrowly most scenes avoid becoming too explosive, where even Romano’s big monologue, when caught in the act, feels more like a firecracker than fireworks. Those who haven’t seen Everybody Loves Raymond in many years may be appeased enough with this higher level of realism that Ray evokes from this type of melodrama. But for those who have witnessed Romano’s more recent film work in movies like The Big Sick and Paddleton, he’s capable of much more than this ho-hum tale.