EUyeshima Review of Somewhere in Queens

Somewhere in Queens (2022)

Romano and Metcalf Are Expert Though the Drama Felt Slight

[6/10 · 30 October 2023]

I'm not surprised this low-key 2023 family drama slipped under the radar because as expert as Ray Romano and Laurie Metcalf are as a long-married blue-collar couple in Queens, their TV sitcom personas take over their performances no matter how unintentional. This is also Romano's directorial debut, and the casual pacing and pointed one-liners underline the sitcom-derived situations presented. He plays Leo, a schlub overshadowed by his driven younger brother both of them working at their father's construction company. Leo's devotion to his basketball-playing son Sticks could derail a possible scholarship as a burgeoning relationship with a free-spirited waitress complicates Sticks' college path. The storyline seemed thin, but Romano and Metcalf lent welcome heft to scenes you expect might get formulaic. Similar to Jennifer Lawrence in spirit, Sadie Stanley was a nice find as the object of Sticks' affection.