Potential squandered

By Nicole Kobie

There’s a fine line between a good movie and a great one, and sadly, City by the Sea never manages to cross it. Had it included some sense of theme and purpose, it could have been one of those few films with something to say.

The director and writer chose to waste a brilliant cast on mediocrity. That isn’t to say the film manages to say nor prove anything. On the contrary, it proves one main thing–that there’s nothing more painful to see than lost potential. Sadly, I speak not of the drug-addled Joey’s wasted life, but of the waste of such a good story and acting skill on such a bad writer and director.

Essentially, this dark drama is a father-son generational story. Robert De Niro plays Vince LaMarca, a New York cop with some big, ugly skeletons in his closet. Not only was his father executed for kidnapping and killing a baby when Vince was only eight, his wife left him–taking their son, Joey–after Vince smacked her around. Now a full-grown, full-blown junkie, Joey is the prime suspect in two murders, one of a street-level dealer, the other of Vince’s partner. A race ensues between Vince and his nypd coworkers to find Joey first, as Vince fears his fellow cops may "accidentally" off his son.

Don’t be mistaken, however, and believe this is a whodunit cop film. It’s never a secret that Joey is guilty of one crime and not the other. Rather, it’s about a father and son relationship and the importance of family. Neither Joey nor Vince are whole beings without the other in his life. Though it could have better examined circles of violence and whether violence truly is learned or inherited behaviour–among many other things–it simply focuses on Joey and Vince making up. How they manage to express their feelings through such inane dialogue is really the only mystery.

The City by the Sea referenced in the title is Long Beach, the once popular resort town now home to decaying buildings and doped up lost souls. At first, it’s a nice metaphor for the collapse of the family unit and societal values, however, director Michael Canton-Jones beats the audience over the head with it, playing old-fashioned songs by the dozen, incorporating shots of the beaches in the ’60s and dressing Vince’s ex-wife to look straight from Leave it to Beaver. We get it already.

There are two saving graces, however. No matter how shoddy the direction or the writing, the true story of City by the Sea is moving. Depressingly sad, yet surprisingly hopeful, the story of the LaMarca family has a weight and importance not even the screenwriter can hurt. As well, no matter how poor the dialogue, the cast is phenomenal. Robert De Niro is not at his best, but still manages to crawl out of the crap he’s been given. Frances McDormand, as Vince’s occasional girlfriend, takes her few scenes and turns what should have been the most boring parts into something explosive.

Amazingly, James Franco is the standout. Even with such a dramatic part, it’s still impressive Franco stands out against such greats as De Niro and McDormand. He plays his scenes of high, desperate and lost perfectly–and even manages to do redemption well. Though most actors would look stupid mouthing "I love you" to their father with a teary face as they’re pushed into a police car, it’s impossible not to be moved by Franco’s performance. Such scenes, though short and scattered, make City by the Sea worth seeing.

While the frustrating lost potential keeps it from being great, the skill of Franco alone, let alone De Niro and McDormand, keep City by the Sea memorable and enjoyable.