Rating: 
Summary: Great role for James Franco
Review: Having seen James Franco's poor performance as the Green Goblin's son in "Spiderman," I was expecting the same for this. I was very impressed with his performance as De Niro's doped-out son in this though. "City By the Sea" had excellent character development, great makeup, realistic situations including harsh dialogue, and an interesting plot. The previews are deceiving, making the movie look like a murder mystery, which it wasn't. This is not a film that I would recommend to children, for its R rating reflects strong language, drug use, and violence. It might help people to appreciate their relationship with their parents/children though. All in all, this was a very good movie with great performances. Don't let James Franco's disappointing role in Spiderman keep you away.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, Boring, Boring
Review: I struggled to watch this film because it had pretty good actors, but a very bad, dull and boring plot. The excitement level was at zero, and so was the suspense. The director and producer of this film did a very bad job, and made this film difficult to watch. The trailer was so good for this movie, but the movie was nothing like the trailer. I can describe this movie with one word... BORING!
Rating: 
Summary: Workmanlike thriller covers familiar ground
Review: "City by the Sea" is a competent thriller that covers familiar territory in workmanlike fashion. It is based on the true story of a highly regarded New York City detective whose father was executed for murder in 1959 and whose junkie son is himself involved in a murder. [In real life, the detective was not the investigator in the son's case. In the movie, he is. While this makes the story more dramatic, it also makes it much less plausible.]Detective Vincent La Marla [Robert De Niro] grew up in Long Beach, a seaside tourist town near Manhattan. The once thriving resort is now derelict. He moved to New York to work for the NYPD after his marriage ended disastrously. Now, fourteen years later, he has had very little contact wife or his son. The boy, now going by the street name Joey Nova [James Franco] kills a drug dealer in self defense one rainy night. The body washes up in Manhattan, and Vincent, having no idea his son is the perpetrator, is assigned to the case. Back in Long Beach, not only is Joey on the run from the law, he is being hunted by the dealer's supplier, Spider [William Forsythe]. Vincent is about to face some very difficult choices, ones which will determine the fate of the son he long ago abandoned. De Niro is superb as always, as is Frances McDormand as his girlfriend. The problem is that the material is not that strong, and their presence shines a spotlight on the movie's weaknesses. The lesser known James Franco does a great job of playing Joey, helping us to have empathy for a somewhat unlikable character. His is the movie's best role.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Garbage
Review: I thought this movie would never end. It just kept dragging on. This was not a good roll for Robert DeNiro. I was expecting action and adventure but all I got was drooping eyelids.
Rating:
Summary: Cop drama NOT a cop action flick
Review: City by the Sea was a film I was busting to see. It has some of the best actors out there today. However, it was my misunderstanding of the film that made it disappointing. I thought it was supposed to be a thriller or an action flick. It's not. It's a drama. As such, I was a bit disappointed after the film ended, but then in retrospect, realizing what it is - I've come to accept that it is really a decent film. DeNiro is always great. McDormand is excellent in a small part. Franco is sympathetic at times and repulsive at others - it's exactly what he should be. Patty Lupone is right on as usual. However....the script, while good, is really no better than the best of Law and Order episodes, which this could have ostensibly been. The difference is the actors in it. The actors make this film worth watching and paying to see them do it. I kept expecting some really neat car chases and explosions. I got none of them. So while I enjoyed this film, because the acting is really top notch, it wasn't the whole meal I was expecting. It was much more reminiscent of an old 1970's cop drama on TV or the current crop of Law and Order episodes. Watch this film for the supurb acting, but don't expect any real excitement. It's just not that kind of film.
Rating:
Summary: Forgettable film
Review: DeNiro has been walking through movies lately, shuffling and snuffling. He's always been a compelling person but he's no longer an interesting actor. In City by the Sea he doesn't -- to be fair -- have anything more than a cliche for a part. James Franco who plays his son is almost worth seeing the movie for, though. This is a tense, driven performance, reminiscent of early films of Adrian Brody. Frances McDormand never does anything less than excellent work. She doesn't have a very challenging part but she doesn't put a foot wrong. The cliches abound: sadistic drug dealers, trains passing by at just the right moment, stony faced cops turning away from their colleague, irrascible and corrupt captain, one-dimensional ex-wife, and an embarrassing final scene in a warehouse in which father and son kind of reconcile before the cops kick in the door. This is neither an exciting nor an interesting movie. It just pretends to be.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Character Sketches
Review: This is an above average cop drama. In addition to the typical murder plot and good guy vs bad guy theme, the primary focus is on the intense and tumultuous relationships between a few finely developed characters. The guilt, regret and heartache of DeNiro's character do not allow him or the film to be be humorous however a few scenes generate an unexpected laugh. This film is virtually all drama. The relationship of Deniro's character with that of McDormand's and Franco's, richly illustrate man's ability to confront all of the grief and anguish of his past. Robert DeNiro, Frances McDormand and James Franco are all excellent in their acting. Because the relationships are so intense and the characters so richly developed, you can't help but to empathize with every one of them. The twists and turns in the plot make you wonder how much DeNiro's emotionally closed off character can handle before something changes. This movie makes you sit with the discomfort of each of its characters. City By The Sea was filmed in the decayed ruins of the shore town and boardwalk of Asbury Park NJ. The Atlantic Ocean and the dilapidated remains of the boardwalk and vacant buildings provide an excellent urban yet coastal set for this story which takes place in the seaside NY town of Long Beach just outside NYC. There are also a few excellent and vivid images of the Twin Towers in this film which only add to the emotional experience by reigniting more feelings of anguish and loss. The Dolby Digital background sound effect of the ocean surf in a few scenes adds a sense of tranquility to this drama. Although the movie includes the typical shooting and violence scenes, this cop drama is more about real relationships.
Rating:
Summary: A Solid Story Behind This Film Noir
Review: From the outset of this very interesting and touching little film we view the glory days of Long Beach, New York - a grand Atlantic City-type place with Americana spread all over it and old time music as played on a tacky old Victrola. This Eden fades into the deserted and dilapidated smarmy place that today is home for druggies and derelicts. We slowly discover that a kid whose father was a 'murderer' was saved by a cop and now plays that life role, only to have deserted his own boy through a tangled divorce. Both the father and the son and the grandson need to love, to belong, to find some degree of sense to the mutations of time. The general driver of the film is a reconciliation of boys and fathers despite all the real and imagined distance that can occur. The film is beautifully atmospheric but the true glory here is the cast: Robert DeNiro, James Franco, Frances Dormand, Patti Lupone, William Forsythe, and some new faces that really light up the story - all are consummate pros and really deliver top notch performances. Predictable, yes, but then there are so many many ways to examine father/son relationships and this is certainly one of the better ones.
Rating: 
Summary: A very very good movie
Review: This movie won't gets your eyes tearful, but a sad yet positive emotion. This is the movie that I felt not SO-Hollywood during watching and really appreciated very much. This is an American tragedy happens everyday and every moment in American society. All the actors are playing naturally and powerfully well. The script is very good without any pretentiousness in mind. A very good movie. The only thing made me so sad is that watching that City by the Sea like a totally rundown ghost town with graffiti and shambles everywhere would only make you think "what went wrong with the once lovely and promised land?"
Rating:
Summary: "Must see" movie if you are a middle age father
Review: Watched this on a cross country flight so the version was edited for general viewing, probably a good thing. I only point it out because it contains profanity...P>Let me begin by saying that I am a 53 year old man with two sons, almost grown but both still at home. I'm not sure how a mother would react, or a father with daughters, but for me, the movie touched me on a level I wasn't expecting. It is a cop movie on the surface but the real story is male identity and father-son relationships in modern America. It is particularly relevant for men of my generation who are products of a culture that has changed dramatically from what we experienced growing up in the 50's to America today. The cast is very well selected...these are ACTORS who can apply their craft very effectively when given a good story and script. There are a few minor weaknesses in the plot which tests plausibility a little, but it still has a realistic grittiness and "feel" that most movies miss. It is about real people, relationships and issues in America, especially urban America. Too bad this movie has been released, because I think, with a little work, it could be a great movie. In fact, there is so much material here, it would probably have been better as a mini-series on HBO. Still, I intend to watch it again when it is released on video. This is worth your time.
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