Enlarge By Phil Caruso, Anchor Bay Films Andy Garcia plays a prison guard who has a secret dream.  ABOUT THE MOVIE City Island * * * out of four Stars: Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Alan Arkin, Emily Mortimer, Steven Strait Director: Raymond De Felitta Distributor: Anchor Bay Films Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, smoking and language Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Expands to select cities nationwide

This slight and farcical dysfunctional family comedy has unexpected charms, tapping into basic truths about human nature and familial relationships. The ensemble cast is strong. At its silliest comic moments it has a sitcom flavor, but the overall effect is gently amusing.

Prison guard Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) knows something about keeping things close to the vest. His private dream is to act, but no one in his boisterous family has any idea. They're caught up in their own deceptions.

Vince sneaks off to acting classes, pretending he's playing poker. His hot-tempered wife, Joyce (Julianna Margulies), thinks he's having an affair. Meanwhile, she's keeping her smoking habit a secret from the family.

Their children, a socially awkward teenage Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) and college-student daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Garcia's real-life daughter), have their own covert concerns.

The one involving teenage Vince is the weakest link in the story. Credulity is stretched by his youthful fetish for obese women. It's neither believable nor funny, but Miller's overall comic timing is sharp. And his snarky quips about his voluble Italian-American family shouting it up at the dinner table elicit some of the film's biggest laughs.

Complicating matters further is the arrival of Tony, a young inmate (Steven Strait) who has nowhere to go after his release. Vince offers him a place to stay in exchange for carpentry work.

The strapping Tony's appearance leads to a flurry of unexpected events, particularly involving the women in the family. Suddenly their predictable life in City Island, a little-known patch of the Bronx that's also a fishing village, turns chaotic.

Alan Arkin is charming as Vince's wry drama coach. Emily Mortimer, a wonderfully subtle actress, is hamstrung by her vague role as another aspiring actor. But her easy chemistry with the robust Garcia is enjoyable to watch.

In fact, all the performances are warmly engaging, even though the characters are broad and scenarios occasionally extreme.

For those tired of clashing titans or weepy teen romances, City Island is a breath of fresh air.