Two Family House

Buddy Visalo (Michael Rispoli) is a blue-collar schlep who insists on following his dreams--or are they schemes? So far, he's always failed, and his wife never lets him forget it. Now Buddy has decided to buy a near-condemned fixer-upper house with an apartment upstairs so he can turn the downstairs into a friendly neighborhood bar (where, by the way, Buddy intends to be a lounge singer). But the tenant he inherits (Kelly Macdonald), a new mother whose useless husband has left her to fend for herself, becomes a complication in Buddy's life--first by refusing to leave and later by becoming the only person who believes in him, which, of course, leads to something more. The plot sounds sitcom-y, but it's really more of a life-affirming Americana-lite parable, with a candy-colored nostalgia ambience and oh-so-Italian-American characters. Unique story-telling and likable performances make this a strong, optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)