“Allswell in New York” (2022) is a dramedy about a Nuyorican (New York based Puerto Ricans ) family who are trying to come together when one of their own, Desmond (Felix Solis), winds up in the hospital and balance their own personal milestones. Restaurant owner, Daisy (Elizabeth Rodriguez), is helping her surrogate, Nina (Mackenzie Lansing), get settled in before the baby arrives, and the legal paperwork is signed. Her old sister, Ida (Liza Colon-Zayas), a nurse, runs to the rescue of anyone in need. Sister-in-law Serene (Daphne Rubin-Vega), a singing teacher, is trying to caution her adult daughter, Connie (Shyrley Rodriguez), an Instagram “model,” from making the same mistakes as her parents.
Rodriguez and director Ben Snyder, who coproduced “The Wolfpack” (2015), cowrote “Allswell in New York” and Colon-Zayas and Rubin-Vega also contributed to the story. This team is smart. If you cannot get the kind of movie that showcases your talents, make it. The three lead actors are all “Hey, It’s That Guy” levels of recognition but it is hard to place them in a specific role. The depiction of family drama lacks a saccharine, pat resolution which saves it from being tropey. The family has a tense dynamic on a good day, and on a bad day, they wound each other effortlessly yet somehow it still feels believable when they come together. They are all flawed, not directly dealing with themselves or each other in a healthy way but considering the hand that they were dealt long before the movie starts, it makes sense that they cannot see each other but intuit that their worst assumption about each other may not be entirely right, and it is not time to call it quits just yet.
Daisy, the one with the car, is the one that seems the most put together and alternates between being a peace maker and stirring the pot. She is too street smart to engage in the wishful thinking that she does. She puts a lot of faith in her chosen family, which includes Nina, a taciturn young woman whom Daisy prays does not get cold feet and refuse to let her adopt the baby. Allswell refers to Daisy’s restaurant, and there is not truth in advertising. While everyone seems to get along, her co-owner, Tim (Max Casella), a new father, feels like Gabe (Bobby Cannavale), another restaurant associate, is not pulling his weight.
Meanwhile Ida is a kind woman who is Daisy’s opposite. She will do anything for anybody after a childhood playing Daisy’s mom. That goodwill extends to her friend and coworker, fellow nurse Clint (J. Cameron Barnett), who misses when their clinic reached more people and offered mobile services. She knows how to play the game and code switches with Dr. Caffrey (Elizabeth Canavan), which Clint finds challenging. She is the only one in her family with a solid romantic relationship. Ray (Michael Rispoli) is her practical, wisecracking other half. Of course, she is the one who rallies the family and stays connected to their sister-in-law.
Serene was a minor popstar who is rumored to date a certain deceased legend. Did the estate approve? She suffers two sudden blows: Connie going no contact and her ex, Desmond, Daisy and Ida’s brother, reappearing. Without a way to contact Connie and ensure that she is safe, there will not be a reunion between the father and daughter. Meanwhile with the allegations of Diddy’s sexual misconduct, Serene presents as less an overprotective mother and more a woman who knows that her daughter is swimming in deeper waters than Connie realizes. It takes a while before these three women are in the same room, but once they are, it makes sense why they may keep each other at arm’s length. To grow, they needed their own sunlight and oxygen, especially since the slightest interaction threatens that slight sense of self.
“Allswell in New York” presents a lot of characters that you will know at first glance, but it still manages to be an absorbing story. You won’t even think about reaching for your phone. While it is more on the level of a television drama than a new cinematic classic, it is still entertaining, and the ensemble cast manage to get viewers invested. Also, the plot is not entirely predictable, and there are enough crucial heartbreaking moments of unresolved misunderstandings to make it feel rooted in daily life. People lie to themselves, which make them lie to others because they are in denial. There are a lot of gut punch moments, and the movie handles grief perfectly. While a lot of melodrama is covered in a short run time, enough of the plot points are anchored in realistic scenarios that it never becomes eyeroll inducing. For instance, though Connie does seem to be on the precipice of risk in her chosen career, there are no depictions of sexual danger. Nothing gets too out of control or traumatizing, but the stakes are still high. The key to the characters is that they have full lives independent of each other instead of existing to move the plot forward.
It is one of the rare movies where it understands that there are no small roles, just small actors, and everyone is a giant in “Allswell in New York.” When Gunner (Brian Wolfe) drops in, he feels like a threat, but he is a dumb, young romantic with a lot of promises on his lips that he cannot keep. He is too young to know that. Daisy, who briefly becomes a supporting character in Gunner and Nina’s movie, is old enough to know exactly how it will goe This movie walks a tightrope between sympathizing with its younger characters’ hardened naivete and tough exteriors, and the older characters’ softer aspirations fighting against knowing cynicism. While there is a generational divide, the movie knows that the divide is just an illusion that disguises the same yearning in different trappings. No one has the answers or wisdom beyond their years. Everyone is a fool.
It is hard to tell if “Allswell in New York” is cinematic when watching it from your couch, but the daytime glimpses of the Manhattan skyline was too distant to be as breathtaking as it normally appears in movies though still the most picturesque view in the world. There is a lot of representation without making it feel inauthentic or forced. The actor who plays the protagonist in “House of Spoils” is Afro Latina, but the character’s profile did not always seem to be grounded in that reality whereas these characters never had that problem. They were instantly recognizable as authentic. It felt very New York.
While “Allswell in New York” does not reach “His Three Daughters” (2024) levels of excellence and focus, it would make a great television series pilot because it leaves its audience wanting more. The story does not feel finished, and the end feels abrupt though promising. Every character could easily be the focus of one hour or more even the ones with the least amount of screentime. Unlike “His Three Daughters,” “Allswell in New York” is comfortable with being uncomfortable and not smoothing every crease or softening every edge.
