LOS ANGELES — “Somewhere in Queens” hits theaters this weekend, directed by Ray Romano.
The film is the story of Leo Russo, played by Romano, who lives a simple life in Queens, New York, with his wife Angela (Laurie Metcalf) and their son “Sticks,” played by Jacob Ward.
Each week, Leo lives for Sticks’ high school basketball games, never missing a chance to cheer his son, who shows great talent on the court. When Sticks gets the opportunity to play ball in college, Leo is determined to steer his son away from the family construction business for a better opportunity, but when a heartbreak threatens to derail Sticks, Leo makes some unexpected decisions to keep his son on his new path.
“The first part of the story came from what I was experiencing in real life. My son was graduating high school, and he was the star of the basketball team. I knew he was not going to play in college, and at his last game, it caught me off guard. It was very emotional for me,” Romano told Spectrum News.
Romano said he took his life experiences, like his wife surviving breast cancer and his son, who has gone through social anxiety and poured all those elements into Leo’s world.
A line by Sadie Stanley’s character is “Everybody is scared, Sticks.” It’s a message that Romano hopes moviegoers will take away from the film.
“I hope it resonates with people. I hope people laugh, maybe cry. For their own reasons. Everybody needs to feel wanted. Everybody struggles with something on different levels. Ultimately, if we all identify with that and we realize we are not alone, that helps,” he said.
“Somewhere in Queens” is directed by Romano. He and Mark Stegemann wrote it. It took Romano seven years to work on the script.
The film stars Romano, Metcalf, Ward, Stanley, Tony Lo Bianco, Sebastian Maniscalco, Jennifer Espositio, Dierdre Friel and Jon Manfrellotti.
"Somewhere in Queens" hits theaters on April 21.
Click the arrow above to watch Spectrum News’ interview with Ray Romano, Sadie Stanley and Jacob Ward.
Francisco Ramos-Moreno - Digital Media Producer
Francisco 'Paco' Ramos-Moreno is a two-time Emmy and San Diego Press Club Award-winning digital associate producer at Spectrum News. He previously worked at CBS News 8 and KUSI News in San Diego. Ramos-Moreno graduated from Pacific Union College and Andrews University.