'HOUSE' DEFINITELY MAKES A HOME.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

``Two Family House'' is a good drinking story, the kind of nostalgic yarn that might be shared just before closing time after a few rounds have loosened the tongue and stoked the recollections of a bygone time.

Raymond De Felitta's first feature won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and the film didn't earn the honor because it's simply a crowd-pleaser (which, in fact, it is), but because its bittersweet remembrances come with the satisfying ring of truth and a story well told.

De Felitta based ``Two Family House'' on the story of his uncle, and the fledgling filmmaker seems hell-bent on honoring his family's heritage with as much authenticity as he can muster. The film is set in Staten Island in the 1950s, and De Felitta filmed the entire movie on location without building one set or facade. The fact that these neighborhoods haven't changed much in half a century also underscores the movie's message about cultural and economic ruts.

Buddy (Michael Rispoli) has bucked monotony all his life, but life's routines and responsibilities have always managed to pull him back into boring stability. Buddy's biggest problem is that his wife, Estelle (Katherine Narducci), strongly believes in convention. Buddy, meanwhile, wants to soar with the eagles. He almost did, once, when bandleader Arthur Godfrey offered him a shot as a singer. Estelle, fearful of the unknown, nixed that idea, and Buddy settled into marriage and a factory job.

But Buddy never stops dreaming about being a singer. After two other start-up ventures fail (a pizzeria run out of his kitchen and - gulp - a Staten Island limousine service), Buddy decides to take some inheritance money and buy a dilapidated two-story house with the idea of turning the downstairs into a lounge where he'll both tend bar and entertain.

Two problems arise: One, Estelle never harbors one shred of hope for the project and sabotages it - psychologically and financially - at every opportunity. And two, Buddy has neglected to meet the house's current tenants, a belligerent Irishman (Kevin Conway) and his abused, pregnant wife (Kelly MacDonald, Ewan McGregor's girlfriend from ``Trainspotting'').

Buddy recalls Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden, a man with a big waist and a big heart who can't stop believing in life's possibilities, no matter how many times reality snuffs out his prospects. The difference between ``Two Family House'' and ``The Honeymooners'' is that De Felitta's film explores the psychology behind the failure, as well as the hard truths that its protagonist must face in order to become the man he knows himself to be. Those investigations, as well as a host of pleasant performances, make ``Two Family House'' a sweet home indeed.

``TWO FAMILY HOUSE''

(Rated R: language and brief sexuality)

The stars: Michael Rispoli, Kelly MacDonald, Katherine Narducci, Kevin Conway.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta. Released by Lions Gate Films.

Running time: One hour, 44 minutes.

Playing: Laemmle's Town Center 5 in Encino; Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Laemmle's Monica in Santa Monica; Beverly Center Cineplex in Beverly Hills; Landmark's Westside Pavilion in West Los Angeles.

Our rating: Three stars

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Michael Rispoli stars in the nostalgic ``Two Family House.''