Young Marco’s grandfather introduces Marco to bocce ball and to the neighborhood crew of old Italian men who play after Nonno moves in. With sport, laughter, and love, Marco rounds up a team of neighborhood kids to take on Nonno’s team.
Director Julio Vincent Gambuto dedicates his love for Staten Island in “Team Marco,” a movie that follows a growing relationship between an Italian grandfather and his grandson, as he introduces real-life members of the Staten Island Bocce Team and quirky Italian secrets scattered throughout the borough. “Team Marco” is a fitting tribute film to remind audiences of the importance of family and human connection, bringing a lightheartedness that is hard to find during the current pandemic.
“Team Marco” stars child actor Owen Vaccaro as 12-year-old Marco, a technology-obsessed kid who finds himself having to “babysit” his grandfather after his grandmother passes away. Although Marco is initially troubled by the sudden restrictions on his access to technology and the invasive presence of his Nonno, or “grandfather,” Marco starts to branch away from the screen and into the outside world – namely through an Italian traditional sport called Bocce. Suddenly, Bocce is the uniting force not only between Marco and his Nonno but also between Marco and his new group of friends.
Vaccaro’s portrayal of Marco incites affection despite his highly obnoxious character traits – it is hard to find distaste with a child that uses technology as a means of escape from a father’s neglect and a sense of brokenness that comes with a background of divorce. Instead, Vaccaro’s vulnerability as a child creates heartfelt and sympathetic moments throughout the film, serving as a reminder that it doesn’t bode well to constantly neglect the inner child that is in all of us – even as adults.
Vaccaro’s chemistry with Anthony Patellis, who plays Nonno, is also a delight to watch on screen as their relationship reminisces a rare bond of friendship within family relations. Patellis is exactly the eccentric yet grounding force as a grandfather that Marco needs to snap out of the elusive world of virtual realities and into a “real-life” reality that is dominated not by sword fights against enemies but by Bocce training and gym outings with local friends. The charming moments they share on-screen is the necessary traction to creating a quirky family comedy/drama motivated by connection rather than a distraction needed to fill a void.
The screen is also shared by other child actors such as Jacob Laval who plays Fred, the awkward sidekick to Marco’s narrative and the first friend that Marco accepts into his life. The presence of Fred, Nonno, and other friends start to warm up Marco’s interaction with real people and technology is no longer the only safe haven for Marco’s neglected heart.
“Team Marco” is a family film, driven by the concept of rebuilding connections and learning that there is something more to having real-life connections that just can’t be replaced by all the technology that exists today. It is a lesson that echoes the highs and lows of the pandemic in that human connection cannot be fulfilled over webcams and dry text conversations but through memories that form in real-time in person.
Now available in Virtual Theaters, On-Demand, and on Digital
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