A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself

Rena Ruggiero is a Brooklyn mob widow living quietly until a single impulsive act sends her life into chaos. Fleeing in a borrowed '62 Impala, she shows up at her estranged daughter's Bronx apartment and is promptly turned away at the door. What follows is an unlikely alliance between Rena, her teenage granddaughter Lucia, and their neighbor Wolfie, a retired actress with a colorful past and no shortage of nerve. William Boyle's screwball noir keeps the tension alive as a violent ex-boyfriend and a relentless enforcer close in, turning a strange family reunion into something far more dangerous.

Barrie Kreinik brings warmth and grit to the three central women, navigating the comic rhythms of their bickering alongside the quieter notes of genuine connection. The nearly ten-hour runtime moves with propulsive energy, well-suited to audio where sharp Brooklyn and Bronx voices land with full effect. Kreinik handles the tonal shifts between humor and menace with ease, making this a listen that rewards staying in the car until it's done.