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Jul
Some musicals target families, others set their sights on more mature audiences (think Chicago). To judge by appearances, John Turturro’s suburban operetta has little in common with Rob Marshall’s urban razzle-dazzler, except it also aims for the melodrama-meets-film noir set–and features as much graphic language as Goodfellas. James Gandolfini sets the scene as Queens ironworker Nick Murder (Steve Buscemi plays his best pal). Nick’s marriage to Kitty (Susan Sarandon) has hit the …
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Tags: Cigarettes, romance
July 20th, 2009 at 13:20
Musicals have become all the rage lately (I feel so weird saying `all the rage’) and `Romance & Cigarettes’ is yet another in the long line; but there is something different about this `musical’, something that makes it stand apart as superior to the rest. John Turturro’s `Romance & Cigarettes’ is one of the strangest musicals I’ve ever seen, one that is definitely not for every palate but one that is sure to find it’s cult following and devoted fans. It’s abrasive, crude and ultimately unforgettable. The tagline for this film’s is `A Savage Musical’ and while that may sum up the film in part there is really so much heart here that it seems unjust to classify it as `savage’. `Romance & Cigarettes’ follows blue collar worker Nick Murder as he juggles his relationships with the women in his life. His marriage to Kitty is falling apart, mostly due to his relationship with vixen Tula. His daughters Baby, Constance and Rosebud despise him for what he has done to their mother and his girlfriend Tula is challenging him in ways he didn’t know he could be challenged. And then there is his mother who will never forgive him for becoming his father. While Nick is sorting out his life Kitty is trying to find herself. She visits the church of which she’s all but forsaken. She contemplates handling Tula on her own, for good. She battles her feelings about her husband as well as those about her dead ex-lover. `Romance & Cigarettes’ plays out like a musical meets a black romantic comedy meets a crime noir meets a family drama. The `musical’ elements are open song where characters either sing along or lip synch to pop ballads; where musical numbers are performed in the middle of the street complete with choreographed dancing. The minute Gandolfini walks out the front door singing `A Man Without Love’ you know you’re in for a treat. It’s definitely `out there’ but it all fits together in such an oddly fulfilling way that you can’t help but embrace it. The performances are stellar, truly stellar. James Gandolfini almost reprises his role of Tony Soprano when you really think about it. Sure, he’s not a mobster but his family life (the cheating, the sick form of loyalty to his mate, the sympathetic failure) is pretty similar. He nails it, but that’s to be expected. Susan Sarandon also nails her part as the eccentric down trodden mother. Her performance is similar to her role in `Igby Goes Down’ (another SOLID piece of work). Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker and Aida Turturro all deliver fine performances as the three daughters, Parker standing out due to her scene stealing antics. Christopher Walken is hilarious as Cousin Bo and Elaine Stritch has a noteworthy cameo as Nick’s mother. Standout here though is none other than Kate Winslet. Her performance as the dirty mouthed Tula is outstanding. The things that come out of her mouth are so horrible yet she says them with such calm and ease you can’t help but believe every word. How she made it through her dialog without gagging on her own laughter is beyond me. How she was passed over for an Oscar nomination is also beyond me. `Romance & Cigarettes’ is one of those films that stays with you whether you like it or not. It’s imaginative and original and completely ridiculous in a manor that makes you want to be a part of this crazy world somehow. With stellar performances that elevate the screenplay and tender moments that add layers of emotional depth to the chaos on screen, `Romance & Cigarettes’ is definitely worth the ride.
July 20th, 2009 at 14:36
5.0 out of 5 stars
I’m telling everyone I know to watch this movie
This is truly a wonderful piece of entertainment. Guided well by the Coen brothers, John Turturro offers us this gem of a “home-made musical” filled with a stunning cast.
July 20th, 2009 at 15:36
It’s hard to describe `Romance and Cigarettes’ without sounding weird or schmaltzy, but it’s a rock solid romantic comedy that’s driven by its offbeat dialogue and characters. Produced by the Coen Brothers, but directed and written by veteran actor John Turturro, the film still feels like a Coen Brothers’ venture if they made musical comedies, which, partly, they do. To give you a flavor of the movie, it starts off with Constance Murder (Mary-Louise Parker) walking up to her unfaithful father, Nick (James Gandolfini, ‘The Sopranos’) who’s asleep on the couch in their modest NY suburban home, snoring away like a slow moving saw. Her arms are akimbo and her face sports disproval, yet she seems to show compassion as the mounting evidence comes in for yet another mistress and another affair, which is written all over her face. She walks up to him and puts her lit cigarette between his toes. She walks out of the room, and after a pregnant pause, we hear him yell out in pain. His daughters are on mom, (Susan Sarandon) Katie Murder’s side, so she’s really wronged in a one-sided way. She wears her anguish on her sleeve and in song (as she reconnects with her local Catholic church choir. ) One of the best scenes is when they wiggle and grind through a steamy rendition of “Take Another Piece of My Heart”. (You know, the one Janis Joplin made so famous). One of her daughters has all the looks she may have lost, is in a rock band, and is steady with her dancer boyfriend (Duck-tail flamboyant Bobby Cannavale) who also co-fronts the band. On his way to work, Nick sings along with the soundtrack, so his voice absurdly blends in Karaoke style with Engelbert Humperdinck’s “A Man Without Love” in a lavishly choreographed neighborhood scene. The juxtaposition of fantasy with mundane reality must be a Hollywood trend, for I kept thinking of `Across the Universe’ here or `Enchanted’ and `Hairspray’. Yet, it would be unfair for me to keep those connections too strong here, for I felt like I was watching something uniquely sublime and daffy. There isn’t really much of plot, per se, except for the ramifications of his British adulterous interest (Kate Winslet), but the character study is enough to keep the pages turning. Nick is able to confide with fellow hardhat Angelo (Steve Buscemi) whose lecherous confessions on the job are both grim and practical, and Katie relies on her quirky cousin (Christopher Walken) to boost her spirits and keep her sense of purpose in life. Much like the aforementioned films, `Romance and Cigarettes’ uses musical comedy to rise about the dingy skylines and heart rending realities with some fun fantasies that both escape one’s lot in life and process the wounds. I’d say after all is said and done, this is a fun and colorful film that is a real pleasure to watch. (Happy belated Valentine’s Day!)
July 20th, 2009 at 16:49
I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival,very enjoyable. The entire cast is outstanding. I don’t know why this film didn’t get better distribution, it is a 4 star film. Kate Winslet’s performance is top knotch.
July 20th, 2009 at 16:50
4.0 out of 5 stars
A definite “cult” extravaganza
This rather obscure movie is quirky, delightful and resonant of our society’s shift of cultural values, away from community, loyalty and humanity.
July 20th, 2009 at 18:29
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unhappy
Romance and Cigarettes is great. The replacement cassette player sucks. It another loser from Photoland. The link you gave me was inaccessible. I am fairly livid now.
July 20th, 2009 at 19:59
5.0 out of 5 stars
a musical without peer
my wife and i saw “romance & cigarettes” at the san francisco film festival a few years ago and it was love at almost first sight.
July 20th, 2009 at 20:46
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strange… Great songs!
The cast of characters was so good that we decided to obtain this DVD and we ran the gamut of emotions on this one…
July 20th, 2009 at 23:22
4.0 out of 5 stars
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I’ve never understood how an entertainment form as bizarre as the musical, with it’s incongruous coupling of plot and song and dance numbers, remains so widely accepted, and this…
July 21st, 2009 at 02:06
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Funny
This movie was great. Like the other reviewer said, it’s slow at start but picks up really fast. LOTS of funny scenes that make you go ‘W T F ?!
July 21st, 2009 at 04:10
3.0 out of 5 stars
Romance and Cigarettes
I waiting a long time for this movie to come out on dvd. It’s a decent movie about a man’s unfaithfulness to his wife and family. It’s a musical too.
July 21st, 2009 at 05:49
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, touching, and just plain fun
I had the opportunity to see this at a local film festival today, and I loved it. The performances weren’t anything terribly impressive, but the sheer fun of the whole film, from…
July 21st, 2009 at 08:26
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hang on until the end!!!
Okay so the movie is a little slow moving but the ending is totally worth watching. Don’t be worried about the R rating it really isn’t that bad!