User Reviews

Direction duties on the latest Coen brothers release have been entrusted to an able lieutenant in John Tuturro – the scene-stealing actor from O Brother, Where Art Thou, Miller's Crossing and The Big Lebowski. In his hands, Romance and Cigarettes embraces all the staple Coen nuances but is unsettlingly gritty – less kitsch, more kitchen sink.

Predictably, the film is just a fraction beyond offbeat. For starters it is a musical – original songs and irreverent covers belch incongruously through the pithy dialogue – and, while appearing slightly amateurish at times, in the main it is shot with a grimy panache.

The anti-hero is Nick Murder (James Gandolfini) - an overweight, chain-smoking construction worker who is married to Kitty (Susan Sarandon), but having a torrid affair with ballsy English slapper Tula (Kate Winslet). Nick has a trio of daughters (Mandy Moore – precocious sex bomb, Mary Louise Parker – punk and Aida Tuturro – chubby mummy's girl) who pass the time knocking out grungey rock music in their back garden. Plot-wise, that's about your lot - superficially, the movie is about a family coping with adultery, but this is the Coen brothers, so there are always points of interest lurking in the mundane subject matter.

If you're going to have a stab at unconventional drama, it is best to arm yourself with some quality to beef up your oddballs. So Tuturro has called in favours from Steve Buscemi who raises more than a few chortles as Nick's philosophising co-worker, and an elaborately coiffed Christopher Walken who lends the fancy footwork he cultured on that Fatboy Slim video to some of the more surreal dance sequences. Weirder still is Eddie Izzard's new age church choir organist who distributes marital advice to Mrs. Murder in between belting out gospel hits.

A stellar cast then, and one cannot fault the promotional poster, which is so dominated by Winslet's mountainous, and, let's face it, almost certainly air-brushed breasts (no offence Kate) that it has been crudely censored on the London Underground.

The poster hints at Winslet being some sort of femme fatale, but she actually has few scenes to demonstrate anything other than jiggling, pouting and athletic sexual gymnastics. Much of her dialogue (delivered in an ambiguously mid-Pennines northern accent) is absolutely filthy dirty and is, if you close your eyes, uncomfortably evocative of Kathy Staff in Last of the Summer Wine. No wonder I had nightmares afterwards.

Winslet is following in the footsteps of Helena Bonham Carter, shrugging off the corset and the irritating "English rose" label by taking increasingly earthy roles. Serious, cerebral critics (their spectacles steaming up with every cleavage shot) will no doubt call this performance "brave", "challenging" or even "career defining". More realistically, she probably saw it as an ideal chance to prance around in hot pants and spout smut breathlessly into a telephone whilst trying desperately not to giggle. Either way, it's obviously some sort of trend among English actresses – watch out for Keira Knightley in the new remake of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

But beneath the silliness beats a mournful heart. The Coens' influence, though undeniably prominent, does not swamp Tuturro's serious side and the last third of the movie sees a significant mood change.

Buscemi, Walken and the quirky choreography take a back seat as Gandolfini and Sarandon muscle their way to the fore. It is an impressively gripping finale to a curiously disjointed film, and one which, on balance, just about tips it towards triumph rather than turkey.

The story is wafer thin and the musical set pieces veer dangerously between hit and miss. Frankly it's a bit of a shambles at times, but no less enjoyable for that.

7/10

John Tuturro is nothing else if not original, and his second film as writer/director is nothing if not a swift kick in the nuts to the sheen of movie musical. It's fresh and original and, when at its best, extremely and surprisingly funny. Tuturro casts very well for a story that's like a half-baked fever-dream of blue collar malaise (think the Honeymooners meets French New-Wave art film): Gandolfini plays Nick Murder, a man who loves his wife Kitty (Sarandon), but can't seem to lay off the women on the side - the one she's now with, Tula (cockney-voiced Winslet) - is a fiery redhead. Right at the start there's an argument and a near fight, and the rest of the film becomes a rumination and celebration of love and lust and other crazy things involved with the human heart, leading up to redemption.

There's a certain quality to Romance and Cigarettes that marks it as a pop-marked must-see, a picture with terrific songs (ranging from Joplin to James Brown to Elvis to Cindi Lauper), and some terrific numbers to go along with them. There's an exuberance that Tuturro reaches for that he achieves like few who've made musicals in the past several years; his actors, however much they do or don't seem to be singing with the songs playing on during the numbers, are into the groove, the abstract/surreal quality that at times makes it like a whacked out extended dream sequence on the Sopranos (Buscemi and Tuturro sister Aida were also on the show, the latter here as Gandolfini's daughter as opposed to his sister on the show). There is so much that does entertain that it becomes a shame when it starts to dawn on one that a) the film has a shallow center to it, as we know nothing much about Nick and Kitty's marriage aside from the spoken words of "we were in love, then, not", and then leading into b) an unnecessarily bleak ending, where the possible reigns of the high spirits are replaced by a kind of screeching-halt aesthetic, albeit with the most organically sung (i.e. out of the scene itself not as a NUMBER) song in the film.

But for fans of film in general it's a scatter-shot treat that provides the kinds of joy that the usual Hollywood grind wont provide. Top of the pops belong to Christopher Walken, who has a strange accent (black guy or slight southern-touch as Cousin Bo?) pulls off his funniest in a song since the Weapon of Choice music video, and just whenever on screen has one either smiling or laughing hysterically. Winslet is also astoundingly good here in a part that requires her to be tart-tongued but not a floozy, sophisticated in a manner of speaking even if the 'girl on the side'. She gives it her all, which also goes (mostly) for the main middle-aged stars. Sometimes you do wish you could just hear the actors belt out the songs themselves without the background tuning up as if it's like a demented karaoke out of the New York/New Jersey blue collar world. But when they do connect, it's a lot of fun. Same goes for the movie itself- a very admirable first time out, if almost too ambitious for the nature of the script.

This is funny in a way that American movies usually aren't. Gandolfini is playing a character extremely far away from all Soprano stuff. But he's a hero.

He's cheating on his wife in a way which isn't glamorous, just rather cheap and rather human. Susan Sarandon as the wife is really funny through all her love-hate. This family is dysfunctional, but in a way that's impossible not to like.

And it really is a musical. Sometimes. The characters burst out, miming to hit songs. That's show stoppers, but in the good sense of the word. It's all worth seeing.

Any of us who got to see John Tuturo's first film, 'Mac' thought, "well, John can certainly act, but now he can direct as well". His next couple of films barely squeaked out of the starting gate. Then he gave us 'Romance & Cigarettes',which although produced in 2005, is only now getting some distribution (out of John's own pocket,after United Artists,the studio that was originally supposed to distribute it underwent a change in staff,and ended up falling in a black hole in space). Despite a killer cast (James Gandolfini from 'The Sopranos',Susan Sarandon,from 'Thelma & Louise','The Rocky Horror Picture Show',and others),this is a mess of a film, that is occasionally a very funny mess,but none the less, a mess. The musical numbers seem to be slotted in where they just don't belong (although I will admit that I'm not exactly a fan of the musical format). Perhaps a re-edit would benefit this film greatly. It's still worth a look for Gandolfini,Sarandon,and company. I'm sure it'll turn up on DVD,sooner or later.

"Romance and Cigarettes" is an outrageous musical about the working class. It takes some getting used to, but it's well worth it, thanks to all of the talent in front of the camera and behind the scenes. It's risky, it's off the wall, it's bold, and at times, it's a riot. And you can't beat the soundtrack or the dancing policemen.

James Gandolfini plays Nick Murder (who else), a cheating husband married to Susan Sarandon and involved with the nearly unrecognizable Kate Winslet, a red-headed slut. They have three daughters: Constance (Mary-Louise Parker), Rosebud (Aida Turturro, Gandolfini's sister in the Sopranos; Turturro is one year younger than Gandolfini and Mary-Louise Parker is three years younger), and Baby (Mandy Moore), who have their own romance problems. The cast also includes Steve Buscemi, Bobby Carnavale, Eddie Izzard, and Christopher Walken. The characters all break into song with no notice, and the music includes "Piece of My Heart," "This is a Man's World," "Delilah," "Trouble," and many others.

The film chronicles the choice Nick Murder must make as he grapples with his life.

Very quirky and not for everyone, but some really marvelous performances, great music, and both fun and poignant moments.

Turturro's Romance and Cigarettes leaves almost no impression -- unless you're bowled over by James Gandolfini singing (he hasn't much of a voice). Nick Murder (pointless surname) works as a garbage man in Queens (an occupation fleetingly referenced) and fixes bridges with Steve Buscemi, who gives him advice in dialogue that's not very well written or delivered. Nick's married to Kitty (Susan Sarandon) and has three daughters -- Mary Louise Parker, Mandy Moore, and Aida Turturro (deceased from The Sopranos, John's cousin; Turturro works himself and his little boy into the movie too at some point). What's this lively cast doing in such a fiasco? Well, Turturro has been in some excellent movies -- notably Do the Right Thing, Barton Fink, and The Big Lebowski -- and he has lots of friends. The Coen brothers, whom he's worked with so notably, produced.

The action begins when Kitty finds a pornographic note and realizes Nick is cheating on him. She calls in Christopher Walken for moral support. And Walken's an old song and dance man, so he adds something.

You might call this a partial, second-hand, working-class musical. It's second-hand in the sense that none of the music is original. And it's partial because not all the principal characters sing or appear in musical numbers. Buscemi, Eddie Izzard (as a minister), Mary Louise Parker don't get them. Numbers are dubs or voice-overs of songs from James Brown, Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdink, Westside Story, Saturday Night Fever, and many other sources, which evoke John Waters (especially now that he's gone musical with Hairspray) when they're performed in the down-and-dirty settings of a shabby Queens suburb. Sometimes this achieves poetry; other times, more often, it just seems odd, and Turturro hasn't Water's gift for sleaze, which might have transformed this story into high camp. It runs more to crudity, to a degree admittedly unusual for a (partial) musical, chiefly through the mistress, Tula (Kate Winslet), a gutter-mouthed shop girl from Lancashire who thinks -- and talks, in vivid detail -- of little but sex. Tula's lively, zoftig, and in her crude way a hot number. But she's awfully shallow.

There's audacity in the conception. Gandalfini singing would startle even Dr. Melfi. Certainly this is a good cast. But it's not necessarily the right cast. Gandalfini fits -- were it not for his overwhelming current association with that mansion in Jersey and with Edie Falco, who seems a more likely match for him than Sarandon. She has done working class roles (White Palace, Thelma and Louise); but she's fifteen years older than Gandalfini, and seems too classy for this setting. Izzard's out of place in leading a mixed-race Queens gospel choir. Kate Winslet's sublimely into her role, but her character is a little too tacky for the conventional musical love interest she is, by default, made to become.

There's not much of a story (one longs for John Water's ornate but tight plot structures) and Turturro's editing is patchy -- he has a bad habit of snipping in two or three other scenes during a song to no purpose. In fact none of this would make it within two hundred miles of Broadway, though as The Mother (who appears when Nick's in hospital from OD'ing on licorice) Elaine Stritch gives her five-minute cameo a Broadway intensity and snap. Along with the vagueness in the action, the period is also undetermined, a "general retro feel," as Variety puts it -- very general, not very retro -and so not surprisingly, as is probably already obvious, the tone is also uneven.

Eventually Nick decides to give up Tula, and Kitty (Sarandon), somewhat reluctantly, takes him back. Sarandon injects some genuine feeling -- no doubt from another, more serious, movie -- into those final scenes. Winslet is a buoyant scene-stealer throughout in her (unfortunately) smaller role, and when Nick pushes her in the river in his goodbye scene with her she has an underwater singing sequence that is the movie's best moment visually -- it's gloriously improbable and quite beautiful. There's more. Bobby Carnavale is an absurd peacock as Mandy Moore's neighbor fiancé: his looks and strutting are eye-catching, but he'd need either to be less obtrusive or have more lines for the character to work in the whole thing. But -- What "whole thing" are we talking about? This effort just doesn't hold together. You keep wondering how individual scenes might have worked well somewhere else, in some other movie, where the style and tone were consistent.

Romance and Cigarettes is a privileged US indie movie, the kind that it took pull to get made and that, because of the pull, and the stars brought in as a result, gets good festival mileage and Sundance buzz, but fizzles out in the real world.

Shown at SFIFF 49 (April-May 2006).

Just saw this film about a week ago in Los Angeles with a friend who desperately wanted to catch it, primarily because of the great cast. I'd heard a bit about it previously, mostly negative reviews from the professional critics, but I thought I'd give it a go, primarily for Susan Sarandon. After about the first half-hour, I had a few solid impressions: (1) the sing-alongs mostly didn't work and were sometimes just annoying; (2) the editing went from fair to non-existent, with scenes just vanishing; (3) most of the actors were wasted -- more like cameo appearances than roles (did Elaine Stritch just happen to be in the neighborhood?); (4) the choreography apparently was supposed to be unstylish and clunky, but it often was just distracting. While watching the final credits, I saw the 2005 copyright date and assumed that the studio thought the film too poor for release, and my friend agree--after saying that it was one of the worst movies he'd ever seen.

If you want to see singing and dancing noir, stick with Potter's THE SINGING DETECTIVE or the underrated Martin-Peters flick PENNIES FROM HEAVEN.

I just saw this wonderful film at the Toronto Film Festival and what a delightful experience it was. It's so refreshing to see a film-maker who is willing to take the huge, bold risks that John Turturo has taken in his direction. Also, what a treat it was to see James Gandofini, Susan Sarandon, Christopher Walken and Kate Winslet singing and dancing and making outrageous and exciting acting choices. A wonderful selection of music, a charming and literate script and consistently good performance....what else could you ask for in a movie. Watch for Elaine Stritch in a brief role that is should be required viewing for any acting student. Also loved the work of Aida Turturro. This film was a joy to watch!

Working class New Yorker (Gandolfini) has to decide between his wife (Sarandon) and his vibrant lover (Winslet) - the difference here is that the cast occasionally burst into song from time to time.

This is a very strange experience. The cast is phenomenal, the songs are quite good fun and the tone is well, smutty. If you can cope with this not for your maiden aunt type entertainment it is quite enjoyable, punctured though with high drama.

I saw this movie at the Toronto film festival, 2005.....

The previous reviewer was absolutely correct - it was a very different type of movie from the usual.

A star-studded vehicle wherein the characters burst into song spontaneously at appropriate intervals - it engages the audience immediately since all of the songs are most recognizable. In essence, you've attended a super movie and participated in the unfolding story as well.

The musical aspects are a "master stroke." There is an underlying drama depicting the difficulties of relationships, family and everyday life and in no way is the story shortchanged by the use of the music.

There are many laughs and alternately serious moments and yet somehow the sum of the parts work to make an enjoyable and satisfying whole.

My understanding is the movie has been caught in merger "limbo" delaying the U.S. release and it's a terrible, terrible shame.

John Turturro is to be commended for his original screenplay and his directorial gifts.

Release this movie to the U.S. Moviegoig Public..........you won't regret it!

John Turturro has created something very special here. Look at the cast list. The names alone make it a must-see for many cinema lovers, yet the description of musical might also put many off. Well don't worry. This film uses existing songs to enhance emotional statements at intervals throughout this gritty film. It mixes them with Brooklyn working life, some sex, lots of humour and pathos and fantastically it all works. The songs are used a la Dennis Potter and seep in and out of the narrative flow as easily as a gentle voice-over. Great performances by everyone but stunners from Kate Winslet (now that's a proper body), Elaine Stritch ("Every breath is a victory") and Christopher Walken, always riveting. James Gandolfini plays a slightly different Tony Soprano but that fits in just right. Quite simply a pleasure from first 'til last. Thank you John.

For those who found The Singing Detective and Pennies from Heaven exciting and innovative this will come as a welcome return to a much neglected form of cinema. Turturro has assembled a wonderful cast for his first foray into the world of the musical. It is an original and touching film with many highlights and only the odd negative ( Walken and Parker). It also has the author's touch to it - a blue collar family living through emotional upheavals presented with no sentimentality but a lot of love. Both Gandolfini and Sarandon give excellent performances as the estranged but still connected couple and Buscemi, Winslet, Turturro and particularly Strich add their own talent to the mix. The musical numbers are well done and do not jar with the narrative. Overall, an enjoyable film showing much promise for Turturro's next excursion into the world of directing.

Tough to come up with a title for this since "What A Mess" was already taken. This movie set the world record for most wasted talent and you cannot blame anyone but John Turturo since he both wrote and directed it. I would explain the plot but I have no idea what the plot was or the point of the whole exercise. I will say this, there is some good music in the film from James Brown, Harvey and the Moonglows, Janis Joplin and Dusty Springfield so there are a few enjoyable moments, but if that does not interest you do not waste your time. It is very likely that you will look at the cast and say to yourself "I really like so and so, I think I'll take a chance." Don't do it.

With 'Romance & Cigarettes' actor director John Torturro. presents a unique musical. One that is dirty, sassy, sometimes awkward and funny. To get the minuses out of the way, the backup dancers randomly appearing was an odd sight. I liked that Torturro had the original songs playing and the actors singing along. Two songs that were particularly well visualized were the hotel room sequence with Winslet and Gandolfini and Sarandon's rendition of 'Pieces of My Heart'. If only the visualization of the latter had more Susan in it as it was an amazing acting moment for her and the cuts felt slightly intrusive.

The casting too is a little strange especially those of Mary Louise Parker and Aida Torturro as Gandolfini's character's daughters. However, all the actors (except Mandy Moore) performed excellently. In terms of acting, 'Romance and Cigarettes' belongs to Sarandon and Gandolfini. Both are introduced as sassy characters and as they grow throughout the film, their vulnerability is revealed and a tenderness shines. Winslet is terrific as the over-the-top potty mouthed lingerie saleswoman, displaying oomph and dark humour. There's a hilarious 'catfight' scene with her and Susan.

The light effect is terrific and the cinematography is stupendous. One particular sequence that particularly stood out is the scene where Nick goes to meet Tula by a lake and this is followed by a mesmerizingly shot underwater song. The writing is also clever in many places, especially the funny lines (who can forget Gandolfini's 'I almost love you' and Winslet's response to that?).

The pacing is slightly uneven, the cuts felt a little too much at time and the comedy feels lacking in the final sequences. But overall, 'Romance & Cigarettes' is an amusing musical farce, one that had me smiling.

A middle-aged, working-class couple's marriage falls apart because the husband cheats. Three grown-up daughters support their mother, while the father is torn between his wife and his mistress. A story about ordinary people, everyday sins and redemptions, told in an unusual way, through a movie that is and is not musical.

James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, and Christopher Walken are the names that pushed me to watch this movie. But "Romance & Cigarettes" is not even close to the level I expected from a movie with such a cast.

The theme does not stand out, the characters are mostly uninteresting, and the story is too silly for drama and too pathetic for comedy. Everything is kind of messed up, even though nothing seems to be happening. Vulgar, an unimpressive movie that will ambush you with random musical sequences. I think Turturro tried to be original under the strong influence of the Coen brothers. It's quite original, and it's somewhat Coen-esque, it's not boring, but even though I watched it last night, I don't remember half of it already. However, I should probably mention that I don't like the Coen brothers, and that this movie might leave a stronger impression on their fans.

On the plus side, the cast alone is worth the time, there are some really funny moments and crazy dialogue, and the soundtrack is good too. For me, the musical sequence for the track "Delilah" is by far the most impressive part of this film, and I also liked the emotional "A Man Without Love". Good, but not great. Worth a look.

7/10.

If you like "slightly nuts," you may like this offbeat Blue Collar musical, a sort of Turturro Home Movie crossed with a little bit of soap opera and a good amount of goofy comedy. The tone is not consistent: what happens in the plot is not what is usually expected in this kind of film, and those who want a linear plot where everything is consistent in tone and it all ends nicely will be disappointed.

Romance and Cigarettes often a bit silly, but as critic Wesley Morris commented, "it transcends preposterousness with tons of ardor." It's clear that Sarandon, Gandolfini and Kate Winslet are doing this for love, and the honest feeling that shines through the last few minutes of the film is what love is really all about. I would have paid full theatre price for this little gem just to watch Christopher Walken do some amazing parody work with minimal effort.

John Turturro's terribly uneven film ranges from the fairly imaginative to the downright horrible. Much of the film reminded me way too much of the worst traits of certain Coen brothers movies: too grotesque, too jokey, too enamored of its own charm. There are moments that come close to saving it, but overall this film is a big disappointment.

Set in no particular time period (present-day cars mingle with 1960s pompadours), this quasi-musical tells the completely dispensable story of a big oafish lout (James Gandolfini, so physically disgusting for so much of the movie that I actually got tired of simply looking at him) who cheats on his wife (Susan Sarandon) with a crass harlot (Kate Winslet, bringing the movie a burst of energy) and then feels bad for it. Big deal. This exact same story could be told by anyone about anyone in any number of ways, so why should we care about this particular man and his particular story? Well, Turturro doesn't answer that question, which is the movie's biggest flaw.

The film veers all over the place in tone. For its first two-thirds, it doesn't take itself seriously at all -- every musical number is a pastiche. Then it lurches into tragedy for its final half hour and ends on a downer note completely at odds with anything else that preceded it. Turturro gathers a large and talented cast, and then wastes most of it. The film sticks too closely with Gandolfini, who isn't interesting enough to hold our interest, and completely ignores all of the marginal characters that bring pizazz to the story. Actors like Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Walken and Mary-Louise Parker simply drop out of the movie without making the slightest impression, while we're stuck following around boring schmuck Gandolfini while he mopes and moans.

I guess Turturro deserves some kudos at least for creativity, but little else about this movie deserves your time or energy.

Grade: D+

"Romance & Cigarettes" is a flawed but endearing film. Its stylised dialogue -- often stitched together from song lyrics, lines from films and, I think, even a snatch of Beckett's Endgame -- its characters bursting into lip-synched song and dance, its strange, disjointed scenes and its total lack of romance will doubtless annoy a lot of people hoping for something somewhat more straightforward and conventional. Personally, I was hoping for something that might address the issues of love, romance and relationships which the film, instead, prodded gently before dancing and singing around them. I would also have liked to have seen more of Mary Louise Parker, who I thought was cruelly underused. And...Eddie Izzard? And yet...and yet...I really liked this film. It had an inventiveness and a quirky charm, a surreal, loopy approach to narrative and dialogue, was beautifully filmed and -- within limitations of the form -- wonderfully acted. Particular kudos to Kate Winslet, unrecognizably and thoroughly dislikeable, who nonetheless "sings" one of the more heart-stopping numbers, Ute Lemper's version of Cave & Piseks "Little Water Song", while underwater. Meanwhile, adding to his gallery of whacked-out and weird characters, Christopher Walken delivers what must be one of his weirdest performances yet as the Elvis-idolising Cousin Bo. Like a lot of things in this film, you have to see it to believe it, and even then you won't be too sure.

I see cultdom beckoning for this little gem, late-night showings, repeated viewings, singalongs and favourite lines of dialogue bandied about like a secret currency. It's unlikely that it would have been made if it wasn't John Turturro writing and the Coens producing, but now it's out there, I recommend it be seen, if only for curiosity value. You either hate it or love it and -- for all its flaws -- I loved it.

Seldom does a film come along which proves so difficult to pinhole using conventional definitions: a film dealing with the themes of both family and extramarital affairs which blends elements of both comedy and serious drama without ever being easily classified as each. Also, the occasional sporadic musical number thrown in to either extrapolate the characters' sentiments or entirely divert from them, while simultaneously wavering on the line of the fantastic and gritty realism without ever delving too deeply into one or the other. Whichever grounds it tries to cover at any given time, it is unlikely the majority of viewers will have ever seen anything like the charmingly, chaotically imbalanced flurry that is Romance & Cigarettes, which, while bewilderingly imbalanced, still boasts enough of an earnest emotional heart to remain lovable in the midst of all of its discordantly endearing flaws.

While the inciting premise proves an alluring one indeed, the scattershot, loosely connected series of vignettes on love, sex, adultery and family prove a bit too madcap and sporadic to be anywhere near as effective as it could have been - the film fades bewilderingly in and out of fantasy sequences and characters come and go, many alluding to more developed parts which never arise and some are unceremoniously dropped entirely seemingly halfway through their roles (Bobby Canavale's gyrating lothlorio and, most disappointingly Christopher Walken spring to mind). While starting out strong, with the zany screenplay offering many a snappy line of acerbic wit (most delivered with perfect deadpan by Gandolfini), the film begins to lose direction midway through, and by its finale results as a chaotic struggle for mostly lost coherency. The haphazard musical sequences prove equally imbalanced, as characters belt out renowned pop tunes, their own voices confusingly blending overtop of the original singer's, but such interludes prove more charming and endearing than befuddling, with some of the most eccentric choreography seen in years.

The film does carry the unmistakable touch of the Coen brothers (whose names appear among the staggering 36 credited as producers, perhaps explaining the film's inherent creative imbalance) yet writer/director John Turturro hammers the judiciously balanced weirdness which makes their usual work such a triumph a bit too strongly, the resulting film feeling too imbalanced, all over the place and lacking clarity of vision to match up to the expected standard. If slightly less ambitious and with more focus on the story's key characters, the film could have proved a heartwarming and touching treatise, but while attempting to tackle such a wide variety of characters and stories the audience's attention feels too dispersed to touch upon any of them in much depth. This being said, the film boasts undeniably genuine heart and soul, and many moments of surprisingly touch or hilarious emotional weight do result, many being surprisingly realistic touching interchanges between Nick Murder and his estranged wife. However, the noticeably downbeat ending proves distinctly out of place, a shockingly sour note upon which to end a film which previously dazzled with such vivacity and sparkled with irreverent wit - an unmistakable directorial misfire.

James Gandolfini's gruff charm makes a surprisingly charismatic and sympathetic lead out of the stoic mug of Nick Murder, bewilderedly attempting to decide between his frantic wife and torrid mistress, his eyes speaking volumes where his befuddled mouth cannot. As Murder's wife Kitty, Susan Sarandon proves hugely charismatic, chomping the scenery and wrapping her mouth around many of the script's more acidic lines with particular vigour. Kate Winslet, playing violently against type as the foul mouthed sex addict Murder is having an affair with is particularly enjoyable, her wildfire of a performance and stunning sensuality lending the film volumes of necessary life and spark. Steve Buscemi proves a consistently hilarious scene stealer as Murder's friend and fellow construction worker, always willing to irreverently spout off his sexual preferences. As expected, Christopher Walken offers the film a much needed jolt of irreverent hysteria, arguably walking away with the film in a mostly pointless but exuberantly enjoyable role as Kitty's offbeat Cousin Bo. Exemplifying the quirkily endearing spirit of the film, Walken is a scream (his rendition of Tom Jones' "Delilah" is priceless) making it all the more disappointing when his character is sporadically dropped from the film with no explanation, as his loss feels like a gaping hole in the film's comedy factor. Mandy Moore, Aida Turturro and Mary-Louise Parker vary between discordant and hilarious as the quirky Murder daughters (though their grunge band performances are side-splitting) and Eddie Izzard is criminally underused as a bizarre pastor, whose presence hints at a much larger role having been cut, and seeming all the more unnecessary an inclusion as consequence.

Despite its unmistakable flaws, Romance & Cigarettes remains undeniably enjoyable in all of its charming lunacy, laudable if only in its persistent willingness to throw itself chaotically against the mainstream grain, usually with more successful results than not. While the film's chaotic imbalance does threaten to overwhelm it as the successful jolt of its beginning wanes, the superb cast, inventive musical numbers and sporadically brilliant script are enough to help it limp along to a satisfying conclusion, albeit short of its true potential.

-7/10

Let's be honest, there wasn't much romance in Romance & Cigarettes, was there? There wasn't really much of anything, bar a couple of dopey and un-enjoyable characters moping around about how 'down' they are or how regretful they are or how lonely they are or how they cannot communicate with anyone and how everything is horrible and terrible and life's nasty and it's all spiralling out of control. Fact of the matter is, the film is an hour and a half plus of big name actors and actresses dallying around feeling sorry for themselves beneath a facade of a study of love when really it's a daft exercise in how post-modern we can be with camera angles and musical numbers as we pretend to make a study of the complexity of relationships.

I really disliked Romance & Cigarettes; I disliked every eccentric, style-driven, often cringe-inducing minute of it for a number of reasons. The film was made by a man called John Turturro, who I've seen in a number of very good films and who has worked with a couple of America's more exciting contemporary directors; names such as Martin Scorsese, Joel and Ethen Coen as well as Spike Lee. Trouble is, Turtutto is just an actor and, with only two prior directorial efforts credited to his name according to this site, it is advised he stick to acting in those small-but-very-noticeable roles in films that go on and garner much deserved attention. Clockers, Jungle Fever, Rounders and The Colour of Money spring to mind and it's quite feasible there are others out there I'm yet to stumble upon.

The film masquerades as a cheery and colourful study on life, love and the tribulations that these things entail when the fact you've been stupid enough to cheat on your partner catches up with you. But this film, like its makers probably would as well, tells us that its lead character's fling with another woman was some kind of 'natural drive' or some kind of "spiritual calling that drove the male onto another spiritual level that forced him into confronting his fears and desires and thus.......blah, blah, blah" You know what? Rubbish John Turturro, absolute rubbish – you're a good actor at playing those snotty and wormy characters you often get in crime driven films (Miller's Crossing stands out in memory) but your style as a director completely masks the fact you're making a film about idiots, making idiotic and ill advised decisions under a pretense of something deeper.

So if the director's out of his element then the cast additionally follow suit with a string of musical numbers done really badly that might completely miss the target in the sense people will find the bad singing and eccentricity of the pieces 'funny' more so than they will find what it is they're actually singing about quite humbling; which is what they should be feeling given the themes of loss of love and despair held within the songs. But the film itself is built around James Gandolfini's character named Nick Murder and his life which is balanced around working as some sort of maintainer of bridges with his buddy Angelo (Buscemi); his life at home with wife Kitty (Sarandon) and their three daughters while lastly, an elusive affair with Tula, in what is an image shredding role for Kate Winslet, given her prior work.

I mean, the film is rubbish. It masquerades as this post-modern and energetic look at love and the dilemmas when you feel for two people and the moral choices that accompany it. No it's not; it's about a bored, working class American slob who's just not getting enough action, isn't satisfied enough and plays around a bit on the side for his own amusement. Very early on, there's a musical number that would-be about loneliness and general confusion as the morality of the situation looks to sink in but all the women wear pretty, quaint revealing costumes and we get certain close ups of certain areas the women possess and you begin to have this sick, dirty realisation that this is what everyone's more interested in. I mean, essays and books have been written about how cinema is constructed for and around a male perspective but this just sticks two fingers up at all of that and says "So what!? We're going through with it anyway!"

Twinned with this is an annoying little subplot about equally annoying people, those being Nick and Kitty's three daughters Constance (Parker); Rosebud (Turturro) and Baby (Moore); whose full name is rather disturbingly 'Baby Murder', and their band that they try to get going which is flagging as each day goes by what with their horrid, annoying guitar and piano playing and singing – I know it's done badly on purpose but who on Earth thought it might be funny? Who actually finds it amusing? I read afterwards that the 'Moore' that plays Baby is a certain Mandy Moore, a singer and good God – why, oh why would you accept a role in a film in which you play a really bad musician if you're a musician yourself – perhaps she hadn't been selling many records, maybe the cash situation was low.

So in short; it's a disaster – Angelo plays the Jiminy Cricket/conscience role that pops up and offers Nick tidbits of advice whenever the film feels he needs it, which is a bit silly. There's a little plot twist later on that leads the film off down another route towards supposed redemption (which is what the makers would tell you it's about) but it's very silly and bails the film out in terms on needing resolution. All in all, rather a large and silly mess made by someone who has worked with, arguably, the best but is far from those persons' respective level.

A film truly worthy of the Coen brothers. If you like their films, you'll love this one. It was not surprising to see that they were the producers. John Turturro's original script and direction make this a very fresh and enjoyable experience. The actors must have enjoyed making the film as this comes across very strongly.

The choice of backdrop - New York suburbs and anonymous looking workers' housing - only serves only to emphasise the colourfulness of each of the characters. Like Robert Altman's films, the banal is turned into the extraordinary using popular music and quite original camera work. Personally, I don't see this film as a "musical" in the sense that the music is not used to tell the story but rather as mood pieces for various scenes.

This is one of the few films that I will invest in the DVD as soon as it is out.

This movie proves that having a good stylistic idea for a movie, doesn't mean that movie should be made... A lot of great comical sequences (you have got to love Christopher Walken in this one!), but not a great movie. Seems unstructured and amateurish. Sad, because the idea of a blue collar musical is good, but the story is just too skinny and it seems that the movies is a compilation of good ideas for scenes, instead of one coherent movie. And no, the incoherence doesn't make it an art house movie, it just makes it a nice try. With a weak, weak story and stereotypical characters, which never become anything other that stereotypical. But fun at times, though.