Romance & Cigarettes (2005)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

John Turturro

Writer:

John Turturro (written by)

Release Date:

2006 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

A Savage Musical

Plot:

A down-and-dirty musical set in the world of working-class New York, tells a story of a husband's journey into infidelity and redemption when he must choose between his seductive mistress and his beleaguered wife.

Plot Keywords:

Dark Comedy | Redemption | Lover | Adultery | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Gandolfini	...	Nick Murder
Susan Sarandon	...	Kitty
Kate Winslet	...	Tula
Steve Buscemi	...	Angelo
Bobby Cannavale	...	Fryburg
Mandy Moore	...	Baby
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Constance
Aida Turturro	...	Rosebud
Christopher Walken	...	Cousin Bo
Barbara Sukowa	...	Gracie
Elaine Stritch	...	Nick's Mother
Eddie Izzard	...	Gene Vincent
Amy Sedaris	...	Frances
P.J. Brown	...	Police Officer
Adam LeFevre	...	Fruitman

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content including some strong dialogue, and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-11 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:16 | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

Although the film was shown at the Venice Film Festival and had an official release in the UK in 2006, the movie was not released in the US for years. This was mainly due to the fact that MGM was bought by a consortium headed by Sony in 2005, which led to a legal mess of whom, either MGM or Sony has the rights to the movie. In August 2007 director John Turturro decided to distribute the movie with his own money.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Roe and the Greek Man are walking past Bo and Kitty in the Diner, the sound of the Greek man smacking Roe's bottom is sharply heard, yet we can clearly see his hand on Roe's waist the entire time.

Quotes:

Baby: Dad?
Nick Murder: Yeah.
Baby: I'm going into wedlock.

Movie Connections:

References Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)

Soundtrack:

Piece of My Heart

Refreshing musical

Good music, well-choreographed dancing, quirky sense of humor, a little dark. A bunch of good actors are giving a solid performance. They appear to have enjoyed themselves. Susan Sarandon is great, Kate Winslet deliciously foul-mouthed. The photography is mostly very aesthetic, although of course not as perfect as that of the Coen brothers, who produced the movie. The movie fits well into the universe of the Coen brothers' work while having its own special character. Good job, John Turturro, a very enjoyable movie! I wasn't aware of Turturro as a director. IMDb shows he has made two earlier movies, in 1992 and 1998 (both as a director and a writer, just as with this present movie). Those movies had low scores. After Romance & Cigarettes I will be keeping my eyes open for this new director. As the title suggests, there is a lot of smoking in this movie, but it can hardly be seen as positive advertising for the tobacco industry, fortunately. Conservative Christians had better avoid this movie, it would only upset them. An 8 out of 10.