Smoke (1995)

A Brooklyn smoke shop is the center of neighborhood activity, and the stories of its customers.

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writer:

Paul Auster

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Giancarlo Esposito

11 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giancarlo Esposito	...	OTB Man #1, Tommy
José Zúñiga	...	OTB Man #2, Jerry
Stephen Gevedon	...	OTB Man #3, Dennis (as Steve Gevedon)
Harvey Keitel	...	Auggie Wren
Jared Harris	...	Jimmy Rose
William Hurt	...	Paul Benjamin
Daniel Auster	...	Book Thief
Harold Perrineau	...	Rashid Cole (as Harold Perrineau Jr.)
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Sue the Waitress
Victor Argo	...	Vinnie
Michelle Hurst	...	Aunt Em
Forest Whitaker	...	Cyrus Cole
Stockard Channing	...	Ruby McNutt
Vincenzo Amelia	...	Irate Customer
Erica Gimpel	...	Doreen Cole

Storyline

The plot of this movie, like smoke itself, drifts and swirls ethereally. Characters and subplots are deftly woven into a tapestry of stories and pictures which only slowly emerges to our view. This film tries to convince us that reality doesn't matter so much as aesthetic satisfaction. In Auggie's New York smoke shop, day by day passes, seemingly unchanging until he teaches us to notice the little details of life. Paul Benjamin, a disheartened and broken writer, has a brush with death that is pivotal and sets up an unlikely series of events that afford him a novel glimpse into the life on the street which he saw, but did not truly perceive, every day. Finally, it's Auggie's turn to spin a tale....

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Plot Keywords:

smoke | cigarette smoking | death of wife | year 1990 | summer | 

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Taglines:

The most precious things are lighter than the air

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Official site

Country:

Germany Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Smoke

Filming Locations:

72 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$8,349,430

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Neue Deutsche Filmgesellschaft (NDF), Euro Space

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (DuArt) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Erica Gimpel, Victor Argo, Giancarlo Esposito, and Harold Perrineau appeared in King Of New York (1990).

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Goofs

When Thomas Cole knocks on the door of Paul Benjamin's apartment on his first visit, Paul goes to answers the door without a cigarette. However, when he opens the door a lit cigarette appears in his mouth.

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Quotes

[first lines]
OTB Man #1, Tommy: I'm gonna tell you why they aren't going anywhere.
OTB Man #3, Dennis: Why aren't they going anywhere?
OTB Man #1, Tommy: Management.
OTB Man #3, Dennis: Aw jeez.
OTB Man #1, Tommy: Those guys are walkin' around with the head up their asses.
OTB Man #3, Dennis: Right, yeah. Well ya know, they made some good trades too ya know. Carter and Manis. Without them two there never woulda been a World Series.

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Connections

Featured in 1,001 Movies You Must See (Before You Die) (2014)

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Soundtracks

Sexy dumb dumb
Written and Performed by Sophia George
Produced by Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar (as Sly Dunbar)

User Reviews

Like Augey says...

"you'll never get it if you don't slow down my friend"

"you're going too fast"

"you're hardly looking at the pictures"

"Slow down, huh?"

Chill. Forget special effects. Story. Basic. Classic.