hyped garbage

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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.

"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.

It's the tenth time I see this film. And no matter what I was during these home screenings, drunk, sober, happy or sad, I still have the same stupid smile on my face when the credits start rolling. It's not that the ending makes me laugh, there's nothing funny about it. But neither does it make me sprout tears all over the place. I can't really describe this subtle feeling, the same feeling I have after watching Burton's "Big Fish".Yes, I can endlessly praise the music choices and the fine cast/acting etc. But that's all "body parts". This is, I won't be afraid to use the word, a complete and finished work of art. Yeah, the story's cheesy but it's one of the only films of our time that gives this every-day-life type of thing the authenticity that Turturro provides. It's one of the only films of our time that lives up to Piccaso's words "Art is the tool that brushes away the dust from our day-to-day life".I'm not in possession of words to express my gratitude so I'm not going to try to color it. Mr. Turturro, you're the man. Thank you so much.

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.