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
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