Main Cast: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale
Release Year: 2005
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Actor and filmmaker John Turturro wrote and directed this emotionally resonant blend of music and drama. Nick Murder (James Gandolfini) is an ironworker who has been married for years to Kitty (Susan Sarandon), who works as a seamstress and is the mother of Nick's three daughters. While Nick loves his wife, his head is turned by Tula (Kate Winslet), a sexy salesgirl at a lingerie shop, and soon they're having a passionate affair. When Kitty finds out about Nick's infidelity, she becomes enraged and kicks him out of the house, forcing him to decide what he really wants out of life and what is most important to him. Along the way, many of the characters in the film periodically turn to their favorite songs to explain and amplify their emotions, lip-synching along with the original recordings. Romance & Cigarettes also stars Steve Buscemi, Mandy Moore, Christopher Walken, Eddie Izzard, and Elaine Stritch. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
John Turturro's loving (and unselfconsciously coarse) musical paean to working-class marital and sexual woes has some fascinating antecedents. The first is The Honeymooners -- James Gandolfini's Nick Murder, a straying, overweight, chain-smoking iron worker, and a schlub of a husband, resembles nothing less than a libidinous version of Ralph Kramden (as he might've been interpreted by Dewey Robinson or Dick Wessel), a parallel only reinforced by the character's immensely funny exchanges of wisdom with his goofy know-it-all co-worker Angelo (Steve Buscemi), who comes off like an Ed Norton of the post-sexual revolution era; while Susan Sarandon's Kitty, Nick's wronged, loving, long-suffering wife, is Alice Kramden brought to life with a vengeance and vulnerability that perfectly balances Nick's seeming disregard for the feelings of those he loves. Turturro's other major source of inspiration would seem to have been Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, that director's too-little-seen tribute to classic Hollywood musicals. Both movies present characters in realistic New York settings (from very different parts of the city) who break into song at strategic moments. As Nick and Kitty, and their daughters, and their friends and neighbors in their working-class Brooklyn neighborhood are not the most articulate of characters, whenever they encounter a feeling they can't express in dialogue, they break into song, supported by some elaborate dance as well. The effect of these sudden transitions, and the switches to the life of the mind of these characters, helps to keep the movie entertaining even when the language, emotions, and subject matter get a little too coarse. In the latter regard, this film is far removed from Allen's work, so that their structures may be similar but their textures couldn't be more different. Where Allen's movie reeked (and sang) of upper-class sophistication (sometimes satirizing it) and elegance, Turturro's picture is bold and loud and sometimes close to over the line in its use of sexual images, while it musical images break whatever tension the rage and sexuality lays across the screen. The music is delightful -- there's a great soundtrack CD to be licensed here, even though everything is either mimed to existing records or lip-synched by people other than the actors; and Turturro's work keeps its sophistication below the surface along with its subtleties, which are there if one cares to look, though that might spoil the fun.
Amid the shouting, the singing and the dancing, there are also some delightful grace notes by Elaine Stritch as Nick's mother, and Eddie Izzard as Father Gene Vincent. Mary-Louise Parker, Mandy Moore, and Aida Turturro, give scene-stealing support as the Murder brood. And Christopher Walken turns in one of his more charmingly goofy performances as Kitty's rock & roll-obsessed cousin Bo, his interpretation perhaps owing a tiny bit to the work of Dick Shawn from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and The Producers -- though Walken brings to the role the usual convincing, unsettling depth that has always made his best work, even in the most superficial of his movies, seem scarily real. The film, for all of its vibrancy and pleasures, has a downbeat aspect that's unavoidable, given its plot and the one of the key flaws in a major character, which makes it difficult to characterize purely as a comedy, though Sarandon brings so much humanity to her character in the key scenes depicting that aspect of the plot that these are some of the warmest and most emotionally accessible spots in the movie (along with Nick's declaration of his love for his wife). Romance & Cigarettes was completed in 2005 but held back from release until its European opening the following year, and only went into U.S. release in September 2007. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
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 Le Fevre - Fruitman; Tonya Pinkins - Female Medic; David Thonton - Urologist; Kumar Pullana - Da Da Kumar; June Stein - Frances' Mother; Michael McElroy - "Ten Commandments" Priest; Joseph Longo - Altar Boy; Devon McRimmon - Altar Boy; Amedeo Turturro - Fryburg Friend; Ryan Webb - Fryburg Friend; Jacob Lumet-Cannavale - Fryburg Friend; Diego Turturro - Boy on Tricycle; Yianni Digaletos - The Greek; Katherine Turturro - Choir Lady/Singer; Alexandra Beller - Female Dancer/Singer; Katherine Borowitz - Female Dancer/Singer; Tricia Brouk - Female Dancer/Singer; Mary Bond Davis - Female Dancer/Singer; LaRita Gaskins - Female Dancer/Singer; Karen Graham - Female Dancer/Singer; Kelly Robertson - Female Dancer/Singer; Daria Hardeman - Female Dancer/Singer; Lisa Tachick Hooper - Female Dancer/Singer; Wanda L. Houston - Female Dancer/Singer; Cady Huffman - Roe; Kate Johnson - Female Dancer/Singer; Rosalynde LeBlanc - Female Dancer/Singer; Adele Meyers - Female Dancer/Singer; Rosetta Milardi - Female Dancer/Singer; Emily Molnar - Female Dancer/Singer; Elizabeth H. Parkinson - Female Dancer/Singer; Nourhan Sharif - Female Dancer/Singer; Valerie Striar - Female Dancer/Singer; Rebecca Wender - Female Dancer/Singer; Brian Arch - Male Dancer/Singer; Felix Blaska - Male Dancer/Singer; James Borowitz - Male Dancer/Singer; Joao Caravalho - Male Dancer/Singer; Alex Escalante - Male Dancer/Singer; Clarence Figgures - Male Dancer/Singer; Rudy Heron - Male Dancer/Singer; Eric Jackson - Male Dancer/Singer; John Kelly - Male Dancer/Singer; David Scott Klein - Male Dancer/Singer; Victorio Korjhan - Male Dancer/Singer; Gelan Lambert, Jr. - Male Dancer/Singer; Laurent Lambert - Male Dancer/Singer; Raul Merced - Male Dancer/Singer; Christopher McGovern - Fireman; Otto Moreira - Male Dancer/Singer; Christopher Morgan - Male Dancer/Singer; Vincent Orofino - Male Dancer/Singer; Joe Paparone - Male Dancer/Singer; John Selya - Male Dancer/Singer; Gus Solomons, Jr. - Male Dancer/Singer; John Turturro - Male Dancer/Singer; Takehiro Ueyama - Male Dancer/Singer; Dared Wright - Male Dancer/Singer; Tom Bruno - Fireman; Scott Friese - Fireman; Neil Jorgensen - Fireman; Buddy McKay - Fireman; Robert Morgan - Fireman; Robert A. Pennacchia - Fireman; Dave Ryan - Fireman; Salty - Fireman; Kendall Washington - Fireman; Julia Stiles
Credit
Mario R. Ventenilla - Art Director, Laurent Lambert - Associate Producer, Robin Gold - Associate Producer, Michael H. Scott - Boom Operator, Todd Thaler - Casting, Tricia Brouk - Choreography, Moore and Parker - Choreography, Donna Zakowska - Costume Designer, Todd Pfeiffer - First Assistant Director, John Turturro - Director, Ray Hubley - Editor, Ethan Coen - Executive Producer, Joel Coen - Executive Producer, Matthew Rowland - Executive Producer, Jana Edelbaum - Executive Producer, Nick Hill - Executive Producer, Andrew Saxe - Location Manager, Chris Robertson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Bruce MacCallum - Camera Operator, William Shackleton Arnot - Camera Operator, Donna Zakowska - Production Designer, Tom Stern - Cinematographer, Ethan Coen - Producer, Joel Coen - Producer, John Turturro - Producer, John Penotti - Producer, T.R. Boyce - Recording, Tod A. Maitland - Sound/Sound Designer, Eliza Paley - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Bucossi - Stunts Coordinator, John Turturro - Screenwriter, Scott Jacobson - Production Assistant, Matthew Gordon - Production Assistant, Steve Oppenheim - Production Assistant, Brian Ascher - Production Assistant, Vincent Bivona - Production Assistant, Jonathan Caro - Production Assistant, Raymond Gieringer - Visual Effects Supervisor, David Patterson - Sound Effects Editor, Paul Chihara - Additional Music, Inc. Megatrax Production Music - Additional Music, Nourhan Sharif - Additional Music, ModMusic - Additional Music, Steve McAuliff - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Frances Fiore - Unit Publicist, William Coe - First Assistant Camera, Chris Santilly - First Assistant Camera, Brian Fitzsimmons - Grip, Aaron Dawley - Grip, Louis Petraglia - Grip, Dennis Gamiello - Key Grip, Roland Vajs - Music Editor, Shari I. Johanson - Music Editor, Bill Maxwell - Music Producer, Houston Person - Musical Performer, Ann Gray - Post Production Coordinator, Paul A. Levin - Post Production Supervisor, Montez A. Monroe - Production Supervisor, Jeff Mazzola - Properties Master, Dominick Tavella - Re-Recording Mixer, Andy Kris - Re-Recording Mixer, Chiemi Karasawa - Script Supervisor, Conrad F. Brink, Sr. - Special Effects Coordinator, William Shackleton Arnot - Steadicam Operator, K.C. Bailey - Still Photographer, Wendy Lanning - Visual Effects Producer, Jane McCulley - ADR Editor, Tom O'Connell - ADR Mixer, Bobby Johanson - ADR Mixer, Rick Canelli - ADR Recordist, Krissopher Chevannes - ADR Recordist, Lorraine Calvert - Assistant Costumer Designer, Rocco Palmieri - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Donna Battersby-Greene - Assistant Hair, Kellie Morrison - Assistant Location Manager, Clare Lord - Assistant Location Manager, Michael Hartel - Assistant Location Manager, Chris Collins - Assistant Production Coordinator, Mike Platarote - Assistant Properties, Eric Mcallister - Assistant Sound Editor, Scott Koenigsberg - Camera Loader, Philip Huffman - Casting Assistant, Andrew Day - Chief Lighting Technician, Richard Hebrank - Construction Coordinator, Leah P. Katznelson - Costumes Assistant, Kelley Burney - Costumes Assistant, Marcia Patten - Costumes Supervisor, Amy Andrew Harrell - Costumes Supervisor, Charlie Foster - DGA Intern, Mary Ellen Porto - Dialogue Editor, Edward Lowry - Dolly Grip, Michael Hunold - Electrician, Charlie Grubbs - Electrician, Lowell Schulman - Electrician, Karen E. Etcoff - Extra Casting, J. Max Ruschak - First Assistant Accountant, Kevin Black - First Assistant Accountant, Beatrice Sisul - First Assistant Editor, Agnes Challe-Grandits - First Assistant Editor, Jay Peck - Foley Artist, William Sweeney - Foley Editor, Roy Bryson - Key Hairstylist, Joseph Campayno - Key Make-up, Philip Canfield - Leadman, Mark Edlitz - Personal Assistant, Trixie Flynn - Personal Assistant, Stacy Adamski - Personal Assistant, John Finn - Post Production Accountant, Shawn Hamilton - Post Production Accountant, Carrie Petri - Post Production Assistant, Liz Sandoval - Post Production Assistant, Kathi Scharer - Production Accountant, Joanne Zorcik - Production Accountant, Jennifer Koestler - Second Assistant Camera, Sarah Rae Garrett - Second Second Assistant Director, Anita Gibson - Second Unit Makeup, Brian Jones - Set Dresser, Debbie Canfield - Set Dresser, T. Kelly Canfield - Set Dresser, Laurent Lambert - Storyboard Artist, Kevin Keefe - Transportation Captain, Kristopher Keefe - Transportation Captain, Intelligent Creatures - Visual Effects, Elaine O'Donnell - Set Decorator, Abraham Laboriel - Featured Music, Bill Maxwell - Featured Music, Justo Almario - Featured Music, Lou Pardini - Featured Music, Cynthia Kao - Assistant Choreographer, Steve Sheridan - Color Timing, Robert Keller - Construction Foreman, Premiere Caterers - Craft Service/Catering, George P. Nannas - Craft Service/Catering, Cornelio Campoverde - Craft Service/Catering, Dawns Early Light - Craft Service/Catering, Ryan Collison - Foley Recordist, Jamie Gallagher - Generator Operator, Negative People Incorporated - Negative Cutter, Lindsey Jaffin - Production Secretary, Conrad V. Brink - Special Effects Foreman, Daniel Salk - Video Assist, Custom Film Effects - Title Design, Erik Knight - Art Department Coordinator, Roland Vajs - Assistant ADR Editor, Leah Ramella - Producer's Assistant, Elizabeth Radshaw - Producer's Assistant, Susan Kaufman - Assistant Set Decorator
The film, initially scheduled for an August 2005 release date, was postponed, partly so it could premiere at the Venice Film Festival, partly – some speculate – so that it could be better prepared for Academy Award nomination.
The film opened in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2006, the Netherlands on March 30, 2006, and the rest of Europe in April 2006. United Artists had been scheduled to distribute the film in the United States, but when the film finally got a limited release on September 7, 2007, director Turturro decided to distribute the film himself. United Artists remains a partial rights holder to the film, but Icon International, actor Mel Gibson's company, now has full distribution rights in the U.S.[1] Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is distributing the film outside the U.S. and Sony Pictures (under license from Icon International, and ironically a cousin company to UA) released the DVD on February 12, 2008.
