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ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES Send This Review to a Friend
One of the extremely offbeat entries at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival was “Romance and Cigarettes,” directed by John Turturro. Only now getting a commercial release, it is built around a husband-wife battle, with James Gandolfini as the husband and Susan Sarandon as the exasperated mate who wants to leave him when she learns that he has been cheating.
The gimmick here is that the characters burst into song at various times, making the whole thing quite nutty but also occasionally charming. The cast also includes Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale and Christopher Walken. The performances are generally off the wall and funny, but the film is an acquired taste.
Having characters break into song is hardly a new idea. French director Alain Resnais, for example, has used the approach. Turturro has nerve to try his version, and he is fortunate to have a striking array of actors to carry out the concept.
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