I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Simply A Masterpiece

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This is one of the few films that I have been unable to watch in it's entirety. A musical where nobody can sing and volume makes way for talent.A great cast is woeful and embarrassing in this indulgent car crash of a movie.Speaking of which "Thelma and Louise" star Susan Saradon is given a none too flattering close up what seems like every 10 seconds. Enough to make you drive off a cliff. It does for her career what "Abba" did for Meryl Streep.The dialogue is not witty but crass and puerile. Everything in this film appears to be borrowed and stale .If nothing else it just is discordant and irritating. Good songs are mutilated instead of celebrated in they are in,"The Blues Brothers".The film is so desperate to be hip and cool that it is quite the reverse. It is a nerd of a movie. Other than that I completely hated it.

I was looking forward to this film with its great cast and the quirky lip synching song sequences. Instead it was the crudest and most horrible dialogue of any film I have seen and this spoilt the enjoyment. The song sequences were good but could have been better. Not in the same league as Pennies from Heaven. Does this screenwriter have a problem with women that he could be so crude about them in male conversations. I wondered whether Kate Winslett, with a strange northern accent wondered why she had agreed to it when she was given the script. Goodness knows what Eddie Izzard was doing in it. Shame that the writer/director was given the chance to be so self indulgent.

If you like "slightly nuts," you may like this offbeat Blue Collar musical, a sort of Turturro Home Movie crossed with a little bit of soap opera and a good amount of goofy comedy. The tone is not consistent: what happens in the plot is not what is usually expected in this kind of film, and those who want a linear plot where everything is consistent in tone and it all ends nicely will be disappointed.Romance and Cigarettes often a bit silly, but as critic Wesley Morris commented, "it transcends preposterousness with tons of ardor." It's clear that Sarandon, Gandolfini and Kate Winslet are doing this for love, and the honest feeling that shines through the last few minutes of the film is what love is really all about. I would have paid full theatre price for this little gem just to watch Christopher Walken do some amazing parody work with minimal effort.

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.