2 posts tagged “musicals”

Romance And Cigarettes is what my wife would call a "hot mess". Using the context clues (thanks, Pennsylvania public school system!), I've gleaned that the term refers to something crafted with a whole lot of manic enthusiasm, something that might not be praised for its "craftsmanship" but manages to function admirably on its own batshit crazy merits. She usually employs the term to describe someone who is either A) drunk or B) acting drunk. John Turturro's jukebox musical certainly fits the bill, from its liberal use of Englebert Humperdink's "A Man Without Love" to Christopher Walken's performance as a lovelorn Elvis enthusiast.

James Gandolfini plays Nick Murder, working-class everyman who cheats on his tired-eyed wife Kitty (Susan Sarandon) with the British firecracker played by Kate Winslet. When Kitty finds out about his dalliance, she explodes, turning their three daughters (Mandy Moore, Mary Louise Parker, Aida Turturro) against him and attempting, without success, to cut him out of their lives completely. Nick solicits advice from a co-worker (Steve Buscemi), who offers some of the wisest words of wisdom ever imparted on film, while Kitty turns to her daughters and the aforementioned uncle. Amy Sedaris, Eddie Izzard, Elaine Stritch, and Bobby Cannavale round out the cast.

No one will confuse Romance & Cigarettes with an Oscar contender. It has no unity of purpose; the songs that come to comprise its emotional core are from disparate time periods, regions, even musical styles. The narrative thrust is non-existent, especially in the final third. Some of the performances are cringe-worthy. The cinematography is little more than functional, the editing is clunky.

So why is it so much goddamn fun?

My guess is that it's precisely because no one will confuse it with an Oscar contender. Unapologetically absurd, it rejects the "credibility" that can be the kiss of death to a film about working class angst and embraces its low-budget style whole-heartedly. It feels as if the cast is there as a favor to Turturro, like the cinematographer could barely scrounge together the Vision2 necessary to capture Turturro's nutty Sarandon-sings-Joplin fantasies. There's a definite Do-It-Yourself feel to the proceedings.

That's not to say that the technique is invisible or non-intrusive. Turturro's directorial intentions couldn't be clearer if they were projected in IMAX. Phantasmagorical in imagery and execution, it's a musical, so it's nothing if not a fantasy. But by and large his choices work, and where they don't, the film rides along on the goodwill generated by its fantastic actors and hilarious script.

Released after a two-year stay at the Chateau De A Shelf Somewhere, Romance & Cigarettes was nearly ignored upon finally getting a limited release, saved from obscurity by the marquee cast and a glowing New York Times piece that framed it squarely within that "Little Film That Could" narrative that's been so effectively co-opted as of late. But despite a cast whose cred far surpasses that of faux indies like Little Miss Sunshine, Romance & Cigarettes might actually be the Little Film That Could. Scratch that, it's the Little Film That Does.

Oh! Booyah!

If this review verges on synopsis, I apologize.

Rent
(Chris Columbus, 2005)
I stand so far outside of understanding what the hell is going on here. This is not made for me and certainly doesn't bring me into the fold.

Memoirs of a Geisha
(Rob Marshall, 2005)
Maybe I would care about this if the people spoke Japanese, but as it stands it feels like the actors don't know what they're saying. Things fall apart from there.

Walk The Line
(James Mangold, 2005)
People like to hear songs that they know. Reese Witherspoon does her best work since Freeway. It sucks less than Ray (which sucks so much), but it's still a mess.

Derailed
(Mikael Håfström, 2005)
Satisfying like a set of Legos and just as nourishing. Don't eat Legos.