everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Disturbing yet enthralling

An absolute waste of money

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This is one of those seriously underrated cinematic gems. Romance and Cigarettes with a misleading IMDb score of 6/10? John Turturro has mined gold with his actors in this film. Mr. Turturro is one of the Yale School of Drama's (MFA) most brilliant products, and this film is a testament to that fact. Watch this one!

Sexiest Musical ever. A movie all about sex and music.Not sure what the writer director John Turturro wanted to venture before writing this film. But once he wrote, it clearly came as he wanted it. The songs are meticulously chosen and the lip sync done by actors adds up to the music.This movie is about marital issues in simplest terms. But there are layers which just keep coming along. James Gandolfini as Nick Murder has too many issues at home to deal with. If he deals with his wife, he would deal with all the issues. But sadly, he just cannot leave his wife. A shameless husband he is.Kate Winslet as Tula, the lingerie seller add so much life and color to her character that whenever she is turned on, she becomes the dirtiest woman. She is so naturally good I feel, he acceptance of this movie just re establishes her liking for meaty roles. Susan Sarandon as Kitty, Nick's wife just does what she believes is right for the scene. She is yelling or aggressive at Nick and has fun with her ex lover Angelo.The characters are sketched out from clichés and are written from director's brain which is so damn tough to decipher. Any film can end in any way, but life ends in one way only that is death. Do I need to say more. The story of infidelity was never told more beautifully or comically or even sexually.There are so many other characters like Nick's friend or Nick's daughters who are so very clichéd and just speak as they should. Acting is superb as expected but what takes the acting to a higher altitude is the dialogues. Each dialogue makes the character in itself interesting.I watched this film just be seeing the poster and getting to know that Barton FInk's John Turturro has directed it and was blown away by the time i finished watching.It's good in every which I shall say, but i's a tad longer than expected. Yet, it makes a great watch. I am unhappy that I missed such an opportunity to see it in theater but now, I have seen and am happy.I would go with 4/5 for one of the best musicals ever. And it's very good to see a movie for not taking the point it wanted to say seriously.

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.

John Turturro wrote and directed this personal labor of love about a working class Brooklyn couple who are facing the marriage crisis all wives dread: the husband's infidelity. What starts out as a fun, joyous musical, which is really unique, turns rather conventional in its last half hour. But before that, the film is loads of fun with inventive musical numbers utilizing pop songs to tell the story of James Gandolfini, a construction worker, who can't control his fetish for the voluptuous red-head Kate Winslet. It's the classic Madonna/whore situation for Gandolfini facing a late mid-life crisis. Several actors appear in brief standout roles: Kate Winslet as the lingerie salesgirl with the voluptuous curves; Steve Buscemi as Gandolfini's construction buddy with a Neanderthal outlook on women; Aida Turturro as one of Gandolfini's daughters; Christopher Walken as cousin Bo, a would-be hit man with an Elvis fixation; Elaine Stritch as Gandolfini's mother full of regrets about her own past. All of them are very funny and very good at the same time. Susan Sarandon is also pretty good as Gandolfini's long suffering wife. Mary-Louise Parker and Mandy Moore as the other daughters have little to do. Guys will no doubt like this a lot more than women will. The film's conclusion seems to indicate the Madonna/whore dilemma will still remain no matter how much men mess up their marriages. It's an entertaining film that peters out once Gandolfini gets sick. The songs used are perfect choices in most instances. *** of 4 stars.