Movie review and John Turturro guest appearance: Romance and Cigarettes

by John P. Meyer

I suppose it should have served as some kind of warning when John Turturro - writer/director of Romance and Cigarettes, the movie we were about to screen - took the podium just long enough to say "thanks for coming" and, oh - by the way - "the film is kind of racy."

This was the evening of Nov. 19 at the Angelika Dallas, and the theater was jammed with members and invited guests of the USA Film Festival, on hand to screen Mr. Turturro's idiosyncratic (and thus delightfully original) movie and then hang around afterwards to engage in a bit of Q/A. As it turns out, the filmmaker's " 'R' for 'Racy' " advisory fell on at least two sets of deaf ears, because the nice lady who ended up seated next to me, along with her friend in the row just below us, reached their cinematic sexuality tolerance limit about a half-hour into the show and beat a retreat from the premises.

In defense of my erstwhile seating partner, the movie really is, in fact, fairly raunchy, dealing as it does in an amusingly uninhibited way with the extramarital shenanigans of Queens construction worker Nick Murder (James Gandolfini, sporting an edgy pencil-thin 'stache), but its raunchiness is primarily confined to the verbal realm, with the sauciest dialog emanating from the dirty, dirty mouth of - hold onto your codpiece - Kate Winslet, in the role of Nick's flamboyant mistress, Tula. Given her adroitness with sexual colloquialism, combined with an infectious Cockney accent, Tula appears to have missed out on a lucrative career as a phone sex operator in favor of her chosen profession as a naughty lingerie boutique proprietor. Which also works.

Aside from Kate's potty mouth and her deliciously abbreviated wardrobe (which serves to emphasize her rather strikingly larger-than-previously-observed bosom, about which more to follow), other salacious attractions of the film include Mary-Louise Parker's slutty goth ensembles (as Nick's daughter Constance); Bobby Cannavale's tight-pantsed model/rock-star-wannabe strutting (in the persona of Fryburg); and the sexy (in a more wholesome way) Mandy Moore as Nick's youngest daughter Baby.

The story line follows the travails of working-class stiff Nick following the revelation of his infidelity; Nick's wife, Kitty (Susan Sarandon) reacts rather strongly to the erotic/poetic ode she finds scribbled onto a sheet of notepaper in the bedside wastebasket - primarily because it's not about her. (Nick, pal, it might have been a good idea to burn that one.) This oversight lands Nick firmly in the domestic doghouse for the preponderance of his remaining screen time. While riveting away up on various bridge superstructures, Nick commiserates with his buddy Angelo (Steve Buscemi), who is far from reticent about expressing his own romantic advice and sexual wish list items as colorful asides.

The movie's narrative (and this is what raises it above the level of mundane sex farce) is punctuated with a series of outrageously creative stream-of-consciousness lip-syncing musical numbers, played out against the high-powered rock/pop romance anthems of James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Tom Jones and a host of others; Mr. Turturro told us after the movie that it took 1 1/2 years to secure the rights for the songs he ended up selecting (with his Mom's assistance) to accompany the action. The moments at which various characters break into song and dance are chosen with genuine creative flair and seldom fail to delight: "Lonely Is A Man Without Love," for instance, finds Nick standing on his front porch crooning the lead while garbagemen, a neighbor mowing his lawn and a kid passing on a bicycle join in for the chorus. There's one off-the-wall visual aside that brings to mind something out of an early Woody Allen movie, with a cleaver-wielding butcher chasing an escaped cow down the street while whistle-blowing cops frame the action.

In a rather abrupt shift of thematic gears, the film in its final reel turns into something more like a self-reflective personal tragedy piece revolving around the accumulated effects of a lifetime of smoking (thus the cigarette reference in the title, presumably). By this point in the story, Nick and Kitty have come to terms with their relationship situation and returned to amicability, which makes the sad denouement somewhat easier to bear.

The big-name talent involved in the project more than earn their keep - and this would apply even it they'd received their "normal" recompense, which - for this friend-of-a-friend indie film project - they certainly did not. Worthy of mention (and not discussed thus far): Christopher Walken as Kitty's eccentric Elvis-affecting cousin Bo; Aida Turturro as Rosebud, Nick's melancholic, loyal and loving third daughter; and Elaine Stritch, who has a scene-stealing cameo as Nick's outspoken mother. ("Mrs. Murder, how are you?", asks Angelo. "Every breath is a victory," she replies.)

NO RULES IN LOVE AND WAR: "You can't incriminate a man on poetry." - Nick Murder to his paper-recycling wife, Kitty

EXTREMITY OF EMOTION: "I hate you with all the hate that you can hate with." - Kitty to Nick

AND HE MEANS IT AS A COMPLIMENT: "God, you are one crude broad." - Nick to Tula

AND NEITHER WOULD YOU: "You wouldn't be able to say that if I was licking your balls." - Tula to Nick

**********

Following the screening, Mr. Turturro returned to the stage to talk about the movie and answer a few audience questions. At the end of the evening the USA Film Festival folks presented him with the traditional black Stetson hat bestowed upon all Artist Tribute honorees.

Here's a rundown of the most interesting items discussed by John Turturro during the Q/A:

"Music is close to prayer, in a way."

"He had a sweet voice, but he was no Engelbert Humperdinck." - re. James Gandolfini's singing ability

"It's a love story." (Not a musical, not a comedy) - re. Romance and Cigarettes

"Women really interest me. Just in general."

"Imagination is a big part of our lives."

"You seldom see metaphor used in movies."

"The best (acting training) I ever received was watching my mother and father at the kitchen table." - and this from a graduate of Yale drama school, among other prestigious acting programs

He (Mr. Turturro) had to speak personally (by phone) with James Brown in a last-ditch effort to acquire music rights for the song, "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World." (He - Turturro - does a terrible J.B. impression.)

Christopher Walken's feet are messed up from year of dancing, so "he dances mostly with his torso."

Early in his entertainment career, Walken was Mamie Van Doren's backup dancer; at that time he went by "Ronny Walken," and Mimi suggested he change it to Christopher; although according to Walken, he's really more of a "Nick" type of guy. (And he - Turturro - does a GREAT Walken impression.)

Walken has written a play about Elvis based on articles that have appeared in The National Enquirer.

He asked Bruce Springsteen (one of whose songs is used in the movie) to take a dramatic role in the film, but "The Boss" had to pass - he was "petrified" at the prospect of acting.

Kate Winslet had recently given birth when filming began, which is why her breasts appear so big.

For her underwater lip-syncing song scene, Kate learned from her mermaid instructor how to mouth the words to the song and not swallow water while doing it.

"I knew I wanted to end the film a capella, because that's the way life is." (i.e., we all go out alone.)

Romance and Cigarettes opens its local run exclusively at the Angelika Dallas on Nov. 30th.

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