Was “Romance &Cigarettes” actually written by Barton Fink, the screenwriter played by John Turturro in the film of the same name?
It’s possible, given the blue-collar milieu and the uncommercial prospects for this film — which, by the way, is officially credited to writer-director John Turturro. So one can only paraphrase a comment made to Barton himself and say, “You’re a sick &*$#, Turturro.”
Of course, sick is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe “naughty” is a better word. For in “Romance &Cigarettes,” Turturro fills the air with the characters’ sexual obsessions. One thing you can say for Turturro: He isn’t afraid to embarrass himself.
This lack of fear also extends to Turturro’s willingness to encourage nonmusical actors to sing and dance their hearts out. This wacky movie isn’t quite like anything else, except maybe Dennis Potter’s classic Brit-TV singalong, “Pennies from Heaven.”
The story? A construction worker (James Gandolfini, in “Sopranos” mode) is kicked out by his furious wife (Susan Sarandon) after she discovers his affair with a younger woman (Kate Winslet).
This situation results in a torrent of dirty-mouth talk and a bit of cleavage-shaking, most of the latter coming from a very game Kate Winslet. She is introduced to dancing in a burning building while the Buena Vista Social Club’s “El Cuarto De Tula” plays, which pretty much tells you where she’s coming from.
Other times, the characters sing along to pop songs on the soundtrack. These tunes include Englebert Humperdinck’s “A Man Without Love,” Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart,” and Tom Jones’ “Delilah,” although there are more recent numbers as well.
I forgot to mention that Gandolfini, driven wild by Winslet, decides that he must undergo a circumcision in order to please her.
In short, this is a weird-fest of monumental proportions. At times, the movie is just so bizarre that it exerts a total fascination. At other times, it’s amateur hour.
Everything between co-workers Gandolfini and Steve Buscemi is hilarious, and old trouper Elaine Stritch has a knockout bit.
Others pitching into the craziness include Mary-Louise Parker, Bobby Cannavale and Mandy Moore. And if you’ve read this far, how can you possibly be surprised to learn that Christopher Walken is here, singing and dancing in what looks like a warm-up to his role in “Hairspray”?
Turturro had an interesting idea: to contrast grubby reality with the stylized world of the movie musical. I don’t think it works, but it certainly stands alone.
And yes, Barton Fink had a hand in this. Turturro says he began penning the script during the shooting of “Barton Fink” in order to give himself something to write on camera. The legacy of Fink lives on.
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