Mary-louise Parker Movie:

Editorial Review:
Some musicals target families, others set their sights on more mature audiences (think Chicago). To judge by appearances, John Turturro's suburban operetta has little in common with Rob Marshall's urban razzle-dazzler, except it also aims for the melodrama-meets-film noir set--and features as much graphic language as Goodfellas. James Gandolfini sets the scene as Queens ironworker Nick Murder (Steve Buscemi plays his best pal). Nick's marriage to Kitty (Susan Sarandon) has hit the skids. His relationships with his daughters (Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, and John's cousin, Aida Turturro) are just as fraught. Then again, all women, including fiery mistress Tula (Kate Winslet), befuddle the lug. As in the works of Dennis Potter, characters express themselves through song--in this case, a combination of singing and lip-synching. And when they burst into a tune, everyone joins in, from sanitation workers to welders. The material ranges from crooner standards ("A Man without Love") to rock classics ("Piece of My Heart"). Like Potter's The Singing Detective, fantasy also commingles with reality (Kitty envisions her first love returning from the dead). Turturro's third directorial effort arrives as a labor of love--a difficult labor. When studio restructuring caused delays, he assumed distribution duties himself. Just as passion is rarely tidy, his Coen Brothers-produced movie can be messy--the tender moments play better than the boisterous ones--but the director's passion for his material shines through. It can also be very funny, especially when Cousin Bo (Christopher Walken) shakes a leg to Tom Jones's "Delilah." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Romance & Cigarettes Reviews:
BEWARE: THIS A MUSICAL
2009-12-15 - I HAD TO TURN THIS OFF 8 MINUTES INTO IT. WHEN JAMES GANDOLFINI CAME OUT OF THE FRONT DOOR OF HIS HOUSE SINGING AN ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINK TUNE AS OTHER MEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD JOINED IN...I ALMOST HURLED. I MAY ATTEMT TO WATCH THIS SOME OTHER TIME WITH THE NOTION MAYBE THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY. WISH ME LUCK.

Hot Hot Hot
2009-12-11 - I love this movie. So funny throughout, but such a poingant ending. I highly recommend this film.

Great movie!!
2009-09-10 - Just a whole lot of fun! Characters are great, music and dancing are fanciful, funny lines and family dynamics, and even some touching moments. Couldn't ask for anything better!

Goofballs getting at each other
2009-08-22 - Film by John Turturro that is part musical, part comedy with most fantastically assembled cast one can come up with. Set in New Jersey-like area, this is a story of a working class family with three adult daughters at the moemnt that the husband and father or the family (James Gandolfini) is caught cheating on his wife (Susan Sarandon). The rage that transpires from his wife, is like a virus that catches on to all his daughters and even his own mother.

However, it is Kate Winslet who steals the show. She is the seductress that prefers emotionally unavailble men and they turn her on for as long as they are not in love with her. Once they do fall in love, the affair is over. Winslet has so much fun in this movie that it is hillarious to listen to her speak with ehr British accent, make love (to Gandolfini's character) and get into a cat fight with no ther woman ut Susan Sarandon! In one scene, she is thrown into a water by Gandolfini's character and she looks like a mermaid with her flaming red hair, beautifully sculpted face and most amazing costume made up of Agent Provocateour underwear.

It is a funny movie with really cool choreography and mix of musical scores. Even the people who are not fans of musicals (myself included) will enjoy this goofball movie.

I'm telling everyone I know to watch this movie
2009-06-28 - This is truly a wonderful piece of entertainment. Guided well by the Coen brothers, John Turturro offers us this gem of a "home-made musical" filled with a stunning cast. It's clear these actors had a ball performing and this infects the viewers world.
If you enjoy great acting, infectious storytelling, and complete inane seemingly non-sequiturs that take you on a merry-go-round of enjoyment: watch this film.