Romance & Cigarettes

James Gandolfini might not be the first name that springs to mind when you mention "musical," but his latest role in John Turturro's down-and-dirty musical, is a character tailormade for him.

Romance & Cigarattes is a blue collar bitter-sweet musical love story, for want of a better expression. Gandolfini plays Nick Murder, a working class steel worker from New York. Outside the family circle of wife Kitty (Susan Sarandon) and three daughters, he's busy playing the field with sassy red head Tula (Kate Winslet), a foul mouthed northern tart with a heart. In between bursts of song, with actors neatly lip-synching to classic Dusty Springfield, and candid sex talk with his idiosyncratic colleague Angelo (Steve Buscemi), Nick does his best to hide his secret until the inevitable comes crashing in.

When his long-suffering other half finds out, she's none too pleased, and boots him out quick smart. Left with a few hard life calls to make, Nick's plight leads to a tumultuous journey of redemption.

John Turturro's script cuts right to the bone in this adult-themed tale of love, infidelity and redemption. Hard core at every level, the dialogue is savage, at times achingly funny, and the sex talk, as authentically blue collar (with emphasis on blue) as you could possibly order. The gritty core of the subject is both softened and uplifted by the songs, expertly timed to substitute moments of truth, when characters can no longer find spoken words to express their feelings.

All features of family life, strife and estrangement are thrown into the pot here. Even Cousin Bo gets in on the act (an expectedly eccentric and delightful performance by Christopher Walken, as a charming bachelor with plenty a trick up his sleeve).

The acting is superb across the board. Gandolfini as a tough man with a conscience split between love and lust is pleasingly suited to the character. His bear-like screen presence is unsurpassable, but not so much as to overshadow the remaining cast. Sarandon, as always, plays a strong woman with style and emotional restraint. Buscemi, Walken and Bobby Cannavale, make valuable off-the-wall character cameos, but Winslet is the true revelation, showing her breadth as an actress with a character so hard-mouthed, she makes romance seem like a waste of time, yet with a good heart, still manages to bear out in character, every man's sordid fantasy.

Turturro is a New Yorker through and through and has obviously used his natural habitat to tell a simple story. He succeeds in both originality and quality, striking a near perfect harmony between song, script and cast. Duff notes are few and far between.