Romance & Cigarettes (2005)

"Romance & Cigarettes" is a quirky American musical romantic comedy written and directed by John Turturro, released in 2005. Produced by the Coen Brothers, this oddball gem blends raw emotion, blue-collar grit, and whimsical song-and-dance numbers into a smoky tapestry of love and regret. The story centers on Nick Murder (James Gandolfini), a burly Queens ironworker married to Kitty (Susan Sarandon), a fiery seamstress, with whom he shares three grown daughters. When Nick falls for Tula (Kate Winslet), a brash, redheaded lingerie clerk with a thick accent and a fearless spirit, their steamy affair ignites chaos. Kitty, heartbroken and furious, boots Nick out, forcing him to navigate his unraveling life—torn between lust, loyalty, and a cast of eccentric confidants like his cousin Angelo (Steve Buscemi) and the chain-smoking Cousin Bo (Christopher Walken). Famed for its eclectic soundtrack—featuring covers of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck—and characters lip-syncing to their souls’ anthems, "Romance & Cigarettes" revels in its offbeat charm. Gandolfini’s tender toughness, Sarandon’s raw power, and Winslet’s uninhibited gusto anchor Turturro’s genre-bending vision, spiked with dark humor and surreal flourishes. Released in 2005, "Romance & Cigarettes" premiered at Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews but found a cult following for its bold eccentricity. A love-it-or-hate-it curio, it’s a rough-hewn valentine to messy hearts and the redemptive power of a good tune.