Romance + Cigarettes - closeing film for 10th annual EbertFest

1500+ audience members laughed and cheered their way though "Romance & Cigarettes" which was the closing film for this the 10th annual EbertFest held in Champaign Illinois. Roger Ebert closes the festival each year with a musical - where the genre musical is broadly defined so we have had a wide range of films on Sunday over the years. Two representatives of the film were on stage for a Q&A after the film. John Turturro is working in a play so he could not attend. His cousin, actress Aida Turturro, and the films choreographer Tricia Brouk, were interviewed by Time Magazines Richard Corliss.

http://www.ebertfest.com/index.html

The entire theater erupted in applause at the end of the first song & dance number which was led by James Gandolfini. What a delight.

This film is much like an opera. There is music, dance movement, comedy and tragedy. This is not a happy and light film though one laughs often. There were tears in many of our eyes at points in the film. Some from laughter but many too from sadness. John Turturro took his family history, changed some bits about while keeping the painful emotional core intact, and then created a story in which the characters expose their feelings (often through song and dance) instead of keeping them locked in as most of us do.

If I start to comment on the individual terrific performances I will be here all night so I will just say that this is the kind of film that lets one appreciate how trusting in a director actors must be. And trust they did in John Turturro's script and direction. See this film on a large screen if possible. Also try to see it with a group. But do be sure to see it.