SMOKE 1995 A film review by Timothy Voon Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
Cast: William Hurt, Harvey Keitel, Stockard Channing, Harold Perrineau Jr., Forest Whitaker, Ashley Judd Director: Wayne Wang Screenplay: Paul Auster
Smoking is a carcinogen, and it also hardens your blood vessels causing coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and cerebrovascular accidents. In short you either die of lung cancer, a heart attack or become an invalid, that is, unless, you die of old age first....and everyone in this movie smokes.
Imagine taking out the garbage, making dinner, getting groceries or buying a newspaper. This is what this movie feels like ….very ordinary. Strangely enough, being ordinary is its greatest strength.
Wayne Wang in his lapse-a-dasical manner, goes the long way about telling a story about a grocery store owner (Keitel) who likes to take photos, and smoke; who has an ex-girlfriend (Channing) needing money and help, who also smokes; they have a illegitimate daughter who is drug addicted and has an abusive boyfriend, who probably smokes; a regular customer (Hurt), is an author, who chain smokes; he befriends a runaway teenager, who learns to smoke; the kid is searching for his father (Whitaker), who smokes expensive cigars. They all end up at a family picnic smoking.
This is a very slow, non-involving movie, which has it's moments, but is best left for nights when one is suffering from insomnia.
Comment: Where's the warning label that says smoking can be hazardous to your health?!
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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