Smoke
by Paul Auster, Wayne Wang
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DVD details
Actor: Giancarlo Esposito, Harvey Keitel, Jos? Z??iga, Stephen Gevedon, William HurtDirector: Paul Auster, Wayne Wang
Writer: Paul Auster
Producer: Bob Weinstein
Producer: Diana Phillips
Producer: Greg Johnson
Producer: Harvey Weinstein
Producer: Hisami Kuroiwa
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Smoke
DVD Review: A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a movie with an emphasis on dialogue, ambiance, and characterization. The acting is superb, and the script is top-drawer. SMOKE is a funny, sometimes poignant, slice-of-life film with a whole lot of heart.DVD Review: Subtlety
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is subtlety at its finest.
The story really is nothing like what you might see in the preview or get an idea from the cover. It is a story about relationships and storytelling, the way we converse with one another.
The overall plot is good, slow at times, but it is meant to be. First time I saw it I thought it was good and boring, but over the years Smoke has grown into one of my favorite films ever to put on.
Writing: Flawless
Acting: Flawless
Directing: Quiet and Simple, beautiful.
Also, if you have seen "Blue in the Face", which covers more story about some of these same characters (Also by Wayne Wang), this film is SOO very different. That movie was upbeat and silly, this one is so understated and brilliant.
Hiding underneath it all is a soundtrack spotted with Tom Waits. The entire ending credits acts out one of the stories told within the film to "Innocent When You Dream (Barroom Version)" by Waits. I was amazed. When I first saw it and even today.
DVD Review: This "Smoke" Doesn't Stink
Summary: 5 Stars
This little gem is one of the unsung classics of the nineties. Director Wayne Wang and co-director and scenarist Paul Auster have crafted a film that at turns funny, poignant, and tragic in a way that will always stay with you. Some may be turned off because the film centers on a Brooklyn tobacco shop and for sure there is a lot of casual smoking here but that's just a starting point for a script that follows a variety of interesting characters and many intriguing story twists. Harvey Keitel as Auggie the owner of the store gave what I thought one of the best performances of his career. The film is populated by great work(William Hurt, Forrest Whitaker, et. al) but Auggie is the glue that holds the film together. The extended scene where Auggie relates to the writer played by Hurt a Christmas story is worth the price of admission alone. Even better is the scene over the end credits where Auggie's story is visualized as Leonard Cohen warbles on the soundtrack. Also noteworthy is an unforgettable cameo by Ashley Judd as Stockard Channing's drug-addled daughter. This rank's with Alec Baldwin's work in "Glengarry Glen Ross" as an example of an actor making a major impact on a film with minimal screen time.DVD Review: the story within the story
Summary: 5 Stars
there's nothing i can add to the wonderful NY reviewers' comments here, except to say that if you enjoy this movie, watch for "auggie wren's christmas story" - the story within the film of auggie tracking down the magazine thief using the lost wallet. like "smoke," (also based on a story by auster) it's available in book form, and its charming small size makes it an excellent stocking stuffer. i heartily recommend ALL of auster's novels to those who appreciate downhome writing, NY style. auster is the flannery o'connor of the northeast.DVD Review: Best of the genre
Summary: 5 Stars
Slice o' life. Not too heavy, not too light. Absolutely believable. Very moving, but doesn't pander to cheap emotionalism. Even the dialogue is recognizable as something you might actually hear in real life. Substitutes a story for the usual violence, sex and high-decibel action. Acting, character presentation superb. For those not too cynical to enjoy a great, yet realistic feel-good movie, this is a good one. I use other high-rating picks of Amazon Five-Star reviewers of this movie as a rough guide for evaluating movies I haven't seen.
Description of Smoke
In the tradition of THE BIG CHILL, William Hurt (TUCK EVERLASTING, CHANGING LANES) and Harvey Keitel (PULP FICTION, U-571) head an all-star cast in this unforgettably fun and entertaining motion picture! A group of people's lives intertwine when a New York cigar store manager, Auggie (Keitel), befriends them. Among them is a writer who can't write (Hurt), a reluctant father hiding from his past (Forest Whitaker -- PANIC ROOM), a streetwise teen with an unusual identity crisis, and Auggie's long-lost ex-girlfriend (Stockard Channing -- TV's THE WEST WING), who returns with some surprising news! Critics and audiences hailed SMOKE for its offbeat humor, unexpected wit, and dazzling performances -- you'll cheer it too!It's refreshing to see a film in which the writer receives equal credit with the director, showing that the dialogue actually means something. So it is with Smoke, a film about a New York quilt of contemporary characters who cross paths in a corner smoke shop, told in straightforward way by a talented acting group. Author Paul Auster and director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) worked on the story for years before it reached the screen. Their characters include Paul (William Hurt, in a good role again), a grief-stricken novelist; Auggie (Harvey Keitel), the shop's owner with a secret passion; Ruby (Stockard Channing), Auggie's long-ago girlfriend; and Rashid (Harold Perrineau Jr.), a teenager who is befriended by Paul and seeks his estranged father (Forest Whitaker). All the characters are great storytellers, whether it be out of loneliness, necessity, or just nature. Like Auster's The Music of Chance, the movie has accomplished an amazing feat: it makes us feel as if we are reading a serious novel, not watching a movie. --Doug Thomas
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