A down-and-dirty musical set in the world of
working-class New York, tells a story of a husband's journey into
infidelity and redemption when he must choose between his seductive
mistress and his beleaguered wife.
Director: John Turturro
Writer: John Turturro
Stars: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet | See full cast & crew »
Storyline
Nick and Kitty Murder are married middle-aged working class New Yorkers. Kitty catches Nick in an indiscretion when she finds a love poem, extolling the virtues of one specific body part, Nick wrote to his mistress, Tula. The poem is the last straw for Kitty regarding their marriage. Kitty has the support of their three grown daughters - biological or other - her cousin Bo, her pastor and others at the church. They help her with among other things finding and thus dealing with Tula, who she does not know, and looking back at if she made a mistake in choosing Nick over her first love. On the other side, Nick turns to his co-worker Angelo, and a local police officer/ex-military man for advice, which he also gets unsolicited from his tough talking mother. Nick still has Tula, a frank-talking Scottish sex shop clerk, who truly loves Nick's body parts as he loves hers. A little emotional distance may provide Nick and Kitty the best perspective of what their future holds.User Reviews
Great movie - don't be put off by the "musical" tag
John Turturro has
created something very special here. Look at the cast list. The names
alone make it a must-see for many cinema lovers, yet the description of
musical might also put many off. Well don't worry. This film uses
existing songs to enhance emotional statements at intervals throughout
this gritty film. It mixes them with Brooklyn working life, some sex,
lots of humour and pathos and fantastically it all works. The songs are
used a la Dennis Potter and seep in and out of the narrative flow as
easily as a gentle voice-over. Great performances by everyone but
stunners from Kate Winslet (now that's a proper body), Elaine Stritch
("Every breath is a victory") and Christopher Walken, always riveting.
James Gandolfini plays a slightly different Tony Soprano but that fits
in just right. Quite simply a pleasure from first 'til last. Thank you
John.
