200 Cigarettes

This movie had a lot of bad things said about it upon its release, but my girlfriend dragged me to it anyway. I didn't really like it, but after extended conversation, we realized exactly what we were dealing with.

And that is, a movie before its time. Most all cinema, both in and out of Hollywood, is brought to us by upper-class white males, complete with their beliefs, morals, what have you. One would argue, then, that even if a film came from someone who was not an upper-class white male would still have to work within that system, probably even being influenced by it, in order to get a film made.

Note, then, that this film was written by a woman, and directed by a woman. The characters in it are not testoserone-driven or in any way the pumped-up dumbed-down characters we have seen in recent decades. They are sensitive, but open to communication, a little irrational at times, but still human. They are characters from the female mind, a female psychology, and have very feminine ways in interacting with each other.

Then note that is was probably marketed by the same male-dominated Hollywood.

This is, of course, mostly backed up with the amount of psychology classes I have taken, but the simple version is that when this movie was new, I discussed it with many of my friends. All of the men either had no desire to see it, or hated it. Every single one of the women thought it was excellent.

Granted, this is a common rationale used by people who think themselves movie critics, but just you try seeing with a member of the opposite sex, and see how your opinions differ.

This is the first movie of a New Hollywood, tho it will certainly not be remmebered as such. Check it out and see what I mean.

It may just be me but when i was introduced into this flick through a mate of mine back in 2002 and thought it was absolutely brilliant...BUT this may just be me.I love films with small budgets/small budget looks etc and with a plot that can keep you well entertained.

Personally i felt that every actor/actress involved done a marvelous job with their roles, and being a fan of the likes of Paul Rudd, Dave Chappelle (also tied with him Guillermo Diaz - Half Baked is a classic) and definitely not forgetting the Afflecks, and to stimulate that macho side of me i better name Janeane Garofalo as a great cult actor.I found myself gut-twisted to realize that Courtney Love (to whom i thought i despised) was pretty damn alright in this flick (again i haven't really seen another flick with her in).

Back on point and to conclude i watched this flick about 3 years ago and loved it...Over time it kept creeping up on me and remembering the title i search the net and was sad to realize that a PAL(UK/Euro) copy was not available...Thy blessed thou Multi-region DVD Player and bought an NTSC from the states and the results were that of one satisfied customer. As to summarizing, if you enjoy films such as Half Baked, Idle Hands or teen movies to the likes of Van Wilder then buying this movie is without a doubt for you..If you are the absolute opposite of this then i advise you SPRINT away from this movie as with all NEW satirical comedies there are phrases/words that may be offensive to some and also not too many people are comfortable with liberal-type issues, older generations shall i say?.

Buy this movie but remember you are not buying the "meaning of life" so don't expect miracles such as water into wine but do expect an attractive cast and plot with many many laughs throughout.

******* out of **********

7 out of 10 because life's worth IT

I thought this movie was very entertaining. I loved every minute of it. I love nostalgic movies about the 1980's, and this is one of the better ones to come out recently. Courtney Love stood out as the best actress in the movie; she definitely stole the show. I only had one complaint, there were lots of high quality stars, but not enough time devoted to each individual one. Go out and see this one. It is worth the time! :-)

Everyone seems so grumpy about this film! C'mon, it's just doing what you've been wanting to do for years. Envy is so unbecoming.

Admit it. You've always meant to take all your friends, cook them down to provide enough essential oil to include each of them as a character in a vignette, toss them all into a conglomerate situation and see where they go. 200 Cigs accomplishes this goal with effortless ease. The archetypal characters can still be found wandering the East Village today.

And if you've ever spent a night bumbling around the lower east side, trying to get somewhere, but getting caught in the mire of the late night social whirlwind that simply *is* Manhattan dahlink, you'll recognize the look and feel of this film as well. It is captured with alarming verisimilitude. It's quite amazing how little things change. Except today, Stephy's fear of Ave. B would be bumped up to D.

And, okay, it bears mentioning -- the soundtrack nails down 1981 flawlessly. Buzzcocks? Kool & the Gang? Bow Wow Wow? B Movie? Go-Go's? Grace Jones? Courtney Love singing along wistfully with the Ice Castles theme? And the most brilliant band to feature, Blue Angel -- Cyndi Lauper's pre-Lauper band. The only band they missed was the B-52's.

I watched this movie on a Friday night before I went out. I was feeling tired and done with the day and would have preferred to stay home. 200 Cigs so perfectly captured the fabulousness of being out on the town, that I caught the fevah, bay-bee, put on my glitter clothes and made some splashes. I was inspired.

$$$$1/2 out of 5 in the "Money Shot" scale.

The main reason I saw this film was because of the cast- it has a great line up of young talent, some who are fairly new and some that have been around for ages. The film itself is fairly incoherent in places, with many storylines running at the one time. I thought Kate Hudson was fantastic in her first main role, and Paul Rudd was good as always. Gaby Hoffman probably put in the most irritating performance of her career to date, while Ben Affleck didnt really have much to do. The story itself is pretty simplistic, focusing on new years eve where a bunch of people are slowly making their way to a party hosted by Martha Plimpton's character. Only a few of the characters have any real depth to them, with many just skimming the surface, thus remaining shallow like most of the dialogue in the film. There are some scenes that work, others that don't - a real hit and miss - if you like the actors in it- then watch it- if you don't, then stay well clear.