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Smoke

1995

Wayne Wang

Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Forest Whitaker ...

7.6

18,909

Drama In 1990, novelist Paul Auster was asked to contribute a Christmas story to the New York Times. The resulting piece, "Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story," forms the basis for his screenplay for SMOKE. Directed by Wayne Wang and set in a Brooklyn cigar store, Auster expanded the story to include four other characters whose lives intertwine with Auggie Wren’s. As Auggie, the manager of the store that serves as a neighborhood meeting place, ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"A beguiling film about words, secrets and tobacco (...) Wayne Wang, find such a sweetness in the material and such grace in the actors that the movie weaves a spell (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		David Stratton Variety	"Basically a repeat of the 'Short Cuts' formula, very specifically set in Brooklyn, and with an extremely vibrant and interesting cast, episodic pic is pleasant but insubstantial."
		Peter Rainer Los Angeles Times	"'Smoke' doesn’t go very deep, but it’s pleasantly ruminative (...) a sweet, forlorn little snapshot."
		Neil Jeffries Empire	"The stories and characters are engrossing, the accents delicious and the slice-of-life action totally irresistible (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Janet Maslin The New York Times	"An inviting but evanescent film (...) Auster moves readily between the abstract and the quotidian. And this film has the actors to follow that cue."
		Jason Korsner BBC	"While the pace might seem a little slow, the natural performances make this delightful ensemble piece a diverting and warm-hearted study of some of the more positive aspects of human nature."

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