Smoke (1995)

93% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
87% of users liked it
(9,818 ratings)

A Brooklyn cigar shop is the setting for this drama from director Wayne Wang that interweaves the stories of several characters that have fractured family relationships in common. Harvey Keitel is Auggie Wren, poetic owner of the Brooklyn Cigar Company, a store that he considers the center of the… More A Brooklyn cigar shop is the setting for this drama from director Wayne Wang that interweaves the stories of several characters that have fractured family relationships in common. Harvey Keitel is Auggie Wren, poetic owner of the Brooklyn Cigar Company, a store that he considers the center of the world -- a place where all of humanity eventually parades through. One of his regular customers is Paul Benjamin (William Hurt), a writer and a broken shell of a man whose pregnant wife was shot and killed near the store. When Paul's life is saved one day by a young black man named Rashid (Harold Perrineau, Jr., the writer and his rescuer strike up a friendship and begin searching for Rashid's long-lost father (Forest Whitaker). At the store, Auggie is surprised by the appearance of Ruby (Stockard Channing), an ex-girlfriend who informs him that her pregnant, drug-addicted daughter Felicity (Ashley Judd) may also be his -- and is in dire need of help. Screenwriter Paul Auster based the script for Smoke on a 1990 short story he wrote for "The New York Times." He also wrote and directed the film's sequel (of sorts), Blue in the Face (1995). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Wayne Wang, Paul Auster
Written By: Paul Auster
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 9, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Mar 4, 2003
Studio: Miramax

Critic Reviews

, USA Today
With a cigar box of subplots, this episodic yarn is more numbing than boring, though its increasingly compelling narrative has the ill-timed misfortune to collapse completely in its final talky segment.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A deceptively quiet film that celebrates ordinary life as well as the art of storytelling.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
You just want to draw it....and never let it out. Great movie.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
brilliantly evocative
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Puff away, and breathe in the smoke while it lasts.
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Quirky, offbeat treat.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Simples e envolvente, o filme traz personagens inteligentes e articulados que merecem nossa atenção - e o elenco é fantástico.

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Interweaving storeys with a cigar shop as a central point that all the various characters have in common. An Intriguing and often random people study, highly recommended!
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Smoke" takes place in 1990 in the mythical land of Brooklyn where Auggie(Harvey Keitel) is the proprietor of a neighborhood cigar store. One of his regular customers is Paul(William Hurt), a once famed novelist who has not been able to write anything… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Smoke" takes place in 1990 in the mythical land of Brooklyn where Auggie(Harvey Keitel) is the proprietor of a neighborhood cigar store. One of his regular customers is Paul(William Hurt), a once famed novelist who has not been able to write anything since his pregnant wife was killed at a bank robbery some years before. Paul almost absentmindedly walks in front of a truck but is saved by Rashid(Harold Perrineau, Jr), a 16 year old in need of a place to crash.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Crash" is overall not a bad movie but by using a disjointed story structure misses out on any grand commentary on the main theme of the brotherhood of man . Most of it feels improvised but with a cast like this, you cannot go far wrong. Stockard Channing is one of the few actors who retain their dignity while wearing an eye patch. I would have liked to have seen more of Forest Whitaker, though.[/font]
Lesley N

Literary film about a group of people, centred around a New York tobacconist and scripted by Paul Auster. You can tell an author wrote the script as there's lots of monologues and both Harvey Keitel and William Hurt get to tell stories during the film. All very erudite.
Stephen E

Reminiscent of some of Jim Jarmusch's work, "Smoke" is an incredibly touching motion picture that focuses on the lives of several different people. However, it does not connect them through action or circumstance like "Crash" or "Magnolia", but… More
Reminiscent of some of Jim Jarmusch's work, "Smoke" is an incredibly touching motion picture that focuses on the lives of several different people. However, it does not connect them through action or circumstance like "Crash" or "Magnolia", but rather meanders between each of its characters and allows them just to... "talk". Simple as that. As a whole, the "talking" doesn't add up to much of anything, but individually, it speaks volumes. Not only is "Smoke" a magnificent character study, but a genuinely heartwarming movie. It leaves you delighted and deep in thought, reflecting upon past life experiences. When a film has the power to make you do that, you know it's good.
Christopher B

Awesome ensemble film with amazing performances and an intriguing story. Keitel's speech at the end is fantastic.

Cast

            William Hurt as Paul Benjamin

            Harvey Keitel as Auggie Wren

            Forest Whitaker as Cyrus Cole

            Harold Perrineau Jr. as Thomas (Rashid) Cole

            Victor Argo as Vinnie

            Erica Gimpel as Doreen Cole

            Stockard Channing as Ruby

            Giancarlo Esposito as Tommy

            Mel Gorham as Violetta

            Peggy Gormley as Sue

            Baxter Harris as First coroner

            Jared Harris as Jimmy Rose

            Karen Robert Jackson as A Brooklyn resident

            Ashley Judd as Felicity

            Murray Moston as Waiter

            Deirdre O'Connell as Waitress

            Clarice Taylor as Grandma Ethel

            Mary B. Ward as April Lee

            Malik Yoba as The Skunk

            John Lurie as A musician

            Paul Geier as Second coroner

            Michelle Hurst as Aunt Em

            Jose Zuniga as Jerry

            RuPaul as A dancer

            Billy Martin as A musician
See full cast