Oddly and loosely titled for its stretched metaphor of people using cigarettes as a buffer between themselves and others, "200 Cigarettes" will probably best be remembered for its novice director's ability to assemble such a large and talented cast of current or up and coming rising stars.
Of course it doesn't hurt that Risa Bramon Garcia used to be a casting director, but despite her press kit statement that she's trying to replicate the magic and success of "Diner" and "American Graffiti" (both containing large casts of young stars) this film comes nowhere near either of those two classics as its concept and execution just aren't as interesting or as well-done.
While it offers a few funny moments and some decent comic performances from a few of its stars, the film's plot -- written by fellow newcomer Shana Larsen -- is too scattered and unwieldy, contains a few too many characters, and doesn't offer the snappy, intelligent dialogue found in other similarly set films such as Whit Stillman's "The Last Days of Disco." As such, and despite the fact that I thought I'd really like the film, it never came across as much more than moderately interesting or entertaining.
Feeling like a mix of "The Wedding Singer" (for its retro '80's soundtrack) and an MTV version of Stillman's film (which should come as no surprise since that cable channel's theatrical arm is behind this production), the film should have no problem holding most viewers' interest simply because of the sheer number of subplots running through it. That quantitative factor, however, proves to be the film's undoing.
Since the film never focuses on any of the characters for more than a few minutes at a time, we never get to really know any of them, and as a direct result, we never really care about them, or their individual or collective desires and/or plights.
While most everyone can empathize with the characters' needs to be with someone on New Year's Eve (however romantically illogical that may be), it doesn't help that we also don't end up liking most of the characters. Although Christina Ricci ("The Opposite of Sex") and Gabby Hoffman ("Now and Then") have those "Lawng Eye-land" accents down pat, their characters are annoying, as are those inhabited by Nicole Parker ("Boogie Nights"), Angela Featherstone ("Zero Effect") and Paul Rudd ("Clueless").
The characters played by Courtney Love ("The People vs. Larry Flynt) and Jay Mohr ("Picture Perfect" aren't very likeable either, but at least the performers give them a spunky attitude and Love continues to prove -- to most everyone's surprise -- that she can act and do it quite well (at least in these sorts of roles).
The best parts, however, are reserved for a trio of actresses that lighten what's otherwise a mediocre picture. The always dependable Janeane Garofalo ("The Truth About Cats and Dogs") does her normal irritated woman shtick, but it's just an enjoyable as before, while Kate Hudson (making her big screen debut) has a fun time playing, and is funny as, the klutzy date.
It's Martha Plimpton ("Beautiful Girls"), however, who steals the show. While some may see her neurotic and apparently doomed to failure party host character as a Joan Cusack ("In & Out") rip- off performance, I tend to believe that she was simply inspired by Cusack, and then took the character to new heights. The only complaint is that she receives limited screen time, but when she's there, the results are often downright hilarious.
The rest of the proceedings, however, are rather mundane and mediocre as they limp along toward the midnight hour. Although the revelation the next morning of who eventually paired with whom offers a few fleeting humorous moments, for the most part the film simply comes to an end as if the allotted time ran out instead of the story naturally coming to a worthy conclusion.
While the early '80's-based soundtrack appropriately pumps up the volume and inspires its own mood -- and allows for a fun cameo by performer Elvis Costello -- it alone can't save the film. Despite a few fun characters and moments, the film feels like something of the letdown occasionally felt (and as portrayed in the story) after a momentous buildup to an event like New Year's Eve. As such, we give "200 Cigarettes" a 4 out of 10.
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