X
- 2023
- Not Rated
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 17 m
- 2023
- Not Rated
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 17 m
Summary After a devastating battle against a diabolical turtle, a team of five avengers – known as the Tobacco Force - is sent on a mandatory retreat to strengthen their decaying group cohesion. Their sojourn goes wonderfully well until Lézardin, Emperor of Evil, decides to annihilate planet Earth.
Directed By: Quentin Dupieux
Written By: Quentin Dupieux
- 2023
- Not Rated
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 17 m
- 2023
- Not Rated
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 17 m
Smoking Causes Coughing
74
4.9
Where to Watch
Summary After a devastating battle against a diabolical turtle, a team of five avengers – known as the Tobacco Force - is sent on a mandatory retreat to strengthen their decaying group cohesion. Their sojourn goes wonderfully well until Lézardin, Emperor of Evil, decides to annihilate planet Earth.
Directed By: Quentin Dupieux
Written By: Quentin Dupieux
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
74
85% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
10% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
74
85% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
10% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The cast is uniformly excellent and delivers enthusiastic performances, even the ones played by puppets, and the pacing is lively and not at all boring.
Dupieux, as ever, writes, directs, shoots, and orchestrates the madness. This isn’t as conceptually neat as Deerskin nor as playfully intertextual as Rubber, but it’s consistently fun.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 User Ratings
4.9
30% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
30% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
40% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 User Ratings
4.9
30% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
30% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
40% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
One thing that movie fans can say unequivocally about French cinephiles is that they often possess a love of absurdist humor, both in the films they watch and in the pictures their countrymen make. That’s been verified once again in writer-director Quentin Dupieux’s latest, a wacky, **** out sci-fi/fantasy comedy that’s truly one of a kind. The film follows the campy exploits of the Tobacco Force, a Power Ranger-like troupe of superheroes who take on cheesy-looking monsters and villains with their martial arts skills, as well as their ability to emit toxic chemicals (like nicotine) in ample quantities to quickly vanquish their foes. However, in the wake of their latest successful mission, their commander (a randy lookalike cousin of TV’s lovable alien Alf) orders them to go on retreat to work on their team building skills to compensate for a recent tendency toward too much individualism. And, once there, they work on their bonding by spending much of their time telling stories – truly bizarre ones – that have nothing to do with them or their mission. In turn, these assorted vignettes essentially make up the bulk of the film. Viewers (myself included) might wonder why the picture is constructed in such a way, given that it plays more like a collection of bits loosely strung together by a thin central narrative. But that didn’t stop me from laughing, though – and quite a lot at that. From the standpoint of a movie that has a solid, well-crafted story, “Smoking Causes Coughing” fails miserably. But, as one that tickles the funny bone, the picture hits a string of home runs. Yes, it’s silly and nonsensical, and it’s far from epic filmmaking, However, as something that evokes huge chuckles for their own sake, this one is hard to beat. So, as long as you don’t go in expecting auteur-grade cinema, you’ll be fine if you accept this one just for what it is – a vehicle for making us laugh at a time when we can really use it most.
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I almost gave this a negative rating, but it did have some originality. It is a French, farcical mashup between a Wes Anderson movie and gross-out humor. At its core is a parody of the Power Rangers, but even more nonsensical and nasty, with no real plot. Not too sure what to make of it.
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It’s not a criticism to say that Smoking Causes Coughing doesn’t hold together, because cohesion isn’t what Dupieux is going for. He’s more about surprise and delight.
Smoking Causes Coughing works because Dupieux’s already been here and done similar things before. This is just a superior collection of shaggy dog jokes.
If Smoking may feel like an amalgam of leftover ideas, it finds a tenuous through line in the contagious love Dupieux imbues in the very act—and art—of bringing those fables to life.
The droll, slight Smoking Causes Coughing plays like a loose collection of Quentin Dupieux’s leftover ideas, but there’s ample charm in these surreal bits and pieces — especially for anyone already on the auteur’s cheekily bizarre wavelength.
The gimmick and the satiric target here are broader and the punches miss the mark far more often than they land. But if you’re blitzed enough…
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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This film informs a kid up front that smoking is bad, but the team of avengers that make up The Tobacco Force harness the “negative energy” of tobacco to fight evil. If this sounds silly, hold on! French director Quentin Dupieux is kind of a cross between Charlie Kaufmann and Luis Buñuel with an approach that's bizarre surreal absurdity. The superheroes, who look like cheap versions of Power Rangers, defeat one rubber monster a la Godzilla before being sent to a camp, where they sit around a fire and tell stories. Yep, there are several little shorts that pop in, as told my members of the group, a random girl and a barracuda, yes, you read that right. Then there's their boss, who's a giant rodent with green drool. If you're reading this going wha???, that's how I felt watching this. People who like weird, virtually meaningless and low budget failed camp might find this a unique curiosity, but it's basically a peculiar French mess. NOTE: Stay thru the credits for one final disappointment.
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Production Company
Chi-Fou-Mi Productions,
Gaumont,
Canal+,
Orange Cinéma Séries,
Télé Monté Carlo (TMC),
Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC),
Le Pays de Martigues,
Métropole Aix-Marseille
Release Date Mar 31, 2023
Duration 1 h 17 m
Rating Not Rated
Awards
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Milwaukee Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
César Awards, France
• 1 Nomination
