This rambling drama looks at the intertwined stories of a group of New Yorkers, centered around a cigar shop. While it has its moments, the script is ridiculously contrived, a lackluster mixture of forced sentimentality and pretentious dialog. It is billed as a comedy, but there are no laughs to be had here. The relationships among the characters are not at all believable. There are also subplots, such as the one involving Keitel's ex-wife (Channing in a thankless role) and daughter (Judd in an early role), that are pointless. The acting is uneven, ranging from good (Keitel) to bad (Whitaker) to awful (some of the actors in small roles). Keitel is particularly good in relating a Christmas story.
