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{{short description|1999 American comedy and drama film by Risa Bramon Garcia}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = 200 Cigarettes
| image          =  Two_hundred_cigarettes.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = Risa Bramon Garcia
| writer         = Shana Larsen
| producer       = {{ubl|[[Betsy Beers]]|David Gale|[[Van Toffler]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ben Affleck]]
* [[Casey Affleck]]
* [[Dave Chappelle]]
* [[Angela Featherstone]]
* [[Courtney Love]]
* [[Jay Mohr]]
* [[Nicole Ari Parker]]
* [[Martha Plimpton]]
* [[Christina Ricci]]
* [[Paul Rudd]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Frank Prinzi]]
| editing        = [[Lisa Zeno Churgin]]
| music          = {{ubl|[[Bob Mothersbaugh]]|[[Mark Mothersbaugh]]}}
| studio         = {{ubl|[[MTV Entertainment Studios|MTV Productions]]|[[Lakeshore Entertainment]]}}
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1999|2|26}}
| runtime        = 101 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $6 million<ref name=BOM />
| gross          = $6.9 million<ref name=BOM />
}}
'''''200 Cigarettes''''' is a 1999 American [[comedy film]] directed by Risa Bramon Garcia and written by Shana Larsen. The film follows multiple characters in New York City on [[New Year's Eve]] 1981. The film features an [[ensemble cast]] consisting of brothers [[Ben Affleck|Ben]] and [[Casey Affleck]], [[Dave Chappelle]], [[Guillermo Díaz (actor)|Guillermo Díaz]], [[Angela Featherstone]], [[Janeane Garofalo]], [[Gaby Hoffmann]], [[Kate Hudson]], [[Courtney Love]], [[Jay Mohr]], [[Nicole Ari Parker]], [[Martha Plimpton]], [[Christina Ricci]] and [[Paul Rudd]], with a cameo by [[Elvis Costello]], as well as paintings by [[Sally Davies (artist)|Sally Davies]].

==Plot==
The film follows various plot arcs all occurring on [[New Year's Eve]] of 1981. Monica is throwing a big party and is desperately afraid no one will attend. Early on, the only arrival is her friend Hillary.  As Monica tries to convince Hillary to stay, various other groupings are shown making their way to the celebration.

The plot follows these several characters as they spend New Year's Eve in [[New York City]] before eventually turning up at Monica's party. The party guests are:
* Monica's cousin Val and her friend Stephie, teens from [[Ronkonkoma, New York|Ronkonkoma]] who get lost in the seedy [[Alphabet City, Manhattan|Alphabet City]] section of the borough and wander into a [[Punk subculture|punk]] club where they meet Dave and Tom, who have a "package" they need to deliver.
* Ditsy and awkward Cindy, who is on a dinner date with the paranoid Jack.
* Lucy and her best friend Kevin, who are struggling with their mutual sexual tension. The film's title stems from the carton of cigarettes Lucy buys Kevin that night, a present on a holiday he loathes, which is also his birthday.
* Kevin's [[feminism|feminist]] ex-girlfriend Ellie, who walks in on Kevin and Lucy making out in a restroom stall
* A dim-witted and flirtatious bartender.
* Competitive friends Bridget and Caitlyn who attempt to ditch Bridget's boyfriend Eric, who is also Monica's ex.
* And an eccentric cab driver who takes them all around town throughout the evening in his disco-themed taxi.

Eventually, everyone finds their way to the party, although Monica has passed out after drowning her sorrows in alcohol. She wakes the next morning to find unrecognizable people on her floor, including Stephie, who tells her what a big hit her party was. Monica is thrilled, even though she missed it all, especially when she finds out that [[Elvis Costello]] showed up.

The final montage shows [[instant camera|Polaroids]] of the party, narrated by the disco cabbie, mostly featuring the unlikely romances from the night and the unconscious Monica being propped up by her guests.

==Cast==
* [[Ben Affleck]] as Bartender
* [[Casey Affleck]] as Tom
* [[Caleb Carr]] as Cynical Bar Patron
* [[Dave Chappelle]] as Disco Cabbie
* [[Elvis Costello]] as Himself
* [[Guillermo Díaz (actor)|Guillermo Díaz]] as Dave
* [[Angela Featherstone]] as Caitlyn
* [[Janeane Garofalo]] as Ellie
* [[Gaby Hoffmann]] as Stephie
* [[Kate Hudson]] as Cindy
* [[Catherine Kellner]] as Hillary
* [[Courtney Love]] as Lucy
* [[Brian McCardie]] as Eric
* [[Jay Mohr]] as Jack
* [[Nicole Ari Parker]] as Bridget
* [[Martha Plimpton]] as Monica
* [[Christina Ricci]] as Val
* [[Paul Rudd]] as Kevin

==Release==
The film received generally negative reviews<ref name="MC">{{cite web |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/200-cigarettes |title= 200 Cigarettes|work=[[Metacritic]] }}</ref> and grossed $6.8 million<ref name=BOM>{{cite web|url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=200cigarettes.htm|title=200 Cigarettes|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> in the United States.

On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has an approval rating of 30% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10 and the consensus that it is "[a] clumsy and scattered comedy with a poorly executed script".<ref>{{cite web |title= 200 Cigarettes |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/200_cigarettes/ |work= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] the film has a score of 33% based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews."<ref name="MC" />

Todd McCarthy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety magazine]]'' called the film "dismally unfunny" and questions "if any director could have surmounted the script’s limitations" and of the acting performances he says "only Garofalo and Ben Affleck manage to project any wit that cracks through the prevailing humorlessness."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/200-cigarettes-1200456542/|title=200 Cigarettes|first1=Todd|last1=McCarthy|date=February 26, 1999}}</ref>

Mick LaSalle of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' gave it a positive review, saying "200 Cigarettes doesn't have a bad scene or a false note. The picture is a succession of pointed little moments, nicely written by Shana Larsen and acted with comic assurance and sensitivity."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Cigarettes-a-Smoking-Tale-of-80s-Partyers-2944910.php|title='Cigarettes' a Smoking Tale of '80s Partyers / Ricci, Rudd, Love get the parts just right|first=Mick|last=LaSalle|date=February 26, 1999|website=SFGATE}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0137338|title=200 Cigarettes}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=200_cigarettes|title=200 Cigarettes}}
* {{Amg movie|176533|200 Cigarettes}}
* {{mojo title|id=200cigarettes|title=200 Cigarettes}}

{{MTV Films}}

[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mark Mothersbaugh]]
[[Category:Films about smoking]]
[[Category:Films set in 1981]]
[[Category:Films set in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Lakeshore Entertainment films]]
[[Category:MTV Films films]]
[[Category:Films set around New Year]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:American comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1999 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]