''Cigarette Girl'' is a 2009 film written and directed by Mike McCarthy and starring Cori Dials, Ivy McLemore, Helen Bowman, and Danny Vinson. The film premiered on July 10, 2009 at the
Revelation Perth International Film Festival
Revelation Perth International Film Festival began in 1997. Founded by Richard Sowada to showcase a large range of independent feature films, documentaries, short films, and experimental works, it runs every July in Perth, Western Australia and ...
in Australia.
Plot
In the not too distant future, society has levied laws against smoking and forced citizens to live in a certain part of town called the "Smoking Section" if one wants to smoke cigarettes. After crossing the line into the smoking ghetto, cigarettes now cost $63.49 a pack, and are sold on the street corners and underground bars. The unnamed heroine (Cori Dials) of the film works in the "Vice Club", an abandoned 1930s era cigarette factory turned club.
After her grandmother (Helen Bowman) is hospitalized with
emphysema
Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...
, the Cigarette Girl attempts to break her addiction to
nicotine
Nicotine is a natural product, naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreational drug use, recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As ...
while also escaping the clutches of her employers, the mob-associated operators of the Vice Club. Deciding to start carrying a pistol, the Cigarette Girl stops smoking and starts killing on the third day to alleviate her acute psychological
withdrawal
Withdrawal means "an act of taking out" and may refer to:
* Anchoresis (withdrawal from the world for religious or ethical reasons)
* ''Coitus interruptus'' (the withdrawal method)
* Drug withdrawal
* Social withdrawal
* Taking of money from a ban ...
manifested primarily by the ghost of a cowboy who is always on her back to keep smoking.
Cast
* Cori Dials as The Cigarette Girl
* Helen Bowman as Grandma
* Ivy McLemore as Runaway
* Danny Venson as Cowboy
* D'Army Bailey as Store Owner
* James Buchanan as Johnny Valet
* Lynne Turley as Vice Boss
* J. Lazarus Hawk as Ace
* Donald Meyers as Doctor
* Christian B. Walker as Prophet/Dead Grass Boy #1
* Christopher Tyzhai Allen as Dead Grass Boy #2
* Markus Seaberry as Dead Grass Boy #3
* Emmy Collins as Suspicious Dude
* Lary Love Dolley as Hat Check Girl
* Daniel Lee as Customer
* Daniel Reed as Customer
* Glenn Payne as Customer
* Jacob Burcham as Customer
Promotion
* World Premiere: Revelation Perth International Film Festival, July 2–12, 2009 in Perth, Australia
* US Premiere:
Malco Theatres
Malco Theatres, Inc. is a movie theatre chain that has remained family owned and operated for over one hundred years. It has been led by four generations of the Lightman family. The company has 36 theatre locations with over 371 screens in six ...
' Studio on the Square, Sept. 10, 2009 in Memphis, TN. Promoted by a collaboration between the On-Location Memphis & Indie Memphis Film Festivals.
Reception
''Variety'' said the film "is a hot low-budget mess, but fun." John Beifuss of ''
The Commercial Appeal
''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also ...
'' gave ''Cigarette Girl'' 3 1/2 out of 5 stars, calling it "signature McCarthy".
References
External links
*
* {{IMDb title, 1352361
2009 films
American drama films
Films about smoking
2000s English-language films
2000s American films