5/5 A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
  by Geary A., Jones
This is a movie with an emphasis on dialogue, ambiance, and characterization. The acting is superb, and the script is top-drawer. SMOKE is a funny, sometimes poignant, slice-of-life film with a whole lot of heart.

5/5 Subtlety
  by William Hoffknecht (Fernley, NV)
This film is subtlety at its finest.

The story really is nothing like what you might see in the preview or get an idea from the cover. It is a story about relationships and storytelling, the way we converse with one another.

The overall plot is good, slow at times, but it is meant to be. First time I saw it I thought it was good and boring, but over the years Smoke has grown into one of my favorite films ever to put on.

Writing: Flawless
Acting: Flawless
Directing: Quiet and Simple, beautiful.

Also, if you have seen "Blue in the Face", which covers more story about some of these same characters (Also by Wayne Wang), this film is SOO very different. That movie was upbeat and silly, this one is so understated and brilliant.

Hiding underneath it all is a soundtrack spotted with Tom Waits. The entire ending credits acts out one of the stories told within the film to "Innocent When You Dream (Barroom Version)" by Waits. I was amazed. When I first saw it and even today.

5/5 This "Smoke" Doesn't Stink
  by David Baldwin (Philadelphia,PA USA)
This little gem is one of the unsung classics of the nineties. Director Wayne Wang and co-director and scenarist Paul Auster have crafted a film that at turns funny, poignant, and tragic in a way that will always stay with you. Some may be turned off because the film centers on a Brooklyn tobacco shop and for sure there is a lot of casual smoking here but that's just a starting point for a script that follows a variety of interesting characters and many intriguing story twists. Harvey Keitel as Auggie the owner of the store gave what I thought one of the best performances of his career. The film is populated by great work(William Hurt, Forrest Whitaker, et. al) but Auggie is the glue that holds the film together. The extended scene where Auggie relates to the writer played by Hurt a Christmas story is worth the price of admission alone. Even better is the scene over the end credits where Auggie's story is visualized as Leonard Cohen warbles on the soundtrack. Also noteworthy is an unforgettable cameo by Ashley Judd as Stockard Channing's drug-addled daughter. This rank's with Alec Baldwin's work in "Glengarry Glen Ross" as an example of an actor making a major impact on a film with minimal screen time.

5/5 the story within the story
  by bZ (NY)
there's nothing i can add to the wonderful NY reviewers' comments here, except to say that if you enjoy this movie, watch for "auggie wren's christmas story" - the story within the film of auggie tracking down the magazine thief using the lost wallet. like "smoke," (also based on a story by auster) it's available in book form, and its charming small size makes it an excellent stocking stuffer. i heartily recommend ALL of auster's novels to those who appreciate downhome writing, NY style. auster is the flannery o'connor of the northeast.

5/5 Best of the genre
  by JohnG (Ontario, Canada)
Slice o' life. Not too heavy, not too light. Absolutely believable. Very moving, but doesn't pander to cheap emotionalism. Even the dialogue is recognizable as something you might actually hear in real life. Substitutes a story for the usual violence, sex and high-decibel action. Acting, character presentation superb. For those not too cynical to enjoy a great, yet realistic feel-good movie, this is a good one. I use other high-rating picks of Amazon Five-Star reviewers of this movie as a rough guide for evaluating movies I haven't seen.