John Waters raved that Smoking Causes Coughing is a “superhero movie for idiots,” and Bloody Disgusting has an exclusive clip that perfectly encapsulates the absurdist humor and violence that ensues when the Tobacco Force attempts to prepare for battle.
Written/Directed by Quentin Dupieux (Rubber, Deerskin, Mandibles), the absurdist, gory French comedy releases On Demand on June 27 from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet Label.
In the exclusive clip below, members of the plucky Tobacco Force team fumble their way through helmet removal to comically lethal results. It feels safe to assume that whoever this wacky superhero team goes up against might have the upper hand. With Dupieux behind it, we’d expect nothing less.
The “wildly inventive new comedy” follows the misadventures of a team of five superheroes known as the Tobacco Force – Benzene (Gilles Lellouche), Nicotine (Anaïs Demoustier), Methanol (Vincent Lacoste), Mercury (Jean-Pascal Zadi), and Ammonia (Oulaya Amamra).
“After a devastating battle against a diabolical giant turtle, the Tobacco Force is sent on a mandatory week-long retreat to strengthen their decaying group cohesion. Their sojourn goes wonderfully well until Lézardin, Emperor of Evil, decides to annihilate planet Earth.”
“What follows is Dupiex’s subversion of the normal superhero story, instead telling a tale full of friendship, heartbreak, and epiphany through various vignettes, some bloody and some hysterical. A brash film that could only be conjured up by the unique mind of Dupieux, Smoking Causes Coughing asks the audiences to imagine what it would be like to go camping with the Power Rangers amidst a fever dream.”
In his review for Bloody Disgusting, Alex DiVincenzo wrote that the obscene comedy “brings to mind Psycho Goreman in its blend of absurdist humor, buckets of gore, and rubber monsters. The latter — which range from the Gamera-esque Tortusse to a giant cockroach — are portrayed by special makeup effects artist Olivier Afonso (As Above So Below, Raw) in intentionally schlocky creature suits.”
Smoking Causes Coughing premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section. It will be available On Demand via Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video, FandangoNOW, and more on June 27.
