The spirit of Dennis Potter may be alive but he's certainly not well in this song'n'dance depiction of the emotional implosion of a working class New York family.

Imagine being trapped in the karaoake lounge of the world's worst boozer with the Chav family from hell and you would only get a hint of what's in store.

Boorish Big Apple construction worker Nick Murder (Gandolfini) is having a fling behind the back of his long-suffering wife Kitty (Sarandon).

The object of his desire is Kate Winslet's Tula, a potty-mouthed slapper with an accent emanating from that area of northern England also inhabited by Frasier's Daphne.

When she's not spouting filth in a style not dissimilar to her sweary nun in Ricky Gervais' Extras, she's behind the counter at risky lingerie shop Agent Provocateur.

When Kitty discovers her slobbish hubbie's infidelity she persuades hipster cousin Bo Diddley (Chris Walken playing, just for a change, Chris Walken in psycho mode) to track the foul-talking tart down.

This over-the-top, self-styled "savage musical" from Coen Brothers regular John Turturro tries hard. God, does it try hard.

Bin-men, fire-fighters and telephone engineers burst into songs aimed at reflecting the inner turmoil of Kitty, Nick and the rest of the Murder family - three dysfunctional daughters who rehearse their punk band in the back garden.

Chopping artlessly from one unlikely scenario to another (Eddie Izzard's comedy organist Gene Vincent being a cackhanded lowpoint), this thunders along crushing any comical finesse.

Sure, there is the occasional good gag, but it surfaces despite rather than because of a narrative that strains at every sinew to grind out a laugh.

Turturro maintains this self-satisfied luvvie fest is a working class opera. If so, the final curtain couldn't come soon enough.

Tim Evans