Synopsis

On New Year's Eve 1981, a group of young New Yorkers and out-of-towners drift through the East Village, bars, clubs, cabs, and crowded streets while trying to reach a party hosted by Monica. As midnight approaches, romantic misunderstandings, loneliness, bad decisions, and unexpected encounters bring the loosely connected revelers together.

Factoids & Trivia

• The title refers to a carton of cigarettes: ten packs of twenty cigarettes each.

• The film's setting is New York City on December 31, 1981, but it was released in 1999, giving its period setting a deliberately nostalgic, music-driven atmosphere.

• Elvis Costello appears as himself. His real-life New Year's Eve in 1981 was spent performing with the Attractions at the Palladium in New York, only a few blocks from the area represented in the film.

• During filming, Casey Affleck told Kate Hudson that "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits was one of his favorite love songs. Hudson arranged for it to play during their final scene together without telling him; Affleck reportedly discovered the surprise when he saw the film at its premiere.

• Ben Affleck initially joined the production believing he would mainly be supporting his younger brother, Casey, who had a leading role. He was surprised when trade reports treated his involvement as major casting news.

• A local East Village resident objected to the production because of the film's smoking imagery. Reported attempts to disrupt filming included displaying a "NO SMOKING" sign, covering street posts with aluminum foil, and singing during takes.

• In one cab-departure shot, Guillermo Diaz stood in for Angela Featherstone from behind. The production styled his hair to resemble hers after there was not enough time to film the shot with Featherstone.

• The soundtrack combines punk, new wave, disco, soul, pop, and classic rock, using songs associated with the late 1970s and early 1980s to reinforce the film's period setting.