Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

12 March 2004 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Drama

Plot:

A series of vignettes that all have coffee and cigarettes in common.

Plot Keywords:

Coffee | Cigarette | Smoking | Drink In Title | Waiter

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Roberto Benigni	...	Roberto (segment "Strange to Meet You")
Steven Wright	...	Steven (segment "Strange to Meet You")
Joie Lee	...	Good Twin (segment "Twins")
Cinqué Lee	...	Evil Twin / Kitchen Guy (segment "Twins / Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil")
Steve Buscemi	...	Waiter (segment "Twins")
Iggy Pop	...	Iggy (segment "Somewhere in California")
Tom Waits	...	Tom (segment "Somewhere in California")
Joseph Rigano	...	Joe (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya") (as Joe Rigano)
Vinny Vella	...	Vinny (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")
Vinny Vella Jr.	...	Vinny Jr. (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")
Renee French	...	Renée (segment "Renée") (as Renée French)
E.J. Rodriguez	...	Waiter (segment "Renée")
Alex Descas	...	Alex (segment "No Problem")
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Isaach (segment "No Problem")
Cate Blanchett	...	Cate / Shelly (segment "Cousins")

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | Japan | Italy

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Mexico:B | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Asmik Ace Entertainment

Trivia:

In the "Twins" segment with Joie Lee and Cinqué Lee, along with Steve Buscemi, Joie paraphrases a quote commonly attributed to Elvis Presley, "The only thing a nigger can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes." Despite popular belief, Elvis himself, along with several of his friends and family members, have vehemently denied that he ever said this.

Goofs:

Continuity: There are numerous continuity errors in positions of items on the table throughout the movie. Coffee jugs disappear (Twins), cigarettes disappear from ashtrays (No Problem), cigarette packets move around (Somewhere in California). Cigarette lengths and Coffee levels also vary.

Quotes:

Iggy: Cigarettes and coffee, man, that's a combination.

Movie Connections:

References Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Soundtrack:

Baden-Baden

A blast (***1/2)

Talk about an appropriate title.

This is a collection of 11 short stories directed by indie stalwart Jim Jarmusch ("Strangers in Paradise", "Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai") that have been filmed over the last 18 years, all of which involve two or more characters simply sitting at a table, conversing over...yep, coffee and cigarettes.

In the hands of a lesser director that might be extremely boring, but Jarmusch is a master of subtle understatement and great deadpan humor. This may be one of the funniest movies you've ever seen in which no one cracks a smile.

Almost all the actors play themselves, which adds a meta-theatrical, slightly surreal touch to it all.

Among my favorite stories are one in which an overly eager Alfred Molina has a surprise in store for coolly arrogant fellow actor Steve Coogan and a great one in which Cate Blanchett plays both herself and her jealous cousin Shelby. Then there's the one where Tom Waits and Iggy Pop meet in a dive bar to discuss things and have a smoke (to celebrate quitting smoking), Jack and Meg White of the White Stripes experimenting with a Tesla coil, and in the funniest casting, RZA and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan sharing some downtime with, of all people, Bill Murray. I also like the one with Spike Lee's twin siblings, Joie and Cinque, dealing with an invasive waiter (a hilarious Steve Buscemi). Almost all the stories are excellent, but there are three that are very forgettable and pretty unnecessary, and they're all in a row, which disrupts the flow of the film. If those three had been taken out, "Coffee and Cigarettes" would be just about perfect, but it's still really good. And those three are out of the way in the first half, anyway.

For the first hour the movie feels mainly just like fun. Straight-faced, deadpan, B&W comedy just like "Strangers In Paradise". But as it goes on, and strange connections are made between the stories, it seems to have a sudden dreamlike depth to it.

The final story in particular, in which two old men in a dark room (Bill Rice and Taylor Mead) discuss life while on a coffee break that feels like it'll last forever, has a distinct "Waiting For Godot" feel and ends the movie on a perfect note of haunting, existential sadness.

It was at that point that I realized I hadn't just watched a string of jokey short stories, but a string of jokey short stories that say a lot about human nature and life in general.

And if that's not enough to interest you, how often do you get to see Tom Waits and Iggy Pop have a conversation? Or RZA, GZA, and Bill Murray?