Coffee and Cigarettes

[Foxbat]

Region 2 DVD

Released 2003

Directed by Jim Jarmusch

Starring…err everybody I think…

Black and White

Filmed over a period of years starting in the late 80s, this series of short films are finally brought together in the package ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’. Each film has the same basic setup – a couple of people discussing life, the Universe and everything over coffee and cigarettes.

There are quite a few familiar faces here and most (more or less) play themselves as we use coffee bar as a window into their little worlds. Not getting along is one of the recurring and often very amusing themes in this set. My particular favourite by a country mile is Somewhere in California with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop meeting for coffee in a small café with Hawaiian music playing in the background. They smoke because they’ve given up and drink large amounts of coffee with trembling hands. As their nerves become increasingly more rattled by the intake of nicotine and caffeine, try as they might, they just don’t get along one little bit.

Another particular favourite is Those Things’ll Kill Ya. Here two old gangsters (Joe Rigano and Vinny Vella) argue over the health risks of smoking. The irony that these two unsavioury characters are probably more dangerous to a person’s health than a cigarette is completely lost to them.

Others making appearances include Bill Murray, RZA and GZA, (this trio are particularly funny in Delirium) Cate Blanchett, Steve Coogan and Renee French.

There are some downsides however; Meg White will never be an actress and should stick to drums. Her brother, Jack was a bit better but nothing to write home about.

What we have here is a work wholly dependant on dialogue and character dynamics. Props include a table, coffee, ashtray, cigarettes and not a whole lot more. Often very funny, this movie is worth a look if you are a budding writer. Getting a character right and believable is hard enough, but getting them to say clever and witty things is an art in itself. It also has moments where it doesn’t quite work (for me at least) – the aforementioned Jack and Meg White piece, and also the very first one (Strange To Meet You – with Steven Wright and Roberto Benigni) but these small troughs are outweighed by the comic wit and intelligence of the others.

An interesting piece but not quite a masterpiece

6 out of 10

[littlemissattitude]

Oh, man. Tom Waits and Iggy Pop on the same screen together. That must be amazing. Going to have to see if I can find that one.