This movie is as addictive as the vices of the characters

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2014)

I can't remember why I bought Coffee and Cigarettes; I think it was when I had an obsession with the Cigarette-Smoking Man from The X-Files. Anyway, I watched it with my sister, who immediately got bored of it because it was filmed in black and white (she's a texting nut and cellphone zombie). I loved this movie though, it introduces you to an average variety of people from different walks of life, different genders, classes, races, but they each share one thing in common: they all visit a small city coffee shop, dingy and unpopular, and most of the characters have an addiction to either coffee, cigarettes or both.
As the movie goes on, the characters complain about the small problems in their lives, indulging in their addictions and sort of looking down on one another unkindly, though other characters hit it off with each other. Still, despite these characters having next to nothing in common, many of their complaints and problems in life are similar, and they aren't alone in these issues. This movie doesn't really have much of a beginning, middle or end, it's more like an artistic view of how much we take the little things in life for granted, little things like friendly service in a diner, a nice compliment, the smell of freshly-brewed coffee and lit cigarettes, so many small things we often forget and overlook.
Though I'm not entirely certain, I think it may take place in the late Fifties to early Sixties, the music style, scenery and fashion shown in the movie would point in that direction. The acting was outstanding and the soundtrack was nostalgic; the black and white film choice really puts more focus on the characters than the scenery so to fully enjoy this movie, you have to focus more on the script and what is being said, as well as the facial expressions and actions of the characters, to put the movie all together. I really loved this movie and I think it definitely deserves 10/10 stars, it's nice to avoid the melodrama of romance movies, cheap jump scares of horror movies and bad effects of sci-fi movies and just watch something simple yet so complex sometimes. In the end, it leaves a lingering depression and a new view on life that maybe in the fast-paced world of the city we often forget how much life is a gift and human kindness is worth a lot more than you'd think.