mostly appeal to those who love Jim Jarmusch's quirky work

Rating: 7/10 (20 November 2004)

Jim Jarmusch's loving look at situations involving cigarettes and coffee. Imagine Paul Merton's improve program where that was the theme and add a succession of top actors in assorted coffee bars. The series of humorous vignettes, all shot in black and white and over a 17 year period, is an affectionate homage to two social drugs and the situations that can be derived around them. Will mostly appeal to those who love Jim Jarmusch's quirky work. The cameos are appealing and well crafted, but the overall feel is one of art for artists. Interesting cinema rather than an entertaining nights out, Coffee and Cigarettes is an experiment in humour and perhaps audience tolerance.