Addictive!

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2005)

The first time I watched COFFEE & CIGARETTES I wasn't impressed. Even though certain parts had me rolling in laughter, overall I didn't get the point. But the next day I found myself wanting to re-watch certain segments, so I popped the DVD back in. This led me to watch the entire film again. And today, I simply can't get it out of my head! I'm neither a cigarette smoker nor a coffee drinker, but now I find myself yelling at the screen "I totally relate!" And that's the beauty of this film told in 11 short (5-10 min) segments. You will relate to at least one--perhaps all--of the characters.
The key to understanding the whole movie (don't worry... no spoilrs) is in a subtle metaphor repeated twice: philosopher/inventor Nikola Tesla suggested that the Earth is a conductor of acoustical resonance. Simply put, an acoustical conductor is something that vibrates in sympathy with all sound waves, like a tuning fork. Then if the Earth is a conductor, the "sound waves" are us. People. In this case: coffee house people. Director Jarmusch takes us on a tour of coffee houses all over the world and lets us listen in on conversations, the way the Earth hears them.
From there, you may draw your own philosophical conclusions. Or you may just enjoy it as a series of unrelated, humorous segments. Take it at your own pace. It definitely has a very Existential theme, which is another way of saying there is no theme... or is there? ;)