Obviously not for everyone...

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2004)

One of the most amusing thing about watching this in the cinema was the number of people who got up and left the cinema during the movie. I guess they saw a couple of big names and went on spec - bad mistake.
Having said that, there were ups and downs. Highlights for me were the first scene with Steven and Roberto was just surreal - dunno if it was the bizarre 'plot' or the fact that Roberto had so much coffee he couldn't sit still... I loved Steve Buscemi's Elvis theory... Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina's cousin's segment was one of the few laugh out loud bits of the movie. Bill Murray's scene was hilarious too. And for some reason the final scene gave me a warm fuzzy feeling - dunno why...
The photography was wonderful - black for coffee and white for cigarettes. The silence in some parts (that some people found tedious) allowed you to take in the whole scene and if you looked in the background there were a lot of little details that pulled the different scenes together. For example all the tables had chessboard patterns - except the one with Steve Coogan - which is the only scene where nobody drinks coffee. I guess I need to see it a few times to catch them all.
I know a lot of people were disappointed, but I guess that's down to expectations. I brought my girlfriend and warned her that it may not be her cup of tea (we're going to see Bridget Jones next week) but she loved it as much as I did. I guess if you're looking for a laugh a minute film that doesn't involve any thinking then it isn't for you. If you are looking for something a bit quirky even if not perfect, then it's worth a look.