You'll never see anything quite like it

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2011)

The world said you can't make a movie with no plot, character story arcs, or a variety of set pieces. Jim Jarmush said nay. And so he did it, and he did it well. Coffee and Cigarettes is a very bizarre film. All it is, is a collection of vignettes that each take place in a diner, usually only have two characters conversing with one another, and coffee and cigarettes comes up in the conversation somewhere. Looking at a synopsis like this you would have to stand up, point a critical finger, and shout, "No! You can't do that!" But Jarmush proves any naysayers wrong and pulls it off extremely well.
There is one basic principle that carries the entire movie and that is the diner setting with the overall coffee and cigarettes based theme. But the series of characters and scenes have such a great variety to them that it makes each separate segment enjoyable in its own off kilter way. We have all kinds of different scenes ranging from Cate Blanchett having a conversation with herself playing her cousin to Bill Murray hanging out with RZA and GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan talking about alternative medicines and the uses of nicotine. In once scene Jack and Meg White of the alternative rock band The White Stripes (one of my favorite bands of all time) stop for some coffee and a couple cigarettes while Jack shows off his tesla coil machine. We move along to Alfred Molina meeting with Steve Coogan to tell him that they're cousins. Later on we watch Iggy Pop and Tom Waits sarcastically and solemnly insult each other without even noticing it. Coffee and Cigarettes has a little bit for everyone and a whole lot to enjoy.
The film may not seem like much on the surface, but underneath there is a lot of great cinematic artistry being achieved. The film can be interpreted as pointless, but in many ways that is the point. It's the paradoxical nature of this film that makes it out to be much more than it could have and even should have been. Coffee and Cigarettes shows us the mundaneness of your typical diner conversation and then gives it a lot of heart and a lot of life. It goes to show just how interesting your typical day to day conversation can be if you take a moment to slow down and have look. This idea is even eluded to in some of the dialouge. There are two instances of characters talking about their lives or their dreams whizzing by them like they are the camera of a race car driving down the Indy 500. In fact there are a lot of aspects that carry over from one segment to the next. You notice these things in retrospect, and it really binds the film together. The segments are different in subject matter but very similar in themes and subtextual meaning.
There's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Coffee and Cigarettes and you really have to put some thought into the film to notice everything about it. But on the surface there is also a lot of good going on. For one, the film is extremely funny. It has some moments that are absolutely hysterical because of the complete oddness of what is happening and the diverse characters it is happening to. You would never expect to see RZA and GZA sit down with Bill Murray and have a conversation, but here you see it and its hilarious just to think about the idea of these three talking with each other, and then the actual dialouge which transpires during their segment is hilarious. Jim Jarmush also shoots the film very well for what it's worth. There's only so much you can do when your set pieces are all small diners and camera focuses on two to three people at a time, sitting at one table. But Jarmush makes sure to keep his direction interesting without being distracting. He doesn't over direct at all and he keeps the focus solely on the actors.
Coffee and Cigarettes is a fantastic film and it is unlike anything you will ever see in your life. Filmmakers don't take these kinds of risks very often so it's nice that we can find strange films that break all the rules of conventional storytelling and filmmaking. This film works on a lot of levels and is also a lot of fun to watch.