Vice as Nice

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2004)

Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee & Cigarettes" is a collection of spare, comic vignettes that feature the beloved vices of the title. As with any film of this kind, some segments outshine others. However, "Coffee & Cigarettes" has a nice effect as a whole, with repeated bits of dialogue and visual motifs helping to tie it all together.
The cast is eclectic and appealing. The inimitable Steve Buscemi is funny as a waiter with unique theories about Elvis, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits share an amusingly passive-aggressive conversation, and Cate Blanchett is quite good in a dual role as both herself and her cousin. Jack and Meg White make a lovably surreal appearance, with Jack in particular proving himself a strong screen presence. The two comic highs of the film are one bit featuring Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan and another with Bill Murray opposite RZA and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. A final segment featuring William Rice and Taylor Mead closes the proceedings on a strange, dreamy note.
And all of this adds up to...? A unique, droll little movie for those in search of a change of pace.