Talking over coffee and cigarettes

Rating: 7/10 (18 April 2005)

'Coffee and Cigarettes' is the project director Jim Jarmusch started back in 1986 with a short film starring Roberto Benigni and Steven Wright. The premise is as simple as it is brilliant. Put some people in a room and let them talk over coffee and cigarettes, most of the time also about coffee and cigarettes. Let some elements return in every single segment you make (there is a toast in every segment) and see where it goes. You film a couple of these episodes in black and white, puts them together and you have a nice film.
Of course some segments are better than others. I liked the one with Steve Buscemi ("Twins"), Tom Waits ("Somewhere in California"), Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina ("Cousins?") and Bill Murray ("Delirium") the most. The one with Cate Blanchett ("Cousins") is not the best but since she plays both characters it is quite interesting. I guess every segment has at least one interesting aspect. "Strange to Meet You", the first one made back in 1986, is interesting since it stars the director and star of 'La Vita è Bella' long before that film made him famous; "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil" is interesting because The White Stripes (Meg & Jack White) have the weirdest conversation in a way I believed they really have conversations like this; "Cousins?" gives us the hardest laughs with the perfect dialog and timing of that dialog; "Delirium" if fun simply because Bill Murray is in it.
What is good about a lot of the segments is that the more famous people are not afraid to portray a weak person, even when they are playing themselves. Iggy Pop has a very hard time with Tom Waits, Cate Blanchet has a very hard time with herself, Alfred Molina is embarrassed by Steve Coogan and even one of Coogan's fans. The film has some minor points. Although it is a real comedy there are no real laughs. There are many smiles, but laughing out loud only happens once or twice. The final moments from most segments could cause the real laughs. Another problem is the fact that you are basically watching a lot of short films. Since you watch them without taking a moment to think about them it is possible you have forgotten the first while the last one is playing. For me it is the same with feature films; after I have seen one I need a moment to think it over before starting the next one.