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Roberto Benigni,
Steven J. Wright,
Joie Lee,
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Jim Jarmusch
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: MGM
: Comedies, Independent, SNL Alums
: 97 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French
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Jim Jarmusch's black-and-white feature Coffee and Cigarettes contains three vignettes originally released as short films along with separate yet somewhat related sketches. As the title suggests, most of the vignettes involve famous people smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. The first, "Coffee and Cigarettes," is a six-minute short from 1986 starring Stephen Wright and Roberto Benigni. The 1989 installment, "Memphis Version," stars Steve Buscemi, Joie Lee, and Cinqué Lee. The award-winning 1993 segment, "Somewhere in California," stars musicians Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. The remaining sketches include Cate Blanchett performing a duel role, a conversation with Bill Murray and members of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Alfred Molina and British television actor Steve Coogan as themselves. In its full-length version form, Coffee and Cigarettes was shown at the 2003 Venice Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
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| Amusing and interesting vignettes
by HPearson
October 20, 2007 - 8:52 AM PDT
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| Very different and contrasting short portraits are linked together by common, everyday objects - coffee, cigarettes, and a checkered tablecloth. I liked the oddball, slightly gritty overtone of the movie. Nothing profound, but good, solid entertainment. |
| snoozer
by nkeller
May 15, 2007 - 8:56 PM PDT
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for such a great cast, it's really not that as interesting as i'd hoped. i'm all about independents, short films, and everything else (goddess knows i've sat through my share of TERRIBLE student films, trying to play devil's advocate with myself and see the value), but i was disappointed to find this couldn't hold my attention. the short with cate blanchette is the best, i thought.
perhaps i'm a bit biased (i'm not one of those people who hate subtitles because i'm such a lazy american i can't stand to read while being entertained. ...bitter? a little.), but i wasn't a big fan of the choice for black and white film. i don't mind it so much i would rule out a film, but the dialogue didn't pique my interest as much one would think a "conversation" with iggy pop in a natural setting might.
overall, i felt "meh." about this one. |
| Like having coffee with an old friend - comfortable, familiar, and sometimes a bit lazy.
by Saroz
February 24, 2005 - 8:54 PM PST
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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I have a love/hate relationship with Jim Jarmusch's films. On the one hand, I love their dry wit, their humanity, and their reliance on character over plot. On the other hand, they are often slow and plodding, sometimes so episodic they don't feel coherent.
"Coffee and Cigarettes" reaffirms pretty much every aspect of Jim Jarmusch's work that I have outlined above. In fact, the film as good as celebrates most of them. It's slow, episodic, and has no plot, all of which it wears on its sleeve. At the same time, though, it's the characters and the conversations that really pull you in. You might almost say this film is Jarmusch's mission statement, fashioned into a little artistic work of its very own.
There are enough little scenarios here that at least a couple will match everyone's taste. Personally, my favorites were the first three - especially the Benigni/Wright and Pop/Waits segments - all of which pre-date the rest of the film significantly. Of the new material, the segment with the White Stripes is quite nice, and the ending with Taylor Mead and Bill Rice is perfect.
To say the film doesn't have faults would be a lie, however. It's easily too long - there are eleven little vignettes here, and regardless of the content, it would have worked better without two or three of them. At 97 minutes the film is quite good; at 77 it would have been magnificent. Personally, I felt the "Cousins" (with Cate Blanchett) and "Cousins?" (with Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan) sequences were simply dragged out for far too long, though they had good material; the "Renee" episode, on the other hand, was simply dead weight. It's worth remembering, though, that opinions vary drastically on which vignettes are best/worst, and my guess is no two people will see the film in the exact same way. Which is probably just as it should be.
If you like Jim Jarmusch, you've probably already seen "Coffee and Cigarettes" and formed your own opinion. If you haven't, but you know some of his other work, I give it an easy recommendation - if nothing else, as a rental for a rainy day. It's not his best film - that, in my humble view, is "Down by Law" - but it's far more accessible and less frustrating than many of them. Just remember - if you don't like a certain vignette, there's always another just around the corner... |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.12)
269 Votes
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