Coffee And Cigarettes Review
by Richard A. Zwelling (razwee AT yahoo DOT com)June 17th, 2004
COFFEE AND CIGARETTES
*** 1/2 (out of ****)
a film review by
Richard A. Zwelling
Look around you, and you'll see a world of diversity. We live in an eclectic mélange of racial classifications, religious beliefs, and overall lifestyles. Is there anything similar about us? Is there a universality that might allow for insights into our complex, stratified society?
Count on director Jim Jarmusch to go after a topic like this, albeit with his tongue planted well inside his cheek. The man who produced such genre-benders as Dead Man and Ghost Dog has returned. This time, instead of hybridizing genres, he connects a collection of very different lifestyles through a common pastime: downing java while lighting up.
The film is a series of 11 comic vignettes. In each, celebrities (some more famous than others) play themselves casually conversing over a smoke and a cup of coffee. The settings range from an upscale hotel lobby all the way down to a low-priced, all-night diner.
Technically, the film is over 15 years old. The first three scenes were filmed between 1987 and 1992 and were released as short films. Now at feature length, Coffee and Cigarettes offers a fascinating mix. It does not set out to be heavy, thought-provoking material regarding social realities. Instead, it offers charmingly wry humor that results directly from culture clashes.
Just hearing the match-ups gives you an idea of Jarmusch's intentions. Iggy Pop with Tom Waits. Alfred Molina with Steve Coogan. The rappers GZA and RZA (from the Wu-Tang Clan) with Bill Murray. Cate Blanchett with…herself??
I found it interesting that I considered the original three vignettes (the first three of the film) to be the weakest, but in the end, I was thankful, because the humor continually crescendos as the film traverses along at its relaxed, leisurely pace. The exception is the final scene, which has a deliciously melancholy and romantic air.
I don't know how much Jarmusch had genre hybridization in mind when making this film, but I found it to be the most fascinating aspect. We see different people in their most relaxed, casual states, because they are all freely conversing while engaging in that most relaxed of activities. As such, there is a feeling of similarity among each person, despite obvious superficial differences.
Following from this, the dialogue is not only humorous and colloquial, but has a very genuine way of meandering from topic to topic. When we laugh at the apparent non-sequiturs, it is sometimes purely because of the jarring transitions, but sometimes, it is because there is a nugget of truth behind the fun.
I cannot say whether or not Coffee and Cigarettes will be one of my favorite films of 2004, but I CAN say that I will consider it among the most original.
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