Review: Coffee and Cigarettes

In recent interviews, Jim Jarmusch has confessed that doing relatively big-budget movies like Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai was taking a lot out of him. He wanted to move back to a smaller, more intimate mode of filmmaking, which would allow him to feel spontaneous and unencumbered by a large crew and big-budget scheduling nightmares. The result is Coffee and Cigarettes, a Jarmusch yak-fest composed of short vignettes where one or two characters meet in coffeeshops or dilapidated hotels and warehouses.

Throughout, these characters talk, sometimes have a misunderstanding, and at some point mention that there’s nothing better than the simple pleasures of a cup of joe and a lit coffin nail. It’s good to see Jarmusch returning to the independent roots of Down by Law and Stranger Than Paradise, working with his favorite cinematographers, actors, and musicians. Unfortunately, once one gets into the cyclical rhythm of his dialogue, shots (usually two-shots, close-ups, and an occasional overhead), and themes, Coffee and Cigarettes grows redundant.

Not all of the sketches work, mostly within the padded-out midsection, but there are highlights: a confrontation between a goofy Iggy Pop and a growly Tom Waits inside a jukebox bar; Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and GZA discussing herbal remedies with a caffeine-delirious Bill Murray; Steve Coogan making a pompous ass out of himself to good-willed Alfred Molina; and especially Cate Blanchett playing twins, sending up her own glamorous movie star image while simultaneously proving her multitalented range as an actress. It all ends with two old blue-collar guys on a coffee break, with an ode to the workingman (to the tune of Mahler). Alas, Coffee and Cigarettes is more fun to reminisce about afterward than it is to endure.