Plot
A series of vignettes that all have coffee and cigarettes in common.
Release Year: 2003
Rating: 6.8/10 (25,020 voted)
Critic's Score: 65/100
Director:
Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Bill Murray, Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni
Storyline A comic series of short vignettes built on one another to create a cumulative effect, as the characters discuss things as diverse as caffeine popsicles, Paris in the '20s, and the use of nicotine as an insecticide--all the while sitting around sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes. As director Jim Jarmusch delves into the normal pace of our world from an extraordinary angle, he shows just how absorbing the obsessions, joys and addictions of life can be, if truly observed.
Cast: Roberto Benigni
-
Roberto (segment "Strange to Meet You")
Steven Wright
-
Steven (segment "Strange to Meet You")
Joie Lee
-
Good Twin (segment "Twins")
Cinqué Lee
-
Evil Twin
/
Kitchen Guy (segment "Twins
/
Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil")
Steve Buscemi
-
Waiter (segment "Twins")
Iggy Pop
-
Iggy (segment "Somewhere in California")
Tom Waits
-
Tom (segment "Somewhere in California")
Joseph Rigano
-
Joe (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")
(as Joe Rigano)
Vinny Vella
-
Vinny (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")
Vinny Vella Jr.
-
Vinny Jr. (segment "Those Things'll Kill Ya")
Renee French
-
Renée (segment "Renée")
(as Renée French)
E.J. Rodriguez
-
Waiter (segment "Renée")
Alex Descas
-
Alex (segment "No Problem")
Isaach De Bankolé
-
Isaach (segment "No Problem")
Cate Blanchett
-
Cate
/
Shelly (segment "Cousins")
Opening Weekend: €72,167
(Italy)
(14 March 2004)
(25 Screens)
Gross: $1,971,135
(USA)
(18 July 2004)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Jim Jarmusch shot the scene in which Cate Blanchett plays a double role on two different days, to give Blanchett time to transform her appearance and character.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
Jack White plugs in his Tesla coil in order to show it to Meg White, but never unplugs it before pulling it away in his wagon.
Quotes: Tom:
The beauty of quitting is, now that I've quit, I can have one, 'cause I've quit.
User Review
A blast (***1/2)
Rating: 9/10
Talk about an appropriate title.
This is a collection of 11 short stories directed by indie stalwart Jim
Jarmusch ("Strangers in Paradise", "Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai") that
have been filmed over the last 18 years, all of which involve two or more
characters simply sitting at a table, conversing over...yep, coffee and
cigarettes.
In the hands of a lesser director that might be extremely boring, but
Jarmusch is a master of subtle understatement and great deadpan humor. This
may be one of the funniest movies you've ever seen in which no one cracks a
smile.
Almost all the actors play themselves, which adds a meta-theatrical,
slightly surreal touch to it all.
Among my favorite stories are one in which an overly eager Alfred Molina has
a surprise in store for coolly arrogant fellow actor Steve Coogan and a
great one in which Cate Blanchett plays both herself and her jealous cousin
Shelby. Then there's the one where Tom Waits and Iggy Pop meet in a dive bar
to discuss things and have a smoke (to celebrate quitting smoking), Jack and
Meg White of the White Stripes experimenting with a Tesla coil, and in the
funniest casting, RZA and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan sharing some downtime
with, of all people, Bill Murray. I also like the one with Spike Lee's twin
siblings, Joie and Cinque, dealing with an invasive waiter (a hilarious
Steve Buscemi).
Almost all the stories are excellent, but there are three that are very
forgettable and pretty unnecessary, and they're all in a row, which disrupts
the flow of the film. If those three had been taken out, "Coffee and
Cigarettes" would be just about perfect, but it's still really good. And
those three are out of the way in the first half, anyway.
For the first hour the movie feels mainly just like fun. Straight-faced,
deadpan, B&W comedy just like "Strangers In Paradise". But as it goes on,
and strange connections are made between the stories, it seems to have a
sudden dreamlike depth to it.
The final story in particular, in which two old men in a dark room (Bill
Rice and Taylor Mead) discuss life while on a coffee break that feels like
it'll last forever, has a distinct "Waiting For Godot" feel and ends the
movie on a perfect note of haunting, existential sadness.
It was at that point that I realized I hadn't just watched a string of jokey
short stories, but a string of jokey short stories that say a lot about
human nature and life in general.
And if that's not enough to interest you, how often do you get to see Tom
Waits and Iggy Pop have a conversation? Or RZA, GZA, and Bill
Murray?
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