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To really get some sense of appreciation for “Coffee
& Cigarettes” you would really have to subscribe
to one of two trains of thought.
You either believe that A) writer/director Jim Jarmusch
(Ghost Dog, Dead Man) is an absolute genius
who can do no wrong, or B) the art of Independent Cinema
has not evolved since the early '90s.
Now, that may seem harsh to some, but the simple fact is
that the art of casual conversation is a difficult one to
translate to film, particularly when it is largely improvised.
Sometimes, it works exceptionally well, such as with the work
that Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy put together
in Before Sunrise and Sunset, but the key difference
there was that the principals involved had a good grasp of
what would come across as interesting and involving to an
audience.
The one common link that each segment of “Coffee &
Cigarettes” has, is not surprisingly, the subject of
coffee and cigarettes. Some of the segments in this film range
from very funny, such as the Alfred Molina/Steve Coogan conversation
about life in L.A., Tom Waits reasoning with Iggy Pop of why
they can both smoke now that they have quit, or GZA &
RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan busting Bill Murray pretending to
be a waiter.
Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the extent of the
good and, unfortunately, what’s left is the majority
of the movie. Cate Blanchett plays a dual role in the section
entitled “Cousins” that seems to be a long wind-up
to a non-existent punch line, Roberto Benigni and Steven Wright
are similarly wasted in “Strange To Meet You”, but
in the worst of the sections, “Jack Shows Meg His Tesla
Coil”, Jack and Meg White prove that while they are kick
ass musicians, they really cannot act.
To be safe with “Coffee & Cigarettes”, I’d
definitely recommend a rental first, but if you’re an
absolute Jarmusch completist, you’ll already have this
one on your shelf.
DVD Extras
On the DVD itself, there’s not much to look at, with
only the Theatrical Trailer, and a small Image Gallery to
go through, but that’s really the extent of it. The one
thing I am grateful for is that the chapters are split to
the beginning of each segment, meaning that the next time
I pop it into my player, I can thankfully skip past all the
crap and enjoy my favourite 20 minutes of screen time.
I will give credit where it’s due however, by saying
that the film looks great in black and white (anything that
highlights Iggy Pop’s ever expanding mass of veins is
of interest to most rock 'n' roll fans) and the sound was
crisp and clear throughout, but that’s really the best
praise I can give this otherwise bare bones disc.
Conclusion: Movie 50% Extras 30%
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