DVD Reviews

Coffee And Cigarettes

I’ve always had difficulty sitting through a Jim Jarmusch film. Not because they’re bad. They’re always filled with inspired casting, charming stories, and a solid dose of rock and roll. The problem is, Jarmusch’s films are just so damn slow and quiet. Not to sound like a philistine, but they’re difficult to watch if you’re at all drowsy. For example, at the video store I work at, the overwhelming majority of the people who rent 1986’s Down By Law tell me that they fell asleep trying to watch it. They also say they loved it.

So, was Coffee and Cigarettes, more than a decade in the making, another brilliant snoozer? Yes and no. Yes because the film has no plot. Rather, it’s a series of short two or three person scenes in which characters sit down over (obviously) coffee and cigarettes. Now, Jarmusch is no slouch; he did find ways to connect the scenes by repeating pieces of dialogue with different characters. While the scenes are well varied in their characters, cast, and tone, they are, ultimately, two hours worth of conversation. As in his other films, Jarmusch loaded Coffee and Cigarettes with non-actors, celebrities, and rock stars. In this case, the list includes Stephen Wright, Roberto Benigni, Cate Blanchett, Jack and Meg White, Alfred Molina, Steve Coogan, and many others.

The real Jarmusch test is this: did I fall asleep and have to watch the movie again? No I did not. In fact, I watched Coffee and Cigarettes three times over two days. Not all at once, mind you, but a few scenes here and there when I had some time to kill. After seeing it through once I found I took in Coffee and Cigarettes more like a CD than a film. I put it on while I was eating lunch, replaying my favourite scenes. Sometimes I couldn’t get enough of Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. When I wanted something a softer, I played the last scene with William Rice and Taylor Mead as old janitors on their coffee break. Rather than knocking me out, Coffee and Cigarettes stimulated and quickly addicted me.

Since these scenes were collected over a span of twelve years, they were captured using various levels of technology. So, the Roberto Benigni, Stephen Wright scene is looks a little rougher than the scene with Bill Murray, GZA, and RZA. They are also all in black and white. The discrepancies aren’t glaring, though, and the digital transfer is just fine. More than most DVDs I recommend owning Coffee and Cigarettes. Like its namesake, this film can be an acquired taste, but very quickly you’ll find you can’t give it up.

Review By Evan Dickson