Film Reviews

Coffee and Cigarettes

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Alfred Molina
• Details: US/ 96 mins/ (15).

A project some 17 years in the making, Coffee and Cigarettes is a selection of shorts which director Jim Jarmusch has been making on and off over the years. As the title suggests, the film's 10 short vignettes see two, often famous, people having a chat over a coffee and a smoke, with the participants including the likes of Robert Benigni and Steven Wright; Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan.
Artfully shot in minimalist black and white, Coffee and Cigarettes is an undeniably handsome film, yet it lacks consistency. Although it's clear that Jarmusch is trying to establish a mood and an ambiance rather than a structured film, several of the shorts simply don't work at all, quickly running out of ideas and outstaying their welcome. Those that do, however, are excellent - Tom Waits and Iggy Pop's uncomfortable meeting is probably the pick of the bunch, with Waits in particular showing a gift for deadpan comedy. Cate Blanchett is also superb playing herself and a fictional jealous cousin, while Bill Murray goes for comedy gold as he deals with two herbal tea-drinking members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Review by Garreth Murphy