Coffee and Cigarettes

Adam Lewis23 said:the genre itself shouldn't be used as the basis for an evaluation, it's just the format

Wait, hold on...

are you seriously telling me you don't count Starbucks as a full-length feature movie just because it's basically eleven short films stitched together... or what...?!?

So, I just checked out 2 of the 11 vignettes. 😁

That bit about Elvis Presley is honestly incredible. This is the kind of stuff you should be debating over beers at a local pub. Seriously—it’s probably the best, most realistic breakdown of the whole Elvis Presley death cult ever.

Then you've got that meeting between Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Man, they both deserve an Oscar for that acting. And Jarmusch? Pure genius with that script. Seeing those fragile, pretentious artist egos laid bare like that... you just don't see it much anymore.

Think of them as 11 Zen koans from Jarmusch. If they don't click for you right away—or even after the second or third pass—just come back to them five years later. You'll definitely find something new.

You shouldn't even view this thing as a movie, any more than you'd view the Bible as just another book.

dustyscout53 said:You shouldn't even look at this thing as a movie.

Honestly, I held onto that exact same idea myself—right up until the moment I actually sat down and watched it. But now? Man, I can tell you it leaves such a massive impression on you, honestly hitting harder than those various (and often totally disjointed) omnibus films out there. Once it was over, I didn't feel like I’d just watched a collection of shorts; it felt like a complete work. All those little stories and themes just sort of clicked together into this incredibly engaging, witty whole that maintains its own quirky, offbeat rhythm from start to finish. When I say it feels like a "movie," I don't mean because of how it's structured, but more because of the soul behind it—that specific sensibility that ties everything together.

vividmason5 said:So, I’m scrolling through all these posts about Jarmusch, and I honestly can't wrap my head around why most people hating on him rely on his popularity as their main argument. They keep pushing this silly idea that he's just some "instant cult director" (okay, fine, when I was a kid I saw some random movie on TV about five taxi drivers in five different cities—and yeah, I was instantly hooked!).
Anyway, I finally sat down last night and watched the full Coffee and Cigarettes since I'd only ever seen those first three little snippets. And man, I experienced such a rare mix of bliss, awkwardness, and total relaxation... I don't even know how to put it into words, but it just happens after watching his stuff. Between sips of coffee and puffs of smoke, all these weird and wonderful people just chat about visiting the dentist, an Elvis-like evil twin, or Nikola Tesla... (except for Rene, there's this Nikita looking through a weapons catalog). What really blew me away is that this actually works as a "real" feature film.
Oh yeah, that huge 🙏 episode with Molina. A total slap in the face to all those arrogant, easily swayed snobs. Maybe there will be fewer of them in the future... it's nice to see what a real H.U.M.A.N. looks like. 😎

we are totally on the same wavelength 🙏
that Molina segment was phenomenal, I watched it three times in a row! 😬
Murray had me laughing until I cried, and that episode with Iggy and the one with the two guys at the end are absolute classics 😍
I love Jarmusch because he makes movies about actual people. I'd recommend them to everyone.

1. This isn't even really a movie; it feels more like twenty-five disconnected sketches strung together. Honestly, the film is just bad. After sitting through it—mostly playing around with different playback speeds to see if that helped—and then actually reading the blurb on the back of the DVD case, I can say that while critics might give it a 2/10, without any second thoughts, it’s a solid 1/10 for me.

dustyscout53 said:You shouldn't even view this movie as a film, just like you wouldn't look at the Bible and see it merely as a book.

Well, judge for yourself.😉

Personally, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Some segments were absolutely brilliant, while others felt a little thin, but as a cohesive piece, it holds up pretty well.🙂
I guess I'm not the only one who found that sequence with Molina incredibly compelling. The setup was solid, though things dragged a bit for me in the middle—I had a different vision for the ending, can't quite recall what it was, but I felt like it was heading toward some sort of aimless drift—and then🤣

The episode with the retirees is one of my three least favorites—alongside the one with those two Frenchmen and the lady reading about lung health. Those three were just meh, while the rest are absolute masterpieces. Honestly, I was just holding on for that specific scene where Coogan offers Molina a cigarette, starts to light it, and he just sets it on the table and says, 'I'll save it for later.' 🤣🤣 🤣🤣 That part was legendary to me 🙏

The twins episode is definitely the strongest, as is the one featuring RZA, GZA, and Murray. 🙏 The first one is alright, but I just can't stand seeing Benigni 🙂 so that gets a minus from me. Jack and Meg are incredibly cute—they turned out great, almost like little kids. 😍 Iggy is a genius, whereas Waits isn't even worth mentioning. 😕

So there you have it—half past midnight, sipping some coffee and having a cigarette while listening to GZA. 🙂

steelstag4 said:(I had a different vision for the ending—can't quite remember which one—but it felt like things were just going to drift off into some random nonsense) and then 🤣

For me, it happened during that scene where Coogan hears Molina talking to Spike—I really got the impression he was going to break down, admit he was totally corrupt, say he was sorry, and then Spike would just forgive him and all that 😱 I actually thought to myself, "Man, there's no way it ends that cheap." Thank God it wasn't 😁

By the way, this movie is basically the ultimate commercial for smoking 😍

God forbid they actually pass a ban on smoking in bars 😠

Jose Chase2 said:God forbid they ever ban smoking in our local pubs...😠

Don't tempt fate!
😱 😱

The stories involving Iggy Pop and Tom Waits—along with Murray and the Wu-Tang Clan, or even Molina—are absolutely stellar... the rest just don't quite hit the mark.

killer little flick

it’s got that classic, minimal, Jim Jarmusch-style brilliance... and man, the chemistry between the characters? That's what real acting looks like. Honestly, forget those "method actors" and all that other stuff...

oh, and I think I've decided—I want to be Tom Waits when I grow up

anyway, I'm gonna go light one up 🙂

quietdriver3 said:killer little flick

just that typical Jarmusch-like minimalist brilliance... plus the chemistry between the characters? man, that's actual acting—forget those "method actors" and all that other nonsense...

oh yeah, I've decided—I wanna be Tom Waits when I grow up

anyway, gonna go light one up 🙂

There's a Tom Waits biography coming out soon, being translated by some total amateur. 😘 just an amateur. 😍

Looks awesome though, absolutely loaded with his stories. The author didn't try too hard to bore us with himself, he just let Waits talk about Waits through his own anecdotes. Total treat. 😍 👍

dustyscout53 said:The author didn't really try to bore us by talking about himself; instead, he just let Tom Waits talk about Tom Waits through all those little anecdotes.

man, even a bad translation of some chicken wouldn't be this bad🙏 🙏 🙏

alright, great, can't wait👍

Just another forum troll looking for attention, if I had to guess.. hmm

The movie itself didn't really do much for me, aside from a few standout moments.

Anyone know which Tom Waits biography we're talking about? Who actually wrote it?

The film is pure chaos. It’s incredible from start to finish. Tom Waits and Iggy Pop take center stage, and Molina delivers a career-defining performance.

It’s kind of like what R. Benigan used to say: "Very good, I don't understand anything at all." 🙂

Steven said:I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit let down. 😢 I honestly had no idea what to expect, so I just went in blind. After watching it, I have to say, I’m not quite sold on the whole "genius" or "cult classic" hype surrounding D.J. Much of it felt a bit overrated to me. That being said, *Dead Man* easily ranks in my all-time top five films. As for everything else? It was just okay.

Honestly, you guys are being silly. What are you even supposed to do when you aren't drinking Coffee and Cigarettes?

passenger1987 said:Idiots. If you don't even drink coffee.

😂

Personally, I thought the movie was great... 🙂