Coffee and Cigarettes

I first heard of Jim Jarmusch sarcastically, as a throwaway line in one of my less favorite MST3K episodes, Tom Servo noting that a crappy sci-fi film had taken a "distinctly Jarmuschian turn." I had no idea what that meant at the time, but found out later.


My next encounter was reading about the film Coffee and Cigarettes, because someone in one of the slick music mags thought it absolutely adorable that Meg and Jack White of the White Stripes had a scene in it. I was seriously geeked on the White Stripes at the time (still am, truth be told), so I read all about it, sure that I'd never get a chance to actually see the movie.


That'll learn me.


The problem was, I'd become used to the Blair's Video next to the Food Lion I shop at having jack squat for movies. When I returned my copies of Dead Again (Branagh showing remarkable restraint until the cornball final scene), Mulholland Drive (Lynch getting wierd, then wierder, then slap-your-head bizarre), and Repo Man (Alex Cox' inability to sustain a narrative passed off as absurdism, but with a killer soundtrack), I spotted the film, and looked over the cast list, saw the words "Stephen Wright," "Iggy Pop," and "Tom Waits," and proceeded, tremblingly, towards the counter, where I valiantly withstood the clerk's attempt to sign me up for their monthly program.


So there I was, getting off on the Jarmuschian (at last! I get to use that word and not be a poseur!) minimalism whilst my steak cooked, knowing full well that Meg and Jack's scene wouldn't surprise me at all when it showed up. I knew the conversation would be about Tesla and Tesla coils, and that Meg would make a lame joke.


Fool that I was, to doubt the Jarmuschian (hmmm...better backpedal on that term a bit) genius. The scene rocked. Jack was geeky and Meg was coooooool. I laughed, I cried, it was better than Alien 4.


Rest of it was good, too, for being such a simple premise: 11 conversations centering on coffee and cigarettes, all with famous and semi-famous people trying their damndest to be "normal". It wasn't an earth-shattering experience, but I enjoyed the mellow vibe being turned out. I give it two thumbs up. Fine family fun.