Coffee and Cigarettes

The world of independent cinema has tossed up the rather odd Coffee and Cigarettes, the brainchild of director Jim Jarmusch, which has taken more than 17 years to produce.

The director's celebrity connections have allowed him to field an impressive array of household names in this selection of 11 black and white short stories.

Star names waxing lyrical over a cup of java include Jack and Meg White, Iggy Pop, Bill Murray, Steve Coogan, Alfred Molina, Roberto Benigni and the Wu Tang Clan's RZA and GZA who all appear in a series of everyday vignettes set around the simple pleasure of consuming caffeine and nicotine.

Following its world premiere in Venice and a subsequent sold-out screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, Coffee And Cigarettes provides short glimpses of life with the characters discussing subjects as diverse as caffeine popsicles and the use of nicotine as an insecticide. But is the kudos that immediately shrouds an indie film justified in this case?

Movie stalwart Steve Buscemi puts forward his Elvis theories to evil twins played by Spike Lee's siblings, Joie and Cinque, Tom Waits extols the virtues of smoking to Iggy Pop, while Jack White impresses his sister with his Nikola Tesla knowledge.

The scene Cousins, with Cate Blanchett in a dual role as both herself and the jealous relative Shelley is the biggest disappointment of the picture. Blanchett's attempt to satirise her own movie star lifestyle is more irritating than incandescent.

However, one of the most intriguing moments of the film is found when, playing themselves in Hollywood, Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan discover they might be cousins.

The starstruck Molina insists to his new-found relative this is a sign the two should work together, although a less enthusiastic Coogan steers clear until an unexpected event forces him to make contact.

While the Coogan/Molina scene fails to display the masterful awkward comedy of television productions such as Curb Your Enthusiasm or The Office, there is enough to warrant genuine laughter.

In addition, two relatively unknown French actors, Isaach de Bankole and Alex Descas, excel in the story No Problem, an intense scene focusing on mistrust between two friends.

However, although most of the scenes are entertaining enough, one can't help being left with a sense that this film could have been so much more compelling.

As with some of Jarmusch's earlier work, notably Dead Man, Coffee And Cigarettes is an often slow-moving and pretentious piece of cinema.

While characterisation and individual performances excel, the film never seems to get going and is very much an interesting concept inadequately executed.