Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

Cate Blanchett as: Cate (Herself)/Shelly

Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Selected Cast: Bill Murray, Steve Buscemi, Roberto Benigni, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, Colin Farrell
Written by: Jim Jarmusch
Release Year: 2003
Genre: Comedy / Music / Drama
MPAA Rating: R

IMDb | Photos | Videos

A comic series of short vignettes built on one another to create a cumulative effect, as the characters discuss things as diverse as caffeine popsicles, Paris in the ’20s, and the use of nicotine as an insecticide–all the while sitting around sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes. As director Jim Jarmusch delves into the normal pace of our world from an extraordinary angle, he shows just how absorbing the obsessions, joys and addictions of life can be, if truly observed.

Cousins
Cate Blanchett plays herself and a fictional and non-famous cousin named Shelly, whom she meets over some coffee in the lounge of a hotel. There is no smoking in the lounge, as the waiter informs Shelly (but not until Cate is gone). Shelly tells Cate about her boyfriend, Lee, who is in a band. She describes the music style as hard industrial, similar to the band Iggy describes. Cate tells Shelly she looks forward to meeting “Lou” someday. Cate is made to feel awkward and uncomfortable by Shelly’s constant envious remarks about how she perceives Cate’s life and attitude.

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Behind the scenes; Still

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Quotes from Others

Jim Jarmusch:
— “Cate Blanchett is a movie star, but that’s not what she’s like. She’s sort of amping up that character to contrast with the other character she’s also playing.”

Trivia & Facts

Filmed in USA.
Cate Blanchett was a runner-up for Best Supporting Actress at both Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards and National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) Awards, shared with her performance as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004) more accolades here.
The film was made over a 17-year period.
The film premiered Out of Competition at the 60th Venice Film Festival on 5 September 2003.
The segment ‘Cousins’ with Cate Blanchett where she plays herself and her fictional cousin, Shelly, was filmed in two days to give her time to transform her appearance and character.
Cate Blanchett and Jim Jarmusch reunites in Father, Mother, Sister, Brother (2025).
Jim Jarmusch usually took no more than two to three takes for each scene in this film, in which most actors improvised parts of the conversation.