Coffee and Cigarettes, anyone?

Those unfamiliar with Jim Jarmusch might not get it. Those who are probably still won't get it. But that's okay because the collection of vignettes in Coffee and Cigarettes are pretty funny anyway.

Coffee and Cigarettes is a series of short films in black and white involving two or more people drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. The cast of characters includes Rza and Gza (of the Wu Tang Clan), Iggy Pop, Bill Murray and a whole slew of other famous names. Settings range from greasy spoon diners to the lobby of a fancy hotel. Really, the only thing uniting these films is the theme of coffee, cigarettes and the things in life that drive people toward them.

There are minor themes that pop up a few times, such as addiction, estrangement and Nikola Tesla (responsible for AC current and other inventions), who believed the world is a conductor of acoustical resonance. In fact, the Tesla coil that Jack White (of the White Stripes) brings in on a little red wagon is the best part of the entire movie–and all that that implies about the quality of the rest of the movie. Bill Murray drinking straight out of a coffee pot comes in close second.

The humor in these films is fairly specific. They are for those who drink coffee but know they shouldn't, who smoke although it's a terrible habit and who think that, like everything else in this crazy, messed-up world, coffee and cigarettes make sense.

Every degree removed from that mindset makes the film that much less funny. Tom Waits and Iggy Pop pass an awkward conversation in a tacky diner drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes because cigarettes and coffee and just such a good combination-–even though they've both quit. Joe Rigano rails on Vinny Vella for smoking cancer-causing cigarettes while they both drink coffee, which isn't exactly healthy.

Some skits play on awkward and random situations, like meeting a cousin ten times removed or a waiter's crackpot theory about Elvis Presley's evil twin. Others rely on previous dialogues, like the repeated idea of caffeine popsicles. That kind of humor can strike a chord or miss by a mile; it all depends on your frame of mind.

Coffee and Cigarettes is rated R for language. It runs 96 minutes and is playing only at the E Street Cinema.