It's been a while since someone actually gave smokers anything but grief. Grouped with the insane and contagious, we've been pushed to the margins of society, outcast despite the fact that we contribute so much to the welfare of this country. We may end up dying prematurely, but the coffin nails that we buy every day end up building the roads and the schools and paying for lawyers' kids to become lawyers who will end up further profiting from our habit.
Sure, Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes is about more than our precious habit. Plenty of non-smokers will love this movie. After all, where else will one see a filmed conversation between Tom Waits and Iggy Pop? Or Jack White discussing Tesla with Meg? Coffee fans will probably claim this movie as their own. Caffeine deserves a break, too, but every once in a while, researchers find something positive about coffee.
More than anything, this movie will make you miss the days of sitting in a cafe, ordering a cup of joe while reaching for the ashtray. I guess the black and white film reminds us that the anti-tobacco nuts have had their way. They try to separate us from others, from our food, from our drinks, from cigarettes. Discussing ideas or everyday life is hard to do from the curb while people are walking by shaking heads in disgust. Gone are the days of a bowl of cigarettes on the coffee table. In time, even the coffee may be removed from the table.
No one has to remind me that my habit is filthy, that I stink up the elevator after my smoke break, that food--even coffee--will taste better if I quit. One day I will. Until then, I'll enjoy my Camel Light from the comfort of my secret hiding place.
By the way, my main complaint about the movie is that it made me want to smoke. An hour and a half of watching others smoking will do that to you. Be warned those of you who have serious nicotine habits: wait for the DVD or you might find yourself biting off all of your nails after fifteen minutes.
i was never really hassled by non smokers until my current job. although i can do without most days, if i'm gonna smoke then damnit i'm gonna smoke. fuck the non smokers and the people that don't like my dog in their yard even though i pick up after. same fackin types. long live the black lung!
Posted by: lucina | May 25, 2004 at 04:44 PM
Fack em. I thought people in N.C. were a bit more tolerant of smokers who leave poop in their neighbor's yard.
Posted by: Jeff | May 25, 2004 at 09:01 PM
free country isnt it?? we all have a choice
Posted by: hypnosis downloads | November 29, 2010 at 05:07 PM