Over a cup of coffee, a father (Kenny Pedini) and daughter (Sarah Nadeau) hash out a misunderstanding regarding the daughter’s vocation. While the daughter has been away at school, studying to work as a horticulturist, dear old Dad has been telling everyone his daughter is working as a w***e. Dry hilarity ensues as daughter tries to set her father straight.
Peter Blackmann’s short film, A Cup of Coffee, feels less like a complete short film than it does a singular scene. It is just a conversation at a table, after all, and save for some stylistic lighting, it doesn’t play up the experimental vibe much either. Maybe it’s an attempt at continuing what Jim Jarmusch started with his Coffee and Cigarettes vignettes. Or maybe it’s to be used as an example of the filmmaker’s writing and directorial style, as a short reel more than a story.
Which is all more than acceptable. It’s not like this is a film that tries to be anything that it isn’t. As that singular scene, it plays through the humor of its conversation and then ends. It doesn’t prolong things, and is out under three minutes. Had this meandered and done little more than it does, we’d be deducting points right now.
Is it entertaining? Yes, the conversation is funny, even if the joke does get slightly repetitious. Not too much, though; again, this is out quick enough so that it doesn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth. The question is, what impression does it leave?
It’s a funny conversation. It doesn’t make me think the actors are master thespians or the writer a clever genius in the shadows. The sound isn’t the greatest, but it’s not terribly distracting. It works, and I’d watch more if the filmmakers involved made something like a more traditional narrative. Overall, though, it felt like a random scene devoid of a larger context, and is as easily forgotten as such. Not bad, just not something to write home about.
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