Caffeine (2007)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Sadly Over-hyped

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

On first look, this movie seems appealing - the coffee house is certainly a relatable setting, and the characters all have their humorous moments of witty dialogue, however short-lived. But on the long glance, and after 89 minutes, the overall performance leaves a rather bitter aftertaste. Because, lets face it, the movie brings up nearly every socially awkward situation possible in a way that tries to make light of it all, but doesn't quite get away with it. The mentally ill grandmother who brings a shotgun into the café and then timidly asks for a cup of tea, the dumped boyfriend yelling "I have cancer" in order to avoid a beating, the lawyer who wears his fiancé's underwear while cleaning, the gay waiter who breaks into tears, the threesome with twins - it's a bit too much for this movie to carry. Maybe it's movie's self-contained nature; like a play with one main set, I half expected to see the cast of "Noises Off" to run across the screen.Katherine Heigl's performance is a bit strange here too - while she did give a better British accent than I expected she only shot off these short little lines, as if the screenwriter was worried her accent wouldn't last through a paragraph. Her comic timing is alright, but her character is hardly developed, and since she is probably the film's biggest draw right now, this seems unwise.What is most unsettling is that this movie can't seem to decide what it wants to be; a slice of neurotic 'real' life or a satire of the crazy social situations that emerge when people get coffee-ed up? Are we meant to like these characters despite their quirks - which are basically unbelievable, because in what world would all this happen in one coffee house in one day? - or think they're all nuts? But Caffeine does attempt to wrap up the ending with the very odd grandmother walking down the street with granddaughter Mena Suvari, declaring "That was a nice day." I just hope all my days aren't that nice.

When the opening scene had two 'stoned' kids explaining in clumsy exposition just how stoned they were ("I am getting anxious! I am so stoned!") I feared that this would be a waste of money, especially given the quality of the trailers on the DVD. But although it's not brilliant, it's actually quite watchable.The first thing I stated when it had finished was this wasn't really a movie per se, but more like an extended play for television. The style is very much like a theatre piece with a series of dialogues and subplots between sets of characters, leeching between groups at times. The acting was competent and the accents were quite convincing in the cases of Heigl and Suvari although no awards are likely to be won.The problem I think many people will have is that it's marketed as a "hilarious" comedy, when it's not. It's an observational piece and a study in embarrassment, more along the same lines of The Office than blatant out-and-out comedy. Although it does have wit to it, this is not a comedic film and doesn't even *feel* like an actual film, so it's liable to confuse people. I doubt if I'd watch it again, but it was entertaining while it lasted and doesn't really deserve the lambasting some of the comments have given it.

People compared this to Waiting, I beg to disagree, its most like "La cena" than any other movie, has really funny bits, and shows us different realities, and different relationships, and give us a lesson on acceptance and love. The acting is not worth of an award but if you have no further expectations, this movie is funny, witty and has this weird -yet- sweet twist at the end. I saw it because of Callum Blue who happens to be perfect as the tortured unfaithful boyfriend, you almost believe his pain, but who takes the scene is Rozz Witt's grandmother, she's just too funny for words. I thought that a movie with Mena Suvari after America Beauty wouldn't be good at all but I really liked.There are some pervy things that made me think, that someone's normal is not the standard and that's good, otherwise life would be just boring.its perfect for those days with friends or for yourself when all you need is to laugh at something that could happen to you.

This film is about the chaotic events that happen in a day in a medium-sized London cafe.Many have compared this film to "Waiting". I think this film focuses more on interpersonal relationships and emotional aspects following shocking revelations. It could have been a great film exploring such issues. However, the story is not so well written. There is too much jumping about from one character to another, making it slightly hard to follow, and decreases to coherence of the plot. It is not so much a comedy, as there are few funny moments. If it was not marketed as a comedy, then there would have been less disappointment.