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Dom Robinson reviews
Blackhorse Entertainment
- Cert:
- Cat.no: BHE018DVD
- Running time: 89 minutes
- Year: 2005
- Pressing: 2007
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 18 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £12.99
- Extras:None
Director:- John Cosgrove
(Caffeine, TV: Crimes of Passion, Unsolved Mysteries)
Producers:
- John Cosgrove and Jo Levi Disante
Screenplay:
- Dean Craig
Music:
- David Kitay
Cast:
- Rachel: Marsha Thomason
Charlie: Callum Blue
Vanessa: Menu Suvari
Dylan: Breckin Meyer
Tom: Mark Pellegrino
Laura: Katherine Heigl
Mike: Andrew Lee Potts
Danny: Mike Vogel
Gloria: Sonya Walger
Mark: Orlando Seale
Lucy: Roz Witt
John: Andrew Ableson
David: Mark Dymond
Angela: Jules Leyser
Steve: Daz Crawford
Tarty Girl #1: Nikki Collins
Tarty Girl #2: Teena Collins
Annoying Lady: Paula J Newman
Dude: Hal Ozsan
Stephanie: Jennifer Sciole
Sean: Steve Humphreys
Mr Davies: Neil Dickson
Caffeineis a comedy set in the Black Cat Cafe, which I can only imagine is meant to be in Soho, London, given thesight of a Congestion Charge symbol at one point when a character goes out to their car, and the sound ofBig Ben in the background of another scene. That said, according to theInternet Movie Database,it was filmed in Los Angeles, with a cast that includes some British actors as well as American ones,some of whom are putting on British accents, for no particular reason.
The film begins with the rather amusing relationship problems between Rachel (Marsha Thomason, below-right) andCharlie (Callum Blue), since he blabbed to her about him having a threesome with two identical twins,who show up later in the film in a hallucination a la Scrubs (bottom-right). She kicks him out of herlife and the cafe where he fulfils the crucial role of chef. As the place gets more and more busy later on,you just know how this will resolve itself, but suspense isn’t where this film is at – that comes from thewell-crafted script and some wonderful acting.
One of the UK’s rising stars isPopcorn‘s Andrew Lee Potts (right)as Mike, who, with Danny (Mike Vogel) are a couple of stoners just trying to make it through the lunchtime,let alone work out what they want to do with their lives and they’re just about to meet Vanessa’s grandma, who’sseemingly suffering from dementia, but she’s hiding a very dark secret that I don’t want to spoil here as itwas hilarious. Vanessa is played byAmerican Pie‘s Mena Suvari (top-right)who is simply hotter than the sun.
The basis of the story, such that it is, is that Rachel has applied for a job as the manager of a hotel she’salways wanted to work at and the owner is on his way down to see how she performs at the cafe, but he couldn’thave picked a worse day to come. Even if she does get the job, can she break out and fulfil a life-long dreamor will she crumble and stay loyal to the place where she’s come to spend a lot of time with a group of staffwho have become firm friends?
The remaining staff not yet discussed are Tom, temporarily standing in as chef, played by Mark Pellegrinowho took the role as Rita’s thuggish ex-husband in the superb drama series Dexter, starring Michael C.Hall, which at the time of posting this review is currently showing on FX in the UK, while the US gets to seeseason 2 from September 30th. The other member is Dylan (Breckin Meyer), an aspiring author, but a manwhose hard work has yet to pay off and he may only be able to escape the drudgery of the cafe if the publishertaking a look at his opus will give the thumbs up to his agent, and if that agent will actually phone Dylanback!
Elsewhere, when it comes to the customers, Gloria (Sonya Walger) is mistaken for a porn actress andwhen her boyfriend, Mark (Orlando Seale), learns of this suggestion he flips out. Insecure Laura(Katherine Heigl) is on a blind date with wide boy Steve (Daz Crawford), not knowing that herex, Mike, is in the vicinity and he’s still extremely upset about their break-up even if she isn’t. John(Andrew Ableson) is a businessman who accidentally exposed himself to a minor and needs his lawyerfriend David (Mark Dymond) to help him out with an alibi, but he’s got secrets of his own that comeout even though he didn’t want to share them and when his wife, Angela (Jules Leyser), finds out, shewon’t be too pleased.
Caffeine is a brilliant little comedy in which, compared to the grand scheme of things, nothingof any real importance happens except in the lives of the characters that visit the cafe one lunchtime. We seehow they blend and interact as they wait to get served and then wait some more for their food and, overall,this comes across like one of those excellent BBC3 one-room sitcoms like The Visit and The SmokingRoom. Well-recommended for a great evening in.
I can only presume that the presentation of the promo DVD that arrived won’t be the same as the finishedproduct in the shops. Apart from the film having no menu, no subtitles, no extras and not even beingpresented in anamorphic widescreen (only letterbox?!), the chaptering has been stuck in at bizarreapproximately-five-minute intervals, sometimes before the five-minute marker and sometimes afterwards,being placed with all the care and dexterity of a two-year-old.
Blackhorse, please, I implore you, if you’re going to send out promo discs to PR companies to forwardto reviewers, the reviewers need to see the DVD as it will appear in the shops – that means menus, extras,subtitles, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and anamorphic widescreen. Nothing less will do.
PICTURE QUALITY
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.