Any release by the non-prolific and idiosyncratic American director, Jim Jarmusch should always be cause for celebration, even when it is as uneven as " Coffee and Cigarettes."

Jarmusch is one of the most creative and distinctive voices in the American cinematic landscape. All of his works are unique, different from each other, and worth seeing. "Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai," "Down by Law," and " Strangers in Paradise" all flirt with greatness.

But Jarmusch’s mystical anti-western masterpiece, "Dead Man," is one of the most poetic and oddly brilliant films of the ‘90s. "The Chicago Reader" critic Jonathan Rosenbaum thought so highly of it that he devoted a whole book to it entitled "Dead Man."

"Coffee and Cigarettes" never hits those lofty heights, but parts of it are undeniably compelling. The film is made up of a series of vignettes or short films that were all shot over a 10-year period.

The first one (an exchange between Roberto Benigni and Stephen Wright) was originally shown on "Saturday Night Live."

Most of the stars basically play themselves and the conversations are all partially scripted. However, Jarmusch would sometimes order the actors to stop using the script and improvise on film. The improvised films that worked the best were used in the film.

Each one features at least one to three celebrities talking over coffee and cigarettes. The results range from superb to maddeningly annoying. Sometimes the least known personalities engage in the best conversations.

One highlight is the terrific discussion between Alfred Molina (starring as Dr. Octopus in this summer’s "Spiderman II," and Steve Coogen of "24 Hour Party People"). Molina supposedly sets up the meeting to announce that he did a family tree, and found that Coogen is his cousin. His secret agenda is that he wants to work with Coogen.

The two men don’t click well and it’s clear that the indy film star Coogen doesn’t look down on Molina for doing a sitcom. However, when Coogen finds out that Molina has some heavy-duty Hollywood connections the whole power structure in the conversation is reversed. The short film is a great study in the psychology of showbiz power dynamics.

Also outstanding is "Cousins," in which Kate Blanchett meets up with her cousin Shelly, and the two couldn’t differ more. Shelly has a thick working class Aussie accent, and she often makes flip, thoughtless comments that she will later regret. In contrast, Kate’s accent is harder to place, and she comes off as refined, elegant and well mannered. The two play off each other well and are perfect foils. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I noticed in the end credits that Kate Blanchett played them both.

Some of the other vignettes (especially the ones involving Jack and Meg White of the White Stripes, and two of the Wu-Tan Clan members and Bill Murray) are nearly as entertaining.

However, the conversations between Vinny Vella and his son, Vinny Vella Jr., and Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, are extremely tedious. Pop does provide some great songs on the soundtrack, both alone and with the other Stooges.

Most of the conversations in the film are not as intellectual or profound as the ones in "Waking Life" or "My Dinner with Andre." However, some of the exchanges work well, and the film includes enough good stuff to make it worth seeing.