And the best segments are...
OK, so will all agree that the best segments are "Cousins" and "Cousins?", right?
shareThe ones I liked best were the ones that weren't trying too hard to be funny:
1. Cate Blanchett as cousins in the hotel lounge. It perfectly captures the way that people who grew up together but have taken radically different paths in life have can difficulty communicating. But it's really touching the way they cherish and value each other, they're not really judgemental or envious. There's awkwardness, but the love cuts through the awkwardness. And they genuinely had me fooled - I didn't realise it was the same actress until the credits.
2. No Problem. Takes a familiar theme - people who say they're alright when they're not - and takes it to a sort of absurd extreme. I like the ambiguity - you can't tell whether Isaach de B's repeated questioning was friendly concern or neurotic control-freakery. Acting and delivery of lines was spot on.
3. Tesla Coil. Maybe just because it's just such a bizarre and random thing to do, bringing a Tesla coil into a coffee shop, but I like the interaction between him, Meg and the waiter.
I agree with you that Blanchett + Blanchett are number one. There's more focus there than in any of the other scenic gestures. The performances by Cate Blanchett are also so good; a masterclass in acting. It does a great job of never giving us an easy relationship, either.
My next choice would be Cousins? with Coogan and Molina. This one is filled with great moments and some interesting table-turning. It's also a symphony of awkward comedy.
Third choice for me, Delirium with Bill Murray and the Wu Tang Clang. It's gleefully tongue-in-cheek (they *always* call him by his full name, "Bill Murray") It's an unexpected bit of comic delight.
Next, I'd probably put the "oddball" segments. Somewhere in California and Tesla Coil. You're right: Tesla Coil embraces strangeness in a great way. It's both over-the-top (all three characters - including the random cafe waiter - casually riffing on the intricacies of troubleshooting the components in a Tesla coil) and understated. I think it's a little smoother than Waits and Iggy Pop, which feels a bit stilted sometimes.
Renee is number six for me. Something about it is intriguing and almost tragic - the guy keeps trying to strike up a conversation. The fact that Renee is flipping through a gun magazine is weird, fun, and interesting, too.
Next, I'll go with Champagne. The two workin' Joes on break is kinda neat. I liked it. I don't entirely know why.
I'll slot in No Problems next. You're right: the ambiguity is neat. But I sort of forget about it. It's not as interesting to me.
Ninth place goes to the fun, but not quite as fun, segment Twins. There was something great about the way the twins interacted and told lies and half-truths. I didn't care as much about the "twin Elvis" theory part. There were also a lot of amusing (and I assume deliberate continuity errors.
At number ten, Wright and Benigni. They're quirky and funny, but they almost seem to be improvising and not always in a good way. They also - improv or planned - never seem to figure out how to best utilize Benigni's fantastic physical prowess and Wright's understated, quirky, non-sequitur style, let alone have them compliment each other. This clash sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, but it's a very uneven segment.
Finally, yeah, the two Italian guys and the kid who just doesn't speak for no good reason. This one rambles around, can't find its way, loops back on itself, and kinda runs out of ideas before it's half-way done. It's not a great segment.