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One drug dealer's tale'Blow': Funny, but nothing to snort at
(CNN) -- "Blow" is an oddly chintzy re-imagining of Martin Scorsese's dangerous-but-funny criminal vibe. It follows the exploits of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a real-life drug smuggler who apparently was incapable of recognizing a dead-end when he saw one. The screenplay (by David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes, based on a book by Bruce Porter) isn't much to talk about, as George smuggles drugs and gets busted so many different times. You're finally drained by the deja vu of it all. Still, director Ted Demme's movie is fun to watch. There are laugh-out-loud interludes, and some of Depp's stunned reaction shots are priceless. Nice guy, bad productJung is portrayed as a likeable, rather lazy guy who starts smuggling pot in the late 1960s, then graduates to the far more dangerous world of cocaine in the next decade. Depp, the most ambitious actor in American movies, delivers his usual knockout performance, even though he's forced to wear a series of ridiculous wigs and an obvious strap-on beer gut as the years take their toll. (His look changes over the course of the picture from relatively clean-cut Brian Wilson to extremely wasted Gregg Allman). Unfortunately, the script doesn't allow the character a gradual transformation; there isn't any growth, just a presto-magic conversion. The first 30 minutes, in particular, seem like outtakes from a special edition "Goodfellas" DVD. There's a brief prologue outlining George's troubled childhood, and it's full of dry commentary from Depp that sounds exactly like Ray Liotta's narration of the same circumstances in Scorsese's movie. Then, when George's dad shows up, he's played by (drum roll please) Ray Liotta. Tack on the period pop tunes that fill the soundtrack -- and the sudden, unexpected freeze frames that interrupt the footage -- and it's apparent that Demme is operating more on enthusiasm than invention. His VCR should have been credited as a consultant. George moves to California in 1969, looking for nothing more than sun and fun, but soon discovers a burgeoning marijuana market. It's not long before he teams up with a local hairdresser/pot dealer (Paul Reubens, in a flouncy, one-note performance). The two smuggle pounds of grass to the East Coast, where it's sold to college students in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. George's flight-attendant girlfriend (Franka Potente) carries the goods in her suitcase until business explodes and heftier deliveries are necessary.
Big money, fast timesSuddenly, George is rolling in money, though not as much money as he'll be collecting once he does a stretch in prison. There, he learns the ins and outs of the cocaine trade, via a knowledgeable cellmate named Diego Delgado (Jordi Molla). As George says upon his release, he "went in with a bachelor in marijuana, and came out with a doctorate in cocaine." It typifies the script's weaknesses that George's pivotal first bust happens off-screen; there's so much ground to cover, Demme just hits and runs. Seemingly important characters disappear with little fanfare, and it's difficult to follow the time frame. George and his friends are involved in something of an ongoing party, albeit one laced with dangerous drug deals, and it all starts to run together. The film moves swiftly, and sometimes humorously, but with very little purpose. Things shift from amusement to nastiness, then from prison to release. Then it starts all over again. And then it starts all over again again. One hilarious scene shows George and his cohorts trying to find a place to stack another $3 million in cash, in a house that's literally piled to the ceiling with boxes full of money. Eventually, he parlays his windfall into a gorgeous Colombian wife (Penelope Cruz), extremely scary connections, and enough luxury items to choke Leona Helmsley. Sympathetic figure?Cruz is a talented actress who never gets to do much more than bounce around like a sexy Ping-Pong ball in her American movies. Aside from one effective moment where she goes ballistic on George while he's trying to drive down the highway, she's pretty much wasted again. Don't trust newspaper ads listing her name above the title; she's basically a second banana waiting to be peeled. There's simply too much "been there, done that" involved for this to be a truly effective film. You also have to question Demme's stance on Jung's highly questionable activities. In the press notes, Jung is quoted as wondering whether the reason for the cocaine boom was his having "the courage to be bad" or "millions of Americans not having the courage to be good." The script is careful to make George seem like a relatively benign presence in an ugly situation, and Demme ends the film with a shot of the real Jung staring soulfully into the camera as a graphic informs us of some tragic circumstances in his private life. There may be a lot of kidding in "Blow," but Demme is kidding himself if he thinks audiences will feel sorry for this guy. "Blow" is, of course, loaded with Cheech-and-Chong-level drug use. There's the usual profanity and a bit of sex, but the violence is commendably treated as horrifying. There's no Quentin Tarantino-style snickering. Rated R. 120 minutes. Look for Bobcat Goldthwait, almost unrecognizable as a guy who's testing some high-octane coke. RELATED STORIES: Johnny Depp: Living unconventionally is magnifique RELATED SITE:
'Blow' - official site |
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