BLOW

Ted Demme’s Blow is a film so utterly lacking any originality or individual voice, it’s  amazing that I’m giving it a positive review. A decade-spanning story of George Jung, a man responsible for introducing Columbian cocaine to the US, Blow is a virtual homage to Scorsese’s Goodfellas and, to a lesser extent, PT Anderson’s Boogie Nights. Of course, “homage” could also mean “rip-off”… and that’s what Blow feels like for the majority of it’s 2 plus hours.

            Johnny Depp is good as George, but frankly I could think of 5 or 6 young actors who would have been just as good. Why? Mainly because George doesn’t quite have a character per se. He’s a man completely lacking in any morals, who simply takes advantage of his circumstances to become the drug kingpin of the ‘70s. This lack of morality is also the main feature of the film’s viewpoint. In fact, any character who’s in any way judgmental of George’s lifestyle is shown as an evil hypocrite. Don’t get me wrong: we’ve all seen too many of these clichéd turkeys in which all the drug dealers are scummy thugs and everybody who tries a line or two ends up face down in the gutter. That’s a crock of shit. But Blow’s lack of opposing viewpoints limits it intellectually and makes is so much less than the films it so desperately tries to emulate. That’s too bad since the subject matter is so damn interesting. Unfortunately Blow doesn’t even deal with the mechanics of its subject matter. Unlike Goodfellas, which gave us a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day workings of the Mob, Blow tells us virtually nothing new about the details of the drug trade. There’s almost a feeling that drugs sell themselves, as though people aren’t even in the equation. All of the film’s focus is devoted to George’s self-centered pursuit of wealth and happiness.

            Yet, somehow Blow manages to pull off being a pretty enjoyable film. All the performances are strong, especially Ray Liotta as George’s existentialist father. And as George’s life spirals further and further down the toilet, the emotional blows the character takes are quite effective. Demme brings a lot of energy to the proceedings, but the screenplay is a bit weak. The film moves to its inevitable resolution without providing any surprises. I’d even say that many plot points are telegraphed in ways that are almost amateurish. And the predictable classic rock soundtrack is, well… predictable.  Blow looks good, it sounds good, but its complete lack of originality keeps it from being a good film. If you set your expectations low enough, you might enjoy it anyway.