Movies about Christmas Miracles are a dime-a-dozen and go back to the early days of cinema with the perennial classic It's a Wonderful Life. However, Christmas Miracles normally come in the form of angels, Santa Clause or some other bubble gum fairy tale ending. Powder Blue adds a dash of cocaine and injects prostitution, suicide and strip clubs into the concept creating an interesting hybrid. This is the crack cocaine version of Christmas happy endings.
Powder Blue takes an ensemble cast and runs several concurrent stories together, with some of the stories converging. It breaks down into two separate plots tied together by a common theme. Whether that theme is redemption, miracles or simply love it open to interpretation. The characters are a bit one-dimensional but the plot is not always predictable. The concept was intriguing but could have been improved upon. The dialogue was acceptable...not completely unique but not hackneyed either. Writer/Director Timothy Linh Bui did an excellent job conceptually but struggled with depth and continuity.
Rose Johnny (Jessica Biel) is an exotic dancer whose comotose son may be dying. She finds she is being followed by an older man, Jack Doheny (Ray Liotta) who recently was released from prison. She lives in a hotel that does not allow dogs. The hotel manager releases her dog which results in "Rudy" getting hit by a car driven by a funeral home owner, Qwerty Doolittle (Eddie Redmayne) who appears to be at the end of his rope socially and financially. She works for a seedy club owner named Velvet Larry (Patrick Swayze in his last movie role) who exploits the fact that her son is dying.
Charlie (Forest Whitaker) needs a Christmas Miracle if one was ever warranted. He has dropped to the lowest human depths of depression. His religious beliefs prevent him from committing suicide in spite of the fact that he appears very angry at God. He tries to pay a transvestite named Lexus (Alejandro Romero) to kill him, but his plan does not succeed. The only crossing point in the story is a brief exchange between Charlie and Qwerty at the funeral home. A free slice of apple pie given to him by a waitress (Lisa Kudrow) may provide him the fresh start that he needs. The story lines develop independently but provide for an ending with a common theme.
The acting was impeccable in Powder Blue. That is the advantage of having an ensemble cast. Swayze didn't get a lot of air time, but his role was excellent and enjoyable. I did not mention Kris Kristofferson who has an even smaller role, but he was another familiar face. Biel and Whitaker are the primary characters in the film with Liota a close third. The three provide some great dramatic moments that were touching. They accomplished this feat in a script that was merely mediocre. Kudos to an exceptional cast.
Powder Blue was rated R by the MPAA. I was surprised at the limited amount of nudity for a film that spends a good deal of time in a strip club or dealing with prostitution. The nudity was limited to male and female nudity from behind and female breasts. The thematic material was definitely questionable and would point to a more mature viewing audience. Cocaine use, strong language and suicide are all issues explored in this film and would also indicate that the MPAA rating is accurate. I would suggest at least a teenage audience at the mature end of that spectrum. Run time is one hour, 46 minutes.
I enjoyed Powder Blue but wasn't "wowed" by it. The film started with a great concept by couching a traditional Christmas Miracle story inside an edgy dramatic atmosphere to explore new angles to the theme. The writing was a bit disjointed and the plot lines did not merge as smoothly or completely as I was expecting. The acting was excellent and provided for some good drama at a few points during the film. This idea could definitely be explored again and possibly with better results. I like the concept, but found it to be less rewarding than I had hoped for. 6.5/10.
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