Powder Blue (2009)

Four Los Angelenos -- a mortician, an ex-con, a suicidal ex-priest, and a stripper -- are brought together on Christmas Eve by a mixture of circumstances.

Director:

Timothy Linh Bui

Writers:

Timothy Linh Bui (story), Timothy Linh Bui,

Stars:

Jessica Biel, Eddie Redmayne, Forest Whitaker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Biel	...	Rose-Johnny
Eddie Redmayne	...	Qwerty Doolittle
Forest Whitaker	...	Charlie
Ray Liotta	...	Jack Doheny
Lisa Kudrow	...	Sally
Patrick Swayze	...	Velvet Larry
Kris Kristofferson	...	Randall
Alejandro Romero	...	Lexus
Sanaa Lathan	...	Diana
Chandler Canterbury	...	Billy
Jeffery A. Baker	...	Slim (as Jeffrey Adam Baker)
Navid Negahban	...	Doctor Brooks
Ravi Patel	...	Sanjay
Billy Wirth	...	David
Don Swayze	...	Bouncer

Storyline

Los Angelenos meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy, and divine intervention. Velvet Larry is the sleazy owner of the strip club where the glamorous but struggling single mother Rose Johnny dances. Qwerty Doolittle is a shy young mortician who falls in love with her. Randall is the head of a corporate crime organization who tries to convince a former employee just released from prison not to seek vengeance on his former co-workers. Charlie is a suicidally depressed ex-priest. Lexus is a lonely transsexual prostitute who shares an unexpected bond with the former priest.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas eve | mortician | ex priest | strip club | prostitute | 

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Taglines:

Hope is found in the darkest places

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 2009 (Kazakhstan)

Also Known As:

Esperanzas cruzadas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Snow Productions, Eleven Eleven Films, Grosvenor Park Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 115 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Forest Whitaker is the only one of the four main characters to not have blue eyes. He is also the only one to never enter the strip club where Rose-Johnny works.

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Goofs

At the beginning the movie Ray Liotta is standing nude facing the ocean. A moment later, after entering the water, bathing trunks can be seen below the water line.

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Quotes

Slim: If she ain't dead, she'll be out here on Friday night, or at the Geisha Dungeon.
Charlie: Geisha Dungeon? What's that?
Slim: The devil's lair.

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Connections

References Paris, Texas (1984)

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Soundtracks

"The Woman Is the Way"
Written by Patrick Muldoon & Neil G. Ives
Performed by Patrick Muldoon (as Muldoon), Ives, Pettus, Wollam
Courtesy of The Sleeping Masses and a Charlton Pettus Production
Under license from Pedro Boy Publishing (ASCAP) / Neil Graham Ives Music (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Powder and Glue

'Powder Blue' tries hard to be effective but for the most part it falls flat. The film is about four isolated lives which at some point during the movie, connect with one another. Yet, the stories are half-baked and theatrical and the characters actions hardly make sense. Moreover they're loaded with cheesy dialogues that are poorly delivered. The characters beg the viewer's sympathy but I found myself caring less for what happens to them. 'Powder Blue' tries to be like 'Magnolia' and it grossly fails to reach anywhere near the superiority of that movie. Forest Whitaker appears too whiny. His best scenes are those with Kudrow. Ray Liotta perhaps has the best role and he does a fine job here. Jessica Biel has her moments of good acting and abysmal acting but she proves to be a very good dancer. Eddie Redmayne looks confused most of the time. There are small appearances by Lisa Kudrow, Kris Kristopherson, Riki Lindhome, and Patrick Swayze but their characters lack development. Swayze is barely recognizable and he successfully provides comic relief. Lisa Kudrow delivers the most natural performance as she stands out in a small role (in my opinion, a role too small to do justice to her immense talent). I liked how the film was executed, mostly under a cold colour tone reflecting the gloominess of the atmosphere and the cold Christmas weather. The use of digital camera also gives the film a raw look that adds to the scenes. 'Powder Blue' is not among the worst films but it seriously needed rewriting because now it is almost very much a half-baked and insipid soap opera