Blue in the Face (1995)

Brooklyn Cigar Store is a neighborhood hangout in Brooklyn with Auggie Wren/H.Keitel as center. Some people are interviewed about Brooklyn, spiced up with statistics on Brooklyn.

Directors:

Paul Auster, Wayne Wang

Writers:

Paul Auster (situations), Wayne Wang (situations)

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Lou Reed, Michael J. Fox

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lou Reed	...	Man with Strange Glasses
Michael J. Fox	...	Pete Maloney
Roseanne Barr	...	Dot (as Roseanne)
Mel Gorham	...	Violet
Jim Jarmusch	...	Bob
Lily Tomlin	...	Waffle Eater
Jared Harris	...	Jimmy Rose
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Tommy Finelli
Malik Yoba	...	Watch Man
José Zúñiga	...	Jerry (as Jose Zuniga)
Victor Argo	...	Vinnie
Stephen Gevedon	...	Dennis
The John Lurie National Orchestra	...	Street Band
Madonna	...	Singing Telegram
Sharif Rashed	...	Purse Snatcher

Storyline

Wayne Wang's follow-up movie to Smoke (1995) presents a series of improvisational situations strung together to form a pastiche of Brooklyn's diverse ethnicity, offbeat humor, and essential humanity. Many of the same characters inhabiting Auggie Wren's Brooklyn Cigar Store in Smoke (1995) return here to expound on their philosophy of smoking, relationships, baseball, New York City, and Belgian Waffles. Most of all, this is a movie about living life, off-the-cuff.

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Plot Keywords:

bare breasts | topless female nudity | husband wife relationship | cigar smoking | cigarette smoking | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to the planet Brooklyn.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brooklyn Boogie

Filming Locations:

209 Prospect Park West and 16th Street, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,275,999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, InterAL

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Every scene was filmed in ten-minute uninterrupted takes. The directors would hold up signs reading "Keep it up" or "Boring" for the actors and actresses instead of stopping the filming.

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Goofs

Dot bolts the store door to talk with Auggie, then leaves without unlocking it.

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Quotes

Tommy: I don't eat shit. It's against my religion.
Pete: What religion is that?
Tommy: The religion of sanity, Peter. You should try it some time.
Pete: I did, but I was excommunicated.

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Crazy Credits

Situations Created in collaboration with THE ACTORS

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Connections

Featured in Cinemadonna: Die Another Day (And Other Cameos) (2016)

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Soundtracks

Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Written by Albert von Tilzer and Jack Norworth
Published by Broadway Music and Beinstock Publishing Co. on behalf of Redwood Music Ltd. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

NY by new yorkers!

New York is not an unanimity! That's for sure! A movie about the city has to follow the same guidelines. You either love or hate it! Whomever comes to meet the city, makes one's own mind about it. "Blue in the face" is sarcastic, funny, rude and spontaneous. Just like the big apple! Sometimes it looks more like a documentary, with people talking loosely about all kinds of issues, from Ebett's Field to cigarettes. But always with the same Brooklinesque way of living, so peculiar and yet so universal. If you like NY, gotta watch the movie! If you don't, I am sorry!