Sometimes people want to see a movie for what some would call "the wrong reason." Powder Blue is a prime example of this: it was well-hyped before its straight-to-DVD release to be the first movie wherein the beautiful Jessica Biel has several nude scenes. And I will admit, I fell victim to buying and watching this for said wrong reason, however, was not disappointed behind my initial intent in addition to the rest of how the movie played out.
Powder Blue, written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui, focuses on the downward-spiraling lives of four main characters, played by Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, and relative newcomer Eddie Redmayne. The inimitable Whitaker's character, Charlie, desires someone to murder him, so that through his cast-aside faith in Catholicism he would not necessarily be committing suicide and therefore a mortal sin. Charlie's search for a murder-for-hire brings him to mortician Qwerty Doolittle, played by Redmayne. Qwerty, in addition to being involved slightly with Charlie's emotive plot line, also becomes more deeply involved with Biel's character, the interestingly-named Rose-Johnny, a stripper attempting to maintain her chaotic life whilst paying medical bills for her hospital-committed and comatose son. Lastly, Liotta's soft-spoken Jack befriends Rose-Johnny, and in doing so sets the stage for a Magnolia-esquire plot-switching film that is quite compelling and interesting to follow.
The acting is quite well-done, not surprisingly in particular by Whitaker and Liotta (though Biel does shine as well), and Patrick Swayze and Lisa Kudrow provide smaller supporting roles. In spite of the well-written story and good performances, however, the full package is not quite engaging enough to allow the viewer to pity the characters; instead, paying attention to Powder Blue allows a viewing into the lives of four people, trying to save theirs by getting involved with others'. To be sure, an enthralling, yet slightly overused theme in cinema, such material needs to be cohesive and fulfilling to succeed, and where it is obvious Linh Bui intends to tell a story of huge grandeur and emotional impact, Powder Blue falls a bit short. Special mention, however, goes to the film's score and soundtrack, the latter of which contains several very catchy trip-hop, jazzy numbers used during Biel's club sequences.
In all, Powder Blue is a sufficient dark drama that suffices to keep the viewer entertained for its duration, but unfortunately, certain viewers who may not be as impressed by intertwining story lines and good character acting may always label Powder Blue as the "Biel naked movie." For those of us who enjoy related movies, however, said label is a fantastic fringe benefit, to a film that is impressive yet sometimes forgettable in some other respects.
Powder Blue, written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui, focuses on the downward-spiraling lives of four main characters, played by Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, and relative newcomer Eddie Redmayne. The inimitable Whitaker's character, Charlie, desires someone to murder him, so that through his cast-aside faith in Catholicism he would not necessarily be committing suicide and therefore a mortal sin. Charlie's search for a murder-for-hire brings him to mortician Qwerty Doolittle, played by Redmayne. Qwerty, in addition to being involved slightly with Charlie's emotive plot line, also becomes more deeply involved with Biel's character, the interestingly-named Rose-Johnny, a stripper attempting to maintain her chaotic life whilst paying medical bills for her hospital-committed and comatose son. Lastly, Liotta's soft-spoken Jack befriends Rose-Johnny, and in doing so sets the stage for a Magnolia-esquire plot-switching film that is quite compelling and interesting to follow.
The acting is quite well-done, not surprisingly in particular by Whitaker and Liotta (though Biel does shine as well), and Patrick Swayze and Lisa Kudrow provide smaller supporting roles. In spite of the well-written story and good performances, however, the full package is not quite engaging enough to allow the viewer to pity the characters; instead, paying attention to Powder Blue allows a viewing into the lives of four people, trying to save theirs by getting involved with others'. To be sure, an enthralling, yet slightly overused theme in cinema, such material needs to be cohesive and fulfilling to succeed, and where it is obvious Linh Bui intends to tell a story of huge grandeur and emotional impact, Powder Blue falls a bit short. Special mention, however, goes to the film's score and soundtrack, the latter of which contains several very catchy trip-hop, jazzy numbers used during Biel's club sequences.
In all, Powder Blue is a sufficient dark drama that suffices to keep the viewer entertained for its duration, but unfortunately, certain viewers who may not be as impressed by intertwining story lines and good character acting may always label Powder Blue as the "Biel naked movie." For those of us who enjoy related movies, however, said label is a fantastic fringe benefit, to a film that is impressive yet sometimes forgettable in some other respects.