Blue in the Face
{{short description|1995 film by Paul Auster, Wayne Wang}}
{{for|the doubleDrive album|Blue in the Face (album)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Blue in the Face
| image = Blue in the face ver1.jpg
| caption = Promotional film poster
| director = Paul Auster
Wayne Wang
| producer = Peter Newman
Greg Johnson
Diana Phillips
| screenplay = Paul Auster
Wayne Wang
| based_on = Characters
by Paul Auster
| narrator =
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Victor Argo
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Michael J. Fox
- Mel Gorham
- Jim Jarmusch
- Harvey Keitel
- Lou Reed
- Roseanne
- Mira Sorvino
- Lily Tomlin
- Malik Yoba}}
| music = John Lurie
| cinematography = Adam Holender
Harvey Wang
| editing = Maysie Hoy
Christopher Tellefsen
| distributor = Miramax Films
| released = {{Film date|1995|10|13}}
| runtime = 89 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $2 million
| gross = $1,268,636
}}
Blue in the Face is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin, Victor Argo, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Keith David, Jim Jarmusch, Jared Harris, RuPaul, and Madonna.
Blue in the Face was filmed over a five-day period as a follow-up to Wang's 1995 film Smoke. During production of Smoke, Keitel and the others ad-libbed scenes in-character between takes and a sequel was made using this improvised material.
Lily Tomlin was nominated for an American Comedy Award as "Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" for her performance in this picture.
Blue in the Face features songs by singer Selena. Her bilingual duet with David Byrne, "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", appears on the film's soundtrack.
Plot
The film once again centers on the Brooklyn Cigar Store and manager Auggie (Harvey Keitel), although most of the other characters are different. The store owner's frustrated wife Dot (Roseanne Barr) is one of them, and one of the plotlines follows her attempts to seduce Auggie. Madonna, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin and Lou Reed as himself also put in appearances.
Cast
- Harvey Keitel as Augustus "Auggie" Wren
- Victor Argo as Vinnie
- Keith David as Jackie Robinson
- Giancarlo Esposito as Tommy Finelli
- Michael J. Fox as Pete Maloney
- Mel Gorham as Violet
- Jared Harris as Jimmy Rose
- Jim Jarmusch as Bob
- Madonna as Singing Telegram Girl
- Lou Reed as Man With Strange Glasses
- Michael Badalucco as Statistician
- Roseanne Barr as Dot
- Mira Sorvino as Young Lady
- Lily Tomlin as Waffle Eater
- Malik Yoba as Watch Man
- Rupaul as Dance Leader
Reception
The film received mixed reviews.{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Kevin|title=MOVIE REVIEW : Wang's 'Blue in the Face' a Valentine to Brooklyn|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-13-ca-56447-story.html|access-date=7 January 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=13 October 1995}}{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Blue in the Face (1995) FILM REVIEW; In Hip Brooklyn, Take 2 On That Old Cigar Store|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=990CEFD6113BF930A25753C1A963958260|access-date=7 January 2013|newspaper=New York Times|date=13 October 1995}}{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Blue In The Face|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blue-in-the-face-1995|access-date=11 January 2022|newspaper=Chicago Sun Times|date=20 October 1995}} On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 43% based on reviews from 23 critics, with an average rating of 5.7/10.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_in_the_face/|title=Blue in the Face|website=Rotten Tomatoes }} {{Metacritic film prose|56|16|access-date=1 April 2025}}{{Cite web |title=Blue in the Face Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blue-in-the-face/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=www.metacritic.com |language=en}}
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, remarking that the movie "was shot in six days, and sometimes feels like it…Some of the bits work and others don't, but no one seems to be keeping score, and that's part of the movie's charm. Ebert also notes that "Smoke is, of course, a much better film, and if you haven't seen it, then you should start there and not here. Blue in the Face is more of a footnote."
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0112541}}
- {{Mojo title|blueintheface}}
- {{rotten-tomatoes|blue_in_the_face}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051127190950/http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/ddb5490109a79f598625623d0015f1e4/2924a00ceb75ad6f86256256006fe6af?OpenDocument FilmCritic.com review]
{{Wayne Wang}}
{{Paul Auster navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue In The Face}}
Category:Films set in Brooklyn
Category:Films set in New York City
Category:Films directed by Wayne Wang
Category:Films directed by Paul Auster
Category:Films with screenplays by Paul Auster
Category:American comedy films
Category:American independent films
Category:1990s English-language films
{{1990s-US-comedy-film-stub}}