Verdict
Summary
Kino Lorber’s new double feature (two discs) of Smoke and Blue in the Face arrives on Blu-ray, and it’s packed with bonus features, including interviews, behind the scenes material, and more. I like that they added Blue in the Face despite how bad the movie is; it serves as a companion piece to a far superior film. Smoke is a classic. This release is welcome for that fact.
Smoke (1995) Plot:
Lives intersect at a little smoke shop in Brooklyn.
Review:
Auggie (Harvey Keitel in one of his most endearing and appealing roles) has been running a little cigar shop on a cozy corner in Brooklyn for decades, and his place is a haven for free thinkers and misfits, including a widower / author named Paul (William Hurt) who has had writer’s block ever since his wife died. By happenstance, Paul’s life is saved by a young teenaged drifter named Rashid (Harold Perrineau Jr.), and as thanks, Paul lets the kid stay a few nights over in his apartment, which leads to interesting complications. Rashid has been on a quest to find his real father (Forest Whitaker), who recently opened up a little gas station in the middle of nowhere, and when Rashid tries connecting with his father by working for him as a day laborer, his father is in for a real surprise when the truth finally outs. Meanwhile, a former flame of Auggie (Stockard Channing with an eye patch) shows up out of the blue, telling him their daughter that he never knew he had (played by Ashley Judd in a strong single scene) is now addicted to drugs living on the skids, and that she needs his help.
One of the great gems of the 1990s, post-Pulp Fiction, but infused with the same indie spirit of that film (no surprise that it was distributed by Miramax), Smoke has an almost one-of-a-sort feel to it, with a really wonderfully understated script by the great author Paul Auster, and direction by Wayne Wang. The film is remarkably optimistic and true, with a little grit in the mix (Judd’s moment in the movie is the sad spice the movie needed), and it’s so good that it’s a shame it’s been mostly ignored or forgotten over the years. I absolutely love this movie (always have), and it’s aged very well.
Blue in the Face (1995) Plot:
Auggie’s smoke shop is again a hub of good conversation.
Review:
Auggie (Harvey Keitel reprising his role from Smoke) has the hippest smoke shop in Brooklyn, and his regulars come and go for good cigars and good conversation. He deals with shoplifters and philosophizers in equal measure, and big ideas are discussed, while Auggie laughs his days away with bubbly women and hilarious anecdotal customers.
Shot in five days without a script (and it shows), but hoping to catch the inspiration of Smoke, which was shot first, Blue in the Face has some of the first film’s cast members and plenty of newcomers who drift in and out of frame (look for Michael J. Fox, Madonna, Rosanne Barr, Mira Sorvino, and more surprises) like they’re on a conveyor belt. The movie has no plot at all (there’s something vague about the smoke shop being turned into a restaurant nobody wants), but just little pointless vignettes, and I remember watching this many years ago and feeling disappointed by it because I love the first film so much. This one doesn’t even generate the same sense of familial intimacy of the first and just tries to generate a product out of nothing. No structure, no script, no laughs, just actors taking up space. It doesn’t work at all. Wayne Wang and Paul Auster gave it a shot, but it just doesn’t resonate any feelings at all.
Kino Lorber’s new double feature (two discs) of Smoke and Blue in the Face arrives on Blu-ray, and it’s packed with bonus features, including interviews, behind the scenes material, and more. I like that they added Blue in the Face despite how bad the movie is; it serves as a companion piece to a far superior film. Smoke is a classic. This release is welcome for that fact.
