Blue in the Face

Blue in the Face
Blue in the Face
	Promotional film poster
Directed by	Paul Auster ; Wayne Wang
Screenplay by	Paul Auster; Wayne Wang
Based on	Characters ; by Paul Auster
Produced by	Peter Newman; Greg Johnson; Diana Phillips
Starring	Victor Argo; Giancarlo Esposito; Michael J. Fox; Mel Gorham; Jim Jarmusch; Harvey Keitel; Lou Reed; Roseanne; Mira Sorvino; Lily Tomlin; Malik Yoba;
Cinematography	Adam Holender ; Harvey Wang
Edited by	Maysie Hoy ; Christopher Tellefsen
Music by	John Lurie
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date	October 13, 1995;
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2 million
Box office	$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.^[1]^[2]^[3] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 43% based on reviews from 23 critics, with an average rating of 5.7/10.^[4]

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.^[3] 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."^[3]

References

^ Thomas, Kevin (13 October 1995). "MOVIE REVIEW : Wang's 'Blue in the Face' a Valentine to Brooklyn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
^ Maslin, Janet (13 October 1995). "Blue in the Face (1995) FILM REVIEW; In Hip Brooklyn, Take 2 On That Old Cigar Store". New York Times. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ebert, Roger (20 October 1995). "Blue In The Face". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
^ "Blue in the Face". Rotten Tomatoes.

External links

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[1] Thomas, Kevin (13 October 1995). "MOVIE REVIEW : Wang's 'Blue in the Face' a Valentine to Brooklyn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 January 2013.

[2] Maslin, Janet (13 October 1995). "Blue in the Face (1995) FILM REVIEW; In Hip Brooklyn, Take 2 On That Old Cigar Store". New York Times. Retrieved 7 January 2013.

[ebert-3] Ebert, Roger (20 October 1995). "Blue In The Face". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 11 January 2022.

[4] "Blue in the Face". Rotten Tomatoes.

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v t e Works by Paul Auster
Fiction	Squeeze Play (1982) The New York Trilogy (1987) In the Country of Last Things (1987) Moon Palace (1989) The Music of Chance (1990) Leviathan (1992) Mr. Vertigo (1994) Timbuktu (1999) The Book of Illusions (2002) Oracle Night (2003) The Brooklyn Follies (2005) Travels in the Scriptorium (2006) Man in the Dark (2008) Invisible (2009) Sunset Park (2010) 4 3 2 1 (2017) Baumgartner (2023)
Screenplays	The Music of Chance (1993) Smoke (1995) Blue in the Face (1995) Lulu on the Bridge (1998) The Inner Life of Martin Frost (2007)
Memoir	The Invention of Solitude (1982) Hand to Mouth (1997) The Story of My Typewriter (2002) Winter Journal (2012) Report from the Interior (2013)
Other	A Tomb for Anatole (1983) The Red Notebook (1995) Here and Now (2013) A Life in Words (2017) Talking to Strangers (2019) Burning Boy (2021) Bloodbath Nation (2023)