Blue in the Face

1995 Comedy

Director Wayne Wang and screenwriter Paul Auster had enough storylines and characters left over from their charming comedy Smoke to make another film, so they shot Blue In The Face immediately after Smoke was completed. 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) 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. Blue In The Face was shot without a complete script and presents a unique combination of distinctive performances, oddball characters, improvisations, and raffish scenes.

Director: Wayne Wang

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Lou Reed, Roseanne, Michael J. Fox,Jim Jarmusch

Reviews

  • The improvisations are a mixed bag -- Reed and Fox are surprisingly hilarious, while Roseanne is a shrieking horror show -- but the air of gentle play and a wistful sense that Brooklyn is some kind of lost Eden put this one up on the more structured "Smoke."

    Ty Burr - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • Good-humored, try-anything fun.

    Elvis Mitchell - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • A filmic hug for Brooklyn.

    Peter Stack - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • The results are ragged, disjointed, and endearing.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

    American Comedy Awards (1996)

     
  • Stockholm Film Festival (1995)