Blow (2001)

A very poor man's Goodfellas, and an even poorer man's Scarface. Blow works as a highlight of performances by Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Paul "Pee Wee" Reubens in his dramatic debut, but as a biopic, it doesn't do anything noteworthy. It's taking a forgettable story, and giving it the full Scorsese treatment, so blatantly, that they even have "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" blaring during the opening credits. Does that make the movie enjoyable on some level? It certainly does. I was reeled in for the two hours. But not every rise-and-fall crime story is worthy of this formula. If only the screenplay was written better. A lot of poor dialogue. Believing that Ray Liotta was Johnny Depp's father was a mental gymnastics routine of suspending disbelief. The movie is fun to watch through the illegal wheeling and dealings of a drug kingpin, but then he has a kid, and the entire movie skids to a complete stop. Wow, did they drop the ball. Was I watching the same movie? Could you even believe how sappy they made the ending? Go and see it for yourself. It is utterly amazing. I've never seen such indecisive filmmaking. Blow is entertaining, but it's truly a mess.