Many books end up being adapted into movies, with some of the adaptations being better than others.  I will watch movies based on books that I like, though I tend to feel they aren't as good as the books.  Nora Roberts has written many books during her career.  In 2006, Lifetime made four movies based on four of her books.  I watched the movies at that time and liked them for the most part even though they aren't as good as the books.  I recently watched one of the movies, Blue Smoke, again.

As a child, Reena Hale first becomes fascinated with fire when the restaurant her parents own is burned down.  As she gets older, fire continues to play a part in her life, sometimes with tragic consequences.  She becomes an arson investigator and while her career is going well when she buys a house not that far from the family restaurant.  Her neighbor Bo Goodnight, is a carpenter and immediately makes it clear that he wants to start a relationship.  Reena is more hesitant, especially once she connects some recent fires to her past.  She believes that Bo may be in danger because of their relationship.

Blue Smoke is based on the book of the same name by Nora Roberts that was published in 2005.  I got the book at that time and I've read it a few times since then.  I knew before watching the movie version that things were going to be condensed, changed, or just left out completely because of time constraints.  The book is longer and very detailed at times.  I think the adaption works well overall, though the movie isn't as good as the book.  If the movie had been longer, it would have allowed for more of the details from the book to be included, which would have made the movie stronger.  

Blue Smoke shares several important moments from Reena's life, including some from when she was eleven years old and first became interested in fire.  The book covers twenty years of her life, though some larger gaps of time are skipped over.  The movie is done in a way so that it is set in current times for Reena, and the moments from her past are shared through flashbacks.  That works for the most part, though it does slow the pace down at times.  Some other things related to Reena and her fascination with fire are provided through a few voice overs of Reena talking.  In those voice overs, she talks about how she views fire, how she became interested in it, and a bit on how she worked to become an arson investigator as an adult.  The voice overs do share some important information, though they seem a bit awkward at times.

Fire plays an important part to what is going on in Blue Smoke.  A few fires are shown and as an adult, Reena is shown investigating some as well.  Most of the fires shown in the movie end up being connected in some way while there were other non-related fires dealt with during the book.  The destructive nature of fire is discussed and even shown a few times.  The remains of one or two people who died in a fire are briefly shown, and those images aren't pleasant to see.  A few things shown may be disturbing to some viewers.  The scenes with fire provide most of the action for what is going on, but there isn't so much action that I would consider the movie action packed.  Violence turns up in some scenes without being that graphic.  The small amount of mystery in the movie deals with the fires that Reena believes are connected.  The mystery is interesting, though it was stronger in the book.

Reena is shown in a few different relationships over the course of Blue Smoke.  She has her first real boyfriend when she is in college, and a tiny bit of that is shared.  After college she eventually starts dating a man named Hugh and things seem to be getting serious before something goes very wrong.  Bo is shown at a few different times in the movie as well, usually at a time when he is catching a glimpse of Reena and trying to get to her to talk to her.  She always disappeared before he could talk to her, so he did act a bit strange when they finally meet.  With how things are shown in the movie, it does sort of look like he's a stalker, which he isn't.  They do start a relationship, though not that much of it is shown in the movie.  Their relationship was handled much better in the book and was more believable.  A bit more about Reena's prior relationships is also shared in the book.  There are a few sexual situations in the movie that aren't explicit.

The majority of Blue Smoke is focused on Reena, so she ends up being the most developed.  She is an intelligent woman who turns her fascination with fire into a career.  She is very good at her job, though her personal life isn't doing as well.    She is a likable character, though she can be a tad stubborn at times.  Alicia Witt is fine, though nothing special in the part.  The younger Reena turns up in a few scenes and Taylor Dauphinais is fine in the part.  Reena's parents and siblings turn up in a few scenes without being as important as they were in the book.  They are a loving family.  Talia Shire and Eric Keenleyside are fine in the parts.

John Minger is the arson investigator who investigated the first at the Hale's restaurant.  He realized then how intelligent Reena was and helped encourage her into becoming an arson investigator and the two end up working together.  John has a good relationship with her family as well and has sort of become an honorary member.  Scott Bakula does fine with the part.

Bo Goodnight is a carpenter who has his own business.  He seems kind overall, though since not as much is shared about him, he doesn't always come across in the best light.  Matthew Settle does fine with what he has to work with.  A few other people in Reena's life are around a few times without being that developed or important.  The main villain is only shown later in the movie, but there is enough shared about him.  He does make a decent villain.

Main Cast

Scott Bakula - John Minger
Eric Keenleyside - Gib Hale
Matthew Settle - Bo Goodnight
Talia Shire - Bianca Hale
Alicia Witt - Reena Hale

David Carson - Director

Blue Smoke first aired on Lifetime in 2007.  The movie still turns up in the station every so often.  At one point, the movie could be watched on the Lifetime website, but I think that option is gone now.  The movie has been released on DVD with no extras.

Blue Smoke isn't as good as the book, but it is a decent adaptation and made for an entertaining movie.  Fans of the book may be disappointed with the changes.  

This review is part of elvisdo's 2009 Canadian Write Off because the movie was filmed in Calgary.

Blue Smoke (book) ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD