Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Note: For those of you who don't want plot details, I begin the review with a general critique and give fair warning of the synopsis that follows.

I was fortunate enough to get passes to attend an advance screening of Blow and attend this great new film free of charge. I have taken some time since the screening to digest and analyze the movie objectively. Blow is directed by Ted Demme who has also directed such lackluster films as, Beautiful Girls, The Ref and Who's The Man, as well as more notable films such as, Life and Rounders. In this most recent cinematic effort he takes a plunge into drug genre with the movie Blow.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the film was the relationship between Jorge (Johnny Depp) and his father (Ray Liota). Mr. Jung wants the best for his son and like most parents, wants Jorge to be more successful than he was. His father overlooks the fact that the career path his son has chosen to take is on the wrong side of the law. Ray Liota does an outstanding job with his portrayal of a truly caring and dedicated father. His performance in this film rivals and perhaps even surpasses that which he did in Goodfellas and Copland. Perhaps his role as coked out mobster opposite the dedicated wife in "Goodfellas" and as a corrupt coke sniffing cop opposite the dedicated wacked out girlfriend in "Copland" gave him some insight into how best to play the role of Jorge's father. I'm sure by now most of you are familiar with the trailer for this movie in which Jorge's father says, "Son you would have been good at anything." This quote best exhibits Jorge's father's confidence and dedication to him.

The portrayal of Jorge's mother might prompt some to view the film on face value as rather misogynistic. However, I feel that her role accurately portrays the classic "gold digging" female that is far too often overlooked in similar films. His mother is an embittered and materialistic woman who takes out her frustrations on Mr. Jung due to her dissatisfaction with his earning potential. She is greatly disillusioned upon discovering that by marrying Jorge's hardworking father she is unable to surpass the class in which she was raised. She in turn inadvertently punishes Jorge because he represents a product of her union with his father.

Jorge himself is a product of the mismatched union between his father and mother and vows to never be poor. At age 21 he moves to California with his childhood friend, Tuna and begins his quest for the financial freedom that every American dreams of embracing.

If you have not yet seen the film and don't care to have the details of the plot revealed to you, stop reading the review here. However, please come back and make any comments you'd like to after viewing the film.

The movie opens with the unloading of Jorge's last drug shipment. As the characters unload the shipment hastily, the viewer is drawn in by the excitement of the situation. The film quickly jumps back to Jorge's childhood. His close relationship with his father is illustrated as he roller skates up to his home as his father is leaving for work. Mr. Jung wastes no time in chastising his carpool of co-workers who tell him to hurry up as he is talking to his son. Here, early in the movie, the dedication of Jorge's father is exhibited.

As the movie rolls on, Jorge's character explains in voiceovers that narrate the story that his mother thought that she was marrying above her class and harbors a great deal of animosity and bitterness towards Jorge's father for not providing her with the lifestyle she requires. Jorge's narration explains how his mother is constantly leaving his father due to their financial situation, but returns to the open arms of his father time and time again. He explains how his father put up with this behavior time and time again.

After Jorge's family situation is established, the film moves on to his journey from home to the sunny beaches of California. He and his best friend, Tuna, move to California and soon after discover that they can make a great deal of money selling marijuana to the party going people that visit the beach. An airplane stewardess that Jorge met at their apartment building hooks Tuna and Jorge up with a bisexual hairstylist named Derek Foreal (Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman) who moonlights as a small time pot dealer. Soon after experiencing huge success with the product they're getting from Foreal, Jorge points out the fact that they could make even more money if they cut out Foreal's middle man. They become partners with Foreal and travel to Mexico in search of a direct connection. After finding a direct connection they enjoy wealth and financial freedom. The good times end when Jorge gets busted with 650 pounds of marijuana and faces jail time. His stewardess girlfriend, whom he loves dearly and is fully committed to at the time faces a life threatening illness and is only given only a few months to live.

The death of the woman that Jorge truly loves marks a crossroads in his life. Barbara was the woman he shared all his hopes and dreams with and it was with her that he pledged that his relationship with her would be nothing like the relationship his mother and father had. After Barbara dies, Jorge who skipped bail on his marijuana charges, goes to visit his parents. While talking with his father, his mother calls the police and has him arrested.

While in prison, Jorge describes how he enters with a Bachelor's in marijuana and leaves with a Doctorate in cocaine thanks to his room mate Diego Delgado (Jordi Molla). Upon his release from prison, Delgado assists Jorge in connecting up with the notorious Medillen drug cartel in Colombia. Reuniting with his old partner Derek Foreal, Jorge sells an obscene amount of cocaine in just three days. After his triumphant return to the drug trade, Jorge meets with Colombian drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar, who tells him that he needs an anglo he can trust to move product in the United States. Jorge assumes this role and achieves the wealth he has always dreamt of. While dealing with the Colombians Jorge meets Mirtha (Penelope Lopez), who is the fiancée of a Medillen cartel big shot. He steals Mirtha away from her husband to be and faces no consequences because of his standing with Pablo Escobar.

Jorge ends up marrying Mirtha and having a daughter with her. Shortly thereafter, his former cell mate Diego, double crosses him and he decides to retire from the drug trade. Due to the corrupt banking system in Colombia, he ends up losing all the money he had tucked away. This causes a great deal of tension between he and Mirtha, because she turns out to be a "gold digger" just like his mother. Mirtha becomes evermore abusive as time progresses and her dependency on cocaine increases. Jorge gives up cocaine after the birth of his daughter, but becomes a casualty of the drug when on his 38th birthday the cops raid his home and find the cocaine being used by his wife and the guests.

Once again Jorge jumps bail and this time is ratted out by his embittered wife who causes him to be pulled over by the police. Jorge goes to jail and is visited by his wife who informs him that she has filed for divorce. Upon getting out of jail he attempts to renew a relationship with his daughter. He calls up his old partner Derek Foreal and sets up one last deal to score the money he needs to take his daughter to California and start a new life. The deal ends up being a set up and Jorge is forced to break his promises to his daughter and go to jail once again. While in jail he has vivid daydreams of visits from hisdaughter that never take place.

Blow is the story of the American dream gone wrong. It is a poignant illustration of how the sins of the father are visited upon the son. Had Jorge Jung grown up in a wealthy family with a stable mother figure, there is no telling the kind of success he might have enjoyed in legitimate business. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to enjoy this ideal upbringing and became a casualty of his environment.


Overall, I enjoyed the film Blow immensely and found the performances of Depp and Liotta to be outstanding. However, there are some parts that I find troubling as the movie unfolds. One major problem I had was how Jorge and Mirtha's relationship began. The way it was presented in the film it just doesn't seem plausible--I got the idea that there was a lot more to it. The problems I have with his relationship with Mirtha make the devotion to his daughter portrayed in the film somewhat questionable as well. It's not that I don't believe the story--it's just that I think they left out a lot of important factors concerning these two relationships. Because of these inconsistencies I must rate the film 4 out of 5 stars.

© 2001 Theodore Yeager



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age