...and beyond that, not a whole lot, despite some ensemble acting of note and a reasonably well-constructed, if nearly impossible to believe, script. Writer/director/producer Timothy Linh Bui has the "Crash"/"Magnolia" thing down, weaving a number of intersecting plot lines together that are all resolved at film's end with one sort of Christmastime "miracle" or another. As mentioned, none of it is terribly credible, but thanks to a committed cast able to elicit a surprising amount of sympathy for their characters, "Powder Blue" somehow manages to transcend its soapy nature to a certain degree.
Being a character-driven piece, viewers are mostly going to enjoy the film for the acting. The aforementioned Jessica "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Biel is winning as the stripper with a good heart and several crosses to bear, Ray "Field of Dreams" Liotta plays against type (somewhat) as an ex-con with a debt to pay, Forest "The Last King of Scotland" Whitaker demonstrates why he's one of the busiest character actors working today, Lisa "Friends" Kudrow shows off her chops in a small but memorable role, Patrick "R.I.P." Swayze is nearly unrecognizable but still effective in his last big-screen part, Eddie "Savage Grace" Redmayne assays the lonely geek role with assurance, and newcomer Alejandro Romero turns in a powerful performance as the ill-fated tranny who helps Whitaker's suicidal priest find redemption. This young actor deserves a lot more work.
So, "Powder Blue" isn't everyone's cup of tea, and probably holds little interest to the typical IMDb crowd (if there is such a thing), but if your interest was piqued by anything said above, I say go for it, enjoy the show. I did.
Being a character-driven piece, viewers are mostly going to enjoy the film for the acting. The aforementioned Jessica "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Biel is winning as the stripper with a good heart and several crosses to bear, Ray "Field of Dreams" Liotta plays against type (somewhat) as an ex-con with a debt to pay, Forest "The Last King of Scotland" Whitaker demonstrates why he's one of the busiest character actors working today, Lisa "Friends" Kudrow shows off her chops in a small but memorable role, Patrick "R.I.P." Swayze is nearly unrecognizable but still effective in his last big-screen part, Eddie "Savage Grace" Redmayne assays the lonely geek role with assurance, and newcomer Alejandro Romero turns in a powerful performance as the ill-fated tranny who helps Whitaker's suicidal priest find redemption. This young actor deserves a lot more work.
So, "Powder Blue" isn't everyone's cup of tea, and probably holds little interest to the typical IMDb crowd (if there is such a thing), but if your interest was piqued by anything said above, I say go for it, enjoy the show. I did.