Cast: Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Daniel von Bargen, John Heard, Ethan Suplee, Lucinda Jenney, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert, Michael Ironside
Director: Morgan J. Freeman
Producers: Michael Burns, Nadia Leonelli, Andrea Sperling
Screenplay: Morgan J. Freeman
Cinematography: Enrique Chediak
Music: Vytas Nagisetty
U.S. Distributor: The Samuel Goldwyn Company
In early 1997, director Morgan J. Freeman burst onto the indie movie scene with Hurricane Streets, a film that made a huge splash at that year's Sundance Film Festival (winning three awards, including the audience favorite for Best Dramatic Picture). Freeman immediately became the latest "young filmmaker to watch." Twenty months later, he was back on the festival circuit, debuting Desert Blue at the Toronto International Film Festival. The tepid response, however, did not match the anticipation. Festival audiences often give marginal motion pictures standing ovations, but the most Desert Blue managed at its World Premiere was polite applause. It's not difficult to uncover the reason. While Hurricane Streets may have been overrated, it possessed an undeniable edge. Desert Blue can boast no such quality. It's a study in uninspired film making, and a test to see whether someone moderately sleep deprived can stay awake.
The "action" takes place in the small, rural town of Baxter, California, population 89. During the course of the film, we meet 15 or 20 of the citizens, and none bears the slightest resemblance to a real human being. They are caricatures and stereotypes lifted off the "quirky" stack of the writer's stock character shelf. Everyone in Baxter is offbeat, because that's the way you have to be if you want to populate an isolated town in a motion picture like this. So we're introduced to Blue Baxter (Brendan Sexton III), a loner who grapples with unresolved issues concerning his father's recent death; Ely Jackson (Christina Ricci), the explosives-loving daughter of the local sheriff (Daniel von Bargen); and Pete (Casey Affleck), a high-speed racing enthusiast. They're all trapped in Baxter - although they long to break free, inertia keeps them there. Into this mix comes Skye (Kate Hudson) and her father (John Heard). She's a prime time TV star on a road trip with Dad, who brought her to this out-of-the-way locale so she can see Baxter's claim-to-fame: a giant model of an ice cream cone. Unfortunately, while the pair are within the town limits, the government slaps a quarantine on the place. A nearby tractor trailer chemical spill has raised questions about contamination, and no one is allowed to leave until they're resolved.
At first, Skye cops a haughty attitude, acting like a spoiled brat towards everyone (including her father), but, when it becomes apparent that the local kids aren't impressed by her Hollywood resume, she lets down her guard. She and Blue develop a quiet bond, and, predictably, by the end of the film, Skye has shown her true, insecure self. This might have been an interesting transformation if it had been handled with a little more freshness or originality. As it is, it's the kind of thing we've seen countless times before (most recently in Notting Hill, which, despite its familiar plot, offers a larger helping of charm). Blue is basically a boring character. His disinterested, taciturn attitude quickly becomes an irritant. Brendan Sexton III (who also starred in Freeman's Hurricane Streets) sleepwalks his way through the role. Kate Hudson brings some energy to her portrayal of Skye, but the character traverses an overly familiar arc. Of the supporting performers, only Christina Ricci distinguishes herself, and her screen time is woefully limited. Michael Ironside is out of place in a bizarre subplot about a government agent on the edge.
Desert Blue wants to be part satire (launching barbed attacks at the cola industry and the government), part romance (the relationship between Blue and Skye), and part light drama. Unfortunately, the tone is somnambulant, with only Ely's occasional explosive forays shaking things up. Aside from the nice performances by Hudson and Ricci, Desert Blue's lone strength is the effective manner in which Freeman establishes the setting. With its abandoned, half-completed water amusement park and the nearby cola factory, Baxter feels like a genuine, lonely town (even if there's not a believable inhabitant to be found). It's too bad that there isn't a better script to go along with the atmosphere.
The most disappointing aspect of Desert Blue is that Freeman hasn't extended himself. This is a nice, safe little project that is designed to appeal to a young audience (the primary attraction being the "hot cast"). And, while the director fashions a few effective scenes, the majority of the film is trapped in a state of lethargy. Not much happens, and the little that does fails to capture our attention. As far as the actors are concerned, being "up and coming" doesn't guarantee a solid performance or a good motion picture. Consider that three of Desert Blues' stars (Hudson, Ricci, Affleck) were also involved in 200 Cigarettes. Like many would-be quirky movies, Desert Blue fails to realize that it takes more than a group of oddball characters and a sense of the absurd to craft an enjoyable motion picture.
© 1999 James Berardinelli