Blow is based on the true story of one George Jung, a bored
East-coast suburban kid who set out to LA and gained a great deal
of notoriety, pioneering vast & untapped U.S. markets, first
for high-quality marijuana, then eventually for cocaine (hence
the title). Along the way, he experienced some pretty spectacular
good times, along with the inevitable abysmal lows. Contrary to
what the super hip & energetic trailer might suggest, this
film dwells a little more on the latter.
Goodfellas is an obvious influence for this film, with it's true crime storyline and clever editing (with liberal use of freeze-frames and voice-overs). They even have Ray Liotta, albeit in a secondary role as George's father.
There's a lot of humanity in George as the film faithfully traces his relationships with his parents, his girlfriends, his smuggling colleagues and his young daughter. Unfortunately, the film seems to try a little too hard at times. By artificially forcing the emotions onto the screen, it denies us the opportunity to become profoundly involved. There are a few mildly moving scenes, but for the most part, the drama is a bit awkward and tedious. It becomes much more so as the film draws to a close.
Which is not to say that the cast wasn't good. Johnny Depp was outstanding, portraying George with great range, from an opportunistic 20-year-old to a shrewd big-time player to a heartbroken senile convict. (One can only imagine what this film would have been like, without him.) Paul Reubens was fun as a campy hair saloon owner / drug distributor. Penelope Cruz was shallow, loathsome and insufferable... but then, so was her character.
Although the drama is muddled, the story of George Jung is still very interesting, and it's fun to watch him ride his roller coaster from the late '60s to the mid-'80s. His peaks of success, however fleeting, are exhilarating to witness. Blow isn't the classic film that Goodfellas was, but it is a decent watch, especially if you're a fan of the cast or the genre.