Blow

Writers David McKenna and Nick Cassavettes and director Ted Demme chronicle the rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a real-life cocaine dealer currently doing time (he’s up for parole in 2015). From the early, giddy days peddling $5 pot on the beaches of 1960s L.A., through the coke bonanza of the disco era (there’s a witty tracking shot of Jung’s house jammed with cardboard boxes of cash), to a succession of prison terms, Jung’s story is familiar but well-acted. Depp, as usual, gives a subtle, textured performance, and the supporting cast is good, especially Rachel Griffiths and Ray Liotta as Jung’s parents—she harsh and unpleasant, he affectionate and ineffectual. It’s the film’s bad luck that Liotta’s presence emphasizes the resemblance (and inferiority) to Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas.