Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageBlaze (1989)
Director: Ron Shelton
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
In the late '50s, Louisiana governor Earl K Long (brother of Huey) scandalised voters when news broke of his affair with stripper Blaze Starr. In what is essentially a vehicle for Paul Newman, Long comes over as gangling eccentric and political visionary: he keeps his boots on while love-making, and at a time of entrenched prejudice approves voting rights for blacks. While opponents plot his abduction. supporters applaud his outspokenness. The film's overall tone is light, and against this Newman cuts an imposing, vigorous figure. But Ron Shelton's script is inconsistent. Co-star Davidovich attempts a sympathetic rendering of Blaze Starr, but her role is underdeveloped; given that the central relationship prevails over the political agenda, it's an oversight which leaves dialogue one-sided and often toothless. Considering the awareness of post-Watergate audiences, it's not enough merely to portray a gutsy, glitzy couple who both, by Starr's definition, work in 'showbiz'. The film has a certain candour, but it would have been enhanced by a less superficial approach.Author: CM
Cast & crew
Director: Ron Shelton
Producer: Gil Friesen, Dale Pollock
Cast: Paul Newman, Lolita Davidovich, Jerry Hardin, Gailard Sartain, Jeffrey DeMunn, Garland Bunting, Richard Jenkins, Brandon Smith, Jay Chevalier full cast
Duration: 117 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Review: Penélope Cruz more raunchy than ever in 'Nine'
Dave Calhoun reports on Rob Marshall's Oscar-touted musical with Daniel Day-Lewis playing a troubled director
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now