We are in a bit of a lull here in Baton Rouge as far as movies playing that anyone would want to see. But I felt the urge to see something so I went off to see Blow. It is "based on a true story" of George Jung, played here by Johnny Depp, who first hooked up with the infamous Pablo Escobar and started the big-time importation of cocaine in the United States.  The story follows Jung from his childhood in Massachusetts to his ultimate end serving 60 years in prison.  After high school, he leaves his parents (Ray Liotta and Rachel Griffiths) behind and moves to California.  There, he finds easy money dealing pot with the help of a hairdresser (Paul Reubens).  All goes well for a time and Jung falls in love (Franka Potente).  Then he is busted, jumps bail, hides out in Mexico, comes home, is turned in by his mother, does his time, has a Colombian guy (Jordi Molla) as his cellmate, gets out, meets Escobar (Cliff Curtis) with the help of his cellmate, becomes rich, marries a beautiful Columbian woman (Penelope Cruz), gets screwed over by his friends, goes back to prison, yada, yada, yada.  It's supposed to be a cautionary tale about  a wasted life. That life being George Jung's.  But as told here, apparently from George's point of view, it's always someone else's fault that he screws up and goes to prison.  He's always about to get his life in order and then forces beyond his control take over.  But frankly, I didn't care that much what happened to him.  Johnny Depp is very good, as always, in this role.  He almost but not quite made me interested in George Jung.  And he and his makeup people do better than in most movies in having him age 30 years during the movie.  The supporting cast is also very good.  Ray Liotta is the best thing in Blow as Jung's father who loves him and never gives up on him.  In some weird casting, the Australian actress, Rachel Griffiths is Jung's New Englander mother.  Griffiths has done great stuff in films like Me, Myself, I and Hilary and Jackie.  She does what she can with this role which mostly involves her pouting and disapproving of her son. Similarly, the German Actress, Franka Potente, famous for Run, Lola, Run is mostly wasted as Jung's first girlfriend.  Paul Reubens, infamously formerly known as Pee Wee Herman, does a good job as the hairdresser/drug dealer.  And, of course, Penelope Cruz, this year's ``it" girl,  is wasted being wasted throughout the movie. I still haven't decided if she can act.  She did a good job in All About My Mother and has since appeared in Woman on Top and All the Pretty Horses. Obviously, this movie is being compared to Traffic.  It's much lighter fare than Traffic and really doesn't get into why any of these people are doing what they are doing.  In the end, it tries to pull a lot of heartstrings and get us thinking about redemption but I wasn't buying.  I cried at The Dish. No tears here. Go see Traffic.