Nora Roberts' Blue Smoke (2007)

Redundant and unnecessary.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Catarina 'Reena' Hale (Alicia Witt) is working towards being a fire investigator. She's been obsessed with fire ever since her family bar burned up when she was young. John Minger (Scott Bakula) is her mentor since that fateful day. The angry father of the neighborhood bully was arrested. At college, she's taken with boyfriend Josh Bolton but he dies in a fire. Her next boyfriend Hugh is killed in an explosion with a ring in his pocket. She moves into a house next to eager Bo Goodnight who professes his love. She gets a call from her stalker hinting at the previous incidents. She fears the next target will be Bo.It's a slow but functional TV thriller. It needs much better style to intensify the story. Witt is capable but she doesn't get much of a chance. The fire story allows for some explosions but they're not particularly impressive or thrilling. It may be OK for a crime TV drama but it's a bit stretched out.

I like Nora Roberts' books, but this movie was terrible. The main character is so very unrealistic, but since I didn't read the book, I don't know if this is just an awful book made into a movie or it's just the movie.The story is very predictable. The main character is so cheesy, so depressed and brooding, suspicious of everything and then suddenly happy-go-lucky, not a care in the world. She refers to herself as a cop, but then plays the part of an arson investigator with the fire department.In my opinion, this movie would be great for someone who loves to watch made-for-TV movies, or the typical Lifetime original movie. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

I had my doubts, but was surprised and pleased that Blue Smoke was much better than my expectations.Using flashbacks was a more effective way of presenting Reena's past and present in the movie. It helped create the picture of who she had become and why. I could understand many of the changes made to accommodate the transition from book to film. In some cases preferred the movie version (the book had a LOT of graphic violence).Alica Witt did a very believable strong, fierce Reena, showing how she had grown to deal with the tragedies that had made her feel, understandably, vulnerable and fragile. Scott Bakula ... ah ... he just gets better and more seasoned with every new role he takes on: compassionate and kind, but stern and demanding when needed.The relationships before she met Bo were as heartbreaking in the movie as in the book. Though I couldn't decide if the one she had with Hugh was even sadder than the original version. Was it worse that she was gun-shy and only on the brink of a new, deeper relationship as in the book, or taking the chance of accepting a marriage proposal as in the film? I honestly didn't think I'd like Matthew Settle as Bo, but he convinced me with his scene in the backyard when he *finally* got to meet his dream girl.The strong sense of family, and how their love and respect for each other also helped form Reena into such a determined, focused woman was carried through in both versions. Personally, I thought how the movie dealt with the villain(s) was a nice twist and fitting ending.Leaves me champing at the bit to see Carolina Moon.

Best of the Bunch, so far. (referring to the 4 Nora Roberts' adaptations Lifetime television is showing January to February 2007).The chick got issues and I sat there wondering how the next person was going to die. All in all, that made for a good story. Even better, there was a great cast and a tightly crafted screenplay that moved along.Even in the face of a big character/story flaw, I was able to enjoy the film. I can't remember it from the book, but the literary device they used to show us what happened in the past was effective as a literary device, but it also created a situation that was more than just trauma, it was full-blown PTSD and I don't think that she should have be allowed to go into fires after her performance on the test. It not only puts her life in danger, but puts the lives of her colleagues and the people they save in danger. This fact, however, didn't distract me too much from enjoying the movie.I gotta say I was totally hooked by the guy who kept spotting her. He was cute and the entire thing was so romantic. I was hoping he wasn't going to die by fire or be a firebug himself. I love those tricks of fate.Now, that FBI agent, he seemed like something out of the ABC Soap General Hospital - a cop who's portrayed as a bad guy. Thankfully, it was one short scene and things moved along (proving it was definitely not an ABC Daytime product).Was it just me, or did the bad guy look like a bald Ben Affleck to anyone else? The rest, I really enjoyed. I'll be watching this film again. The only thing missing was something - a theme, an event, a person - that I could emotionally connect with. It was a good mystery. I give this film 8 out of 10 stars.