Red Ribbon Blues Movie Review

When my friend John lay dying a dozen summers ago, he wasn't interested in any disease-of-the-weak movies. He'd yell, “Get me Modesty Blaise!” or “Get me Fantastic Voyage!” or “Get me The Wizard of Oz!” The more escapist the fare, the better he liked it. I think that John would have liked Red Ribbon Blues, though. It's a very broad satire about the difficulties the very indigent face in obtaining expensive drug cocktails that fight the HIV virus. Paul Mercurio, who entered films as a sexy dancer in Strictly Ballroom, went on to star in the Garry Marshall flop Exit to Eden, and to play Joseph in TNT's Biblical mini-series, has kept busy in six or seven films since 1995; Red Ribbon Blues is the best of the follow-up projects I've seen. He doesn't dance in this one; he's an artist named Troy, who's just received a positive diagnosis. His best friend is Debi Mazar as Darcy, a tough drug addict with a fondness for bottles of Percodan. She's first seen shooting up underneath her fingernail. Like Troy, she's positive, as are their friends RuPaul as Duke and Lypsinka as Harold. Neither RuPaul nor Lypsinka appear in their world-famous drag personas here—in fact, Lypsinka is billed as John Epperson. All are depressed, appearing fitfully at support groups conducted by Troy, since none of them have a chance to buy effective medication. And then the idea hits them: Why not rob and distribute the drug to those who can't afford it, including themselves? Faster than you can say “Robin Hood,” Paul Bartel as Fred the Pharmacist is handcuffed to his desk as they help themselves to the medication. They soon acquire a media rep as the Red Ribbon bandits and detectives David Spielberg and Lisa Waltz are hot on their trail. Everyone wants to know who they are, AIDS activists and price clubs support them, the pharmaceutical company vindictively raises its prices, and sickly Harold is ironing his own shirt—not very well, but at least he isn't bedridden anymore. Even Deb is less bombed than usual and no one is in imminent danger of fearing the reaper. Bright performances by all and Charles Winkler's clever writing and direction lift Red Ribbon Blues above most lugubriously themed AIDS yarns. Mercurio and Mazar make a great team, even if they don't dance. (Note: Mercurio dances a little bit in Back of Beyond as a ghost named Tom, but at least he's alive and kicking here and improving as an actor all the time.)

1995 97m/C Paul Mercurio, Debi Mazar, RuPaul, John (Lypsinka) Epperson, Alan Boyce, Leland Orser, David Spielberg, Lisa Waltz, Paul Bartel; D: Charles Winkler; W: Charles Winkler; C: Larry Blanford; M: John Frizzell.