Desert Blue

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Christine Ricci blows things up because she's bored. She plays a teenage demolition-hobbyist, typical resident of the tiny desert town of Baxter, California. Baxter's ennui is interrupted by "Empire Cola's" toxic chemical spill that forces the town into quarantine. TV teen goddess Skye (Kate Hudson) happened to be passing through with her father, and she finds herself stuck in a strange world where the inhabitants are unaware of her fame. (The American desert: bad reception, no cable.) For the first time in her life Skye is treated normally, except for the fact that the FBI won't let her return to the sanctuary of L.A. until they determine whether or not the Cola-spill poisoned everyone. A local boy romances Skye, groups of teens gracefully tussle with possibilities of life-and-death prompted by the chemical spill, and everyone learns a little something.

Desert Blue unfolds at a leisurely pace, allowing the actors' abilities to carry the movie. Consciously contrary to current teen-flick conventions, Desert Blue is reflective, quiet, and confident enough to spin a yarn without gimmicks or compromise.