Blue Sky (1994 film)

Blue Sky is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Tony Richardson and written by Rama Laurie Stagner, Arlene Sarner, and Jerry Leichtling. The film stars Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones, with supporting performances from Powers Boothe, Carrie Snodgress, Amy Locane, Chris O'Donnell, and Mitchell Ryan. Set in the 1960s, the story follows a U.S. Army engineer who becomes entangled in a military nuclear cover-up while navigating the challenges posed by his wife's increasingly erratic behavior. The film was inspired by the real-life experiences of screenwriter Rama Laurie Stagner's parents during her father's military service.^[2]

Blue Sky was Richardson's final film before his death in 1991, and its release was delayed until September 1994. Though a box office disappointment, the film received generally positive reviews, with particular praise for Lange's performance. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as a Golden Globe Award, becoming the second actress to win both Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress Oscars. The film's score was composed by Jack Nitzsche.

In 1962, Major Hank Marshall (Jones) and his wife, Carly (Lange), face marital difficulties due to the pressures of Hank's military career and Carly's mental health issues. Hank is a nuclear engineer who favors underground nuclear testing, an initiative code-named "Blue Sky," rather than above-ground, open-air detonations. Carly, a free spirit who appears to be mentally unbalanced, struggles with domestic monotony and her advancing age, causing tension within their family. Their move from Hawaii to a remote base in Alabama worsens Carly's erratic behavior and unsettles their eldest daughter, Alex Marshall (Locane).

The day after their arrival, Hank meets with base commander Colonel Vince Johnson (Boothe), who dismisses Hank's underground testing proposal despite strong scientific evidence. Meanwhile, Vince's wife, Vera Johnson (Snodgress), extends an invitation to Carly for a social event hosted by the base officers' wives. At the party, Carly becomes intoxicated and performs an exotic dance, prompting Vera to persuade Vince to address Carly's behavior, though Vince plans to remove Hank from the equation first.

Alex begins a relationship with Vince's son, Glenn (O'Donnell). On their first date, they find what Alex believes to be a dud grenade, which detonates and reveals their relationship, adding to Vince's motivation to remove Hank. Carly is invited by the officers' wives to participate in a dance recital and dedicates herself to rehearsing. Hank is then sent to the Nevada Test Site to oversee the initial underground test under Lieutenant Colonel Robert Jennings (McClendon).

During the test, Hank observes two cowboys in the testing area and requests that Robert abort the test, but Robert refuses, disregarding the cowboys' safety and sending Hank back to Alabama. While Hank is away, Alex and Glenn discover that Vince has orchestrated Hank's removal to pursue an affair with Carly.

Hank learns of the affair during the dance recital and reacts violently, leading to Carly being pushed out of a window and hospitalized. Hank is subsequently arrested, and Vince presents Carly with a choice: to either have Hank court-martialed or commit him to a psychiatric facility. Hank expresses a preference for court-martialing to publicize the incident with the cowboys but realizes he has been set up by Vince. Before he can act on this realization, MPs (Military police) transport him to the hospital, where he is heavily sedated.

Suspecting foul play, Carly investigates Hank's documents and discovers the report on the cowboys. She drives cross-country with her daughters and finds the cowboys suffering from radiation sickness then urges them to expose their story. When they refuse, Carly steals a horse and enters the test site to reenact their experience, attracting media attention. As a result, Robert is forced to release both Carly and Hank.

Carly returns home to find Hank waiting for her, having resigned from his position, and that Vince has been relieved of his duties. Hank announces a new job opportunity in the private sector in California, and the family moves happily to start anew.

Blue Sky was filmed from May 30 to August 28, 1990.^[3] However, due to the bankruptcy of Orion Pictures, the film's release was delayed until 1994.

It also marks the final film of director Tony Richardson, who died on November 14, 1991, prior to the film's release.^[4]

Blue Sky received generally positive reviews from critics, with Lange's performance receiving critical acclaim. The film holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10.^[5]

The New Yorker praised Lange, describing her role as "a stunning performance—perhaps the best of [her] remarkable career," while Entertainment Weekly described her performance as "a fierce, brave, sexually-charged performance, one of the most convincing portrayals I've seen of someone whose behavior flirts with craziness without quite crossing into it."^[6] The Los Angeles Times also lauded her work, calling it "striking" and noting that "Lange's acting in Blue Sky leaves you awestruck. It's a great performance — probably her best."^[7] Variety highlighted Lange's "full-blown star turn" as Carly Marshall, observing that "Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe are about the only other actresses one can imagine pulling off such a role as well as Lange has... [She] has the showy role, with almost unlimited opportunities to emote and strut her stuff, which she does magnificently and with total abandon."^[8] The Washington Post described her portrayal as "a plush, platinum star turn," noting, "She is what Carly imagines she might have become if only she hadn't been a military wife: mostly Monroe with a soupçon of Bardot."^[9] The New York Times echoed these sentiments, stating, "It is a lavish role for Ms. Lange, and she brings to it fierce emotions and tact. [It] echoes [her] dazzling role in Frances (1982),"^[10] while the New York Daily News observed, "Lange smolders, storms, rages and whimpers through Blue Sky, acting with every muscle in her body."

• 4th – Peter Rainer, Los Angeles Times^[18]
• Honorable mention – David Elliott, The San Diego Union-Tribune^[19]

• 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a treaty prohibiting all test detonations of nuclear weapons except underground

• Blue Sky at IMDb
• Blue Sky at Rotten Tomatoes
• Blue Sky at the TCM Movie Database