Ruby's Bucket of Blood (2001) (TV)

Director:

Peter Werner

Writers (WGA):

Julie Hébert (play)
Julie Hébert (teleplay)

Release Date:

1 December 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Passion knows no rules.

Plot:

A Louisiana juke joint owner loses her star entertainer and hires a white singer to fill in. |

Plot Keywords:

Juke Joint | Singer | Louisiana | Interracial Sex | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Angela Bassett	...	Ruby Delacroix
Kevin Anderson	...	Billy Dupre
Brian Stokes Mitchell	...	Earl Delacroix
Jurnee Smollett	...	Emerald Delacroix
Glenn Plummer	...	Johnny Beaugh
Angelica Torn	...	Betsy Dupree
Arnold Pinnock	...	Silas Bonner
Martin Villafana	...	Jack Nagim
Ruby Webb	...	Sydney Beaugh
Rudy Webb	...	Sydney Beaugh
Cabral Richards	...	Handsome Man
David Ferry	...	Sheriff Robicheaux
Mailka Oakley	...	Regina
Karen Andrew	...	Bootsie
Anna Ferguson	...	Miss Lemonn

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a scene of violence, some sensuality, drug use and language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Albion Hills, Ontario, Canada

Goofs:

Factual errors: The cymbals on the drum set in the club are Sabian. Sabian cymbals were not manufactured prior to 1981, twenty years after the time in which the movie is set.

Falls short

This movie appeared, at first, to be something that would turn out to be more interesting than it was. Taking place in the '50's in Louisiana, it sold out far too frequently to the expectations today's audience. The music was not authentic for its time, and there was way too much of it. The dialog was stilted---everyone speaking acting-school English, and the efforts by some actors to mix English with Cajun-French was very self-conscious. There was just no natural flow to the language. A few of the actors were very well-cast and captured the spirit of the thing, and the sets and scenery were pretty good. Having lived in Louisiana in the 50's, I actually relived the scent of the place a few times, but such reveries were infrequent. I didn't stay around for the whole thing, so the plot may have redeemed something by the end, but as I tuned out to watch a higher priority on cable), "Ruby" was just revealing itself as another of those films about homosexuality, and I have no idea how far that went. If you're an old car buff, though, there were some nice DeSotos and Hudsons and Packards. With authentic Louisiana license plates from 1956.