Powder (film)
Encyclopedia
Powder is a 1995
film directed by Victor Salva
, about a boy, nickname
d "Powder", with incredible intellect, telepathy
, and paranormal
powers. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery
in the title role, with Jeff Goldblum
, Mary Steenburgen
, Bradford Tatum
, Lance Henriksen
, and Brandon Smith
in supporting roles. The film questions the limits of the human mind and body while also displaying their capacity for cruelty, and the hope that humanity will advance to a state of better understanding.
Since its release, the film has grossed approximately $31 million worldwide.
), whose nickname is Powder, is an albino
who has incredible intellect and is able to sense the thoughts of the people around him. Jeremy's brain possesses a powerful electromagnetic
charge, which causes electrical objects to function abnormally when he is around them, as well as when he becomes emotional. The electrical charge also prevents hair from growing on his body. Jeremy's mother was struck by lightning while pregnant with him; she died shortly after the strike, but Jeremy survived. His father disowned him shortly after his premature birth, and he was raised by his grandparents. Jeremy lived in the basement and worked on their farm but never left their property, learning everything he knew from books. He is taken from his home when his grandfather is found dead of natural causes. Jessie Caldwell (Mary Steenburgen
), a child services psychologist called in by Sheriff Doug Barnum (Lance Henriksen
), takes him to a boy's home because he is now effectively a ward
of the state.
Caldwell enrolls him in high school, where Powder meets physics
teacher Donald Ripley (Jeff Goldblum
). Ripley finds out that Powder has supernatural
powers as well as the highest IQ
in the history of mankind. While his abilities mark him as special, they also make him an outcast
. On a hunting trip with his schoolmates, Powder is threatened with a gun by John Box (Bradford Tatum
), an aggressive student who views him as a freak. Before John can fire, a gun goes off in the distance and everyone rushes to see that Harley (Brandon Smith
), a sheriff's deputy who is hunting with the boys, has shot a doe, which is now dying. Anguished by the animal's death, Powder touches the deer and Harley, inducing in Harley what the students assume is a seizure. Harley later reveals that Powder had caused him to feel the pain and fear of the dying deer, and he cannot bring himself to take another life.
The Sheriff enlists Powder to help speak to his dying wife (Danette McMahon) through telepathy
. Through Powder the Sheriff learns that his wife clings onto life because she didn't want to leave without her wedding ring on her finger and without him reconciling with his estranged son, Steven (Tom Tarantini). She tells him that Steven found the ring and it has been sitting in a silver box on her nightstand throughout the entire movie. The Sheriff then places the ring on his wife's finger and reconciles with Steven, letting his wife die peacefully.
Powder meets Lindsey Kelloway (Melissa Lahlitah Crider), a romantic interest, but their relationship is broken by Lindsey's father (Woody Watson). Before the interruption, he tells Lindsey that he can see the truth about people: that they are scared and feel disconnected from the rest of the world, but in truth are all connected to everything that exists.
Powder goes back to the juvenile facility and packs away his belongings, planning to run away to his deceased grandparents' farm. He pauses in the gym to stare at a male student washing, noticing the latter's luxurious head of hair as well as body hair which he himself lacks, and is caught at it by John Box, who accuses him of homosexuality. John steals Jeremy's hat and taunts him, but Powder reveals that John's words mimic what his stepfather said before beating him when he was 12, further angering Box. Box and the other boys humiliate Powder, stripping him naked and throwing him in a mud puddle. Box is then knocked away by a mysterious electric attack, and a classmate pronounces him dead. Powder uses an electric shock to revive John.
In the final scene Powder returns to the farm where he grew up, now in probate
with the bank, and finds that all of his possessions have been removed. He is joined by Jessie, Donald and the Sheriff, who persuade Powder to come with them to find a place where he will not be feared and misunderstood. Instead, a thunderstorm arrives and he runs into a field where a lightning bolt strikes him, and he disappears in a blinding flash of light.
based on 19 reviews, as of May 2011.
Caryn James of The New York Times
described the film as "lethally dull" and said, "This intensely self-important film has no idea how absurd and unconvincing it is."
, who had been convicted of molesting a 12-year-old child actor
in 1988. When Powder was released, the victim, Nathan Forrest Winters, came forward again in an attempt to get others to boycott the film in protest at Disney's hiring Salva. Since then, Disney has not picked up any more pictures by Salva.
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
film directed by Victor Salva
Victor Salva
Victor Ronald Salva is an American film director, mostly of horror movies. His body of work includes the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers.-Early life and career:...
, about a boy, nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "Powder", with incredible intellect, telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, and paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
powers. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery is an American actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone and for portraying Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as Bobby Dagen in Saw 3D.He is currently known for his role as Sam Gibson on The...
in the title role, with Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
, Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
, Bradford Tatum
Bradford Tatum
Bradford Tatum is an American actor, known for his role as Michael Hubbs in the cult favorite stoner film, The Stoned Age . He also played the bully, John Box in controversial director Victor Salva's Powder . In 1999, Bradford wrote, directed, and starred in the indie film Standing on Fishes...
, Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen
Lance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
, and Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith may refer to:* Brandon Smith , Canadian football player* Brandon Smith , Canadian ice hockey player* Brandon Smith, , American actor...
in supporting roles. The film questions the limits of the human mind and body while also displaying their capacity for cruelty, and the hope that humanity will advance to a state of better understanding.
Since its release, the film has grossed approximately $31 million worldwide.
Plot summary
Jeremy Reed (Sean Patrick FlanerySean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery is an American actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone and for portraying Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as Bobby Dagen in Saw 3D.He is currently known for his role as Sam Gibson on The...
), whose nickname is Powder, is an albino
Albinism
Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...
who has incredible intellect and is able to sense the thoughts of the people around him. Jeremy's brain possesses a powerful electromagnetic
Electromagnetic
Electromagnetic may refer to:* Electromagnetism* Electromagnetic field* Electromagnetic force* Electromagnetic radiation* Electromagnetic induction* Electromagnetic spectrum...
charge, which causes electrical objects to function abnormally when he is around them, as well as when he becomes emotional. The electrical charge also prevents hair from growing on his body. Jeremy's mother was struck by lightning while pregnant with him; she died shortly after the strike, but Jeremy survived. His father disowned him shortly after his premature birth, and he was raised by his grandparents. Jeremy lived in the basement and worked on their farm but never left their property, learning everything he knew from books. He is taken from his home when his grandfather is found dead of natural causes. Jessie Caldwell (Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
), a child services psychologist called in by Sheriff Doug Barnum (Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen
Lance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
), takes him to a boy's home because he is now effectively a ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of the state.
Caldwell enrolls him in high school, where Powder meets physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
teacher Donald Ripley (Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
). Ripley finds out that Powder has supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
powers as well as the highest IQ
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
in the history of mankind. While his abilities mark him as special, they also make him an outcast
Social stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
. On a hunting trip with his schoolmates, Powder is threatened with a gun by John Box (Bradford Tatum
Bradford Tatum
Bradford Tatum is an American actor, known for his role as Michael Hubbs in the cult favorite stoner film, The Stoned Age . He also played the bully, John Box in controversial director Victor Salva's Powder . In 1999, Bradford wrote, directed, and starred in the indie film Standing on Fishes...
), an aggressive student who views him as a freak. Before John can fire, a gun goes off in the distance and everyone rushes to see that Harley (Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith may refer to:* Brandon Smith , Canadian football player* Brandon Smith , Canadian ice hockey player* Brandon Smith, , American actor...
), a sheriff's deputy who is hunting with the boys, has shot a doe, which is now dying. Anguished by the animal's death, Powder touches the deer and Harley, inducing in Harley what the students assume is a seizure. Harley later reveals that Powder had caused him to feel the pain and fear of the dying deer, and he cannot bring himself to take another life.
The Sheriff enlists Powder to help speak to his dying wife (Danette McMahon) through telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
. Through Powder the Sheriff learns that his wife clings onto life because she didn't want to leave without her wedding ring on her finger and without him reconciling with his estranged son, Steven (Tom Tarantini). She tells him that Steven found the ring and it has been sitting in a silver box on her nightstand throughout the entire movie. The Sheriff then places the ring on his wife's finger and reconciles with Steven, letting his wife die peacefully.
Powder meets Lindsey Kelloway (Melissa Lahlitah Crider), a romantic interest, but their relationship is broken by Lindsey's father (Woody Watson). Before the interruption, he tells Lindsey that he can see the truth about people: that they are scared and feel disconnected from the rest of the world, but in truth are all connected to everything that exists.
Powder goes back to the juvenile facility and packs away his belongings, planning to run away to his deceased grandparents' farm. He pauses in the gym to stare at a male student washing, noticing the latter's luxurious head of hair as well as body hair which he himself lacks, and is caught at it by John Box, who accuses him of homosexuality. John steals Jeremy's hat and taunts him, but Powder reveals that John's words mimic what his stepfather said before beating him when he was 12, further angering Box. Box and the other boys humiliate Powder, stripping him naked and throwing him in a mud puddle. Box is then knocked away by a mysterious electric attack, and a classmate pronounces him dead. Powder uses an electric shock to revive John.
In the final scene Powder returns to the farm where he grew up, now in probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
with the bank, and finds that all of his possessions have been removed. He is joined by Jessie, Donald and the Sheriff, who persuade Powder to come with them to find a place where he will not be feared and misunderstood. Instead, a thunderstorm arrives and he runs into a field where a lightning bolt strikes him, and he disappears in a blinding flash of light.
Cast
- Mary SteenburgenMary SteenburgenMary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
as Jessie Caldwell - Sean Patrick FlanerySean Patrick FlanerySean Patrick Flanery is an American actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone and for portraying Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as Bobby Dagen in Saw 3D.He is currently known for his role as Sam Gibson on The...
as Jeremy 'Powder' Reed - Lance HenriksenLance HenriksenLance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
as Sheriff Doug Barnum - Jeff GoldblumJeff GoldblumJeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
as Donald Ripley - Brandon SmithBrandon SmithBrandon Smith may refer to:* Brandon Smith , Canadian football player* Brandon Smith , Canadian ice hockey player* Brandon Smith, , American actor...
as Deputy Harley Duncan - Bradford TatumBradford TatumBradford Tatum is an American actor, known for his role as Michael Hubbs in the cult favorite stoner film, The Stoned Age . He also played the bully, John Box in controversial director Victor Salva's Powder . In 1999, Bradford wrote, directed, and starred in the indie film Standing on Fishes...
as John Box - Susan TyrrellSusan TyrrellSusan Tyrrell is an American actress of Irish descent, known for her role as Ramona Rickettes in the film Cry-Baby.-Background:...
as Maxine - Melissa Lahlitah Crider as Lindsey Kelloway (as Missy Crider)
- Ray WiseRay WiseRaymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
as Dr. Aaron Stripler - Esteban PowellEsteban PowellEsteban Louis Powell is an American actor.He attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, a magnet school of the Houston Independent School District...
as Mitch - Reed Frerichs as Skye
- Chad Cox as Zane
- Joe Marchman as Brennan
- Phil HayesPhil HayesPhillip Lee Hayes is an English cricketer. Hayes is a left-handed batsman who bowls leg break. He was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester and educated at Bury College....
as Greg Reed (as Phillip Maurice Hayes) - Danette McMahon as Emma Barnum
Reception
Powder holds a rating of 47% ("Rotten") on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 19 reviews, as of May 2011.
Caryn James of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described the film as "lethally dull" and said, "This intensely self-important film has no idea how absurd and unconvincing it is."
Controversy
The film's production by Disney resulted in a controversy over the choice of director Victor SalvaVictor Salva
Victor Ronald Salva is an American film director, mostly of horror movies. His body of work includes the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers.-Early life and career:...
, who had been convicted of molesting a 12-year-old child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
in 1988. When Powder was released, the victim, Nathan Forrest Winters, came forward again in an attempt to get others to boycott the film in protest at Disney's hiring Salva. Since then, Disney has not picked up any more pictures by Salva.