Desert Blue (1998)

Morgan J. Freeman directed this comedy-drama that takes place in the desert town of Baxter Beach, California, where the locals, lookers, visitors and slackers include dreamer Blue (Brendan Sexton III), pipe-bomb babe Ely (Christina Ricci), all-terrain-vehicle champ Pete (Casey Affleck), nerdy Sandy (Sara Gilbert), TV star Skye (Kate Hudson), and chubby Cale (Ethan Suplee). Blue's dad, who had hoped to bring water to the town, died mysteriously in a hotel fire, leaving an abandoned water slide, and Blue hopes to fulfill his father's dream by completing the water slide attraction. Actress Skye is just passing through with her father, a pop-culture prof. (John Heard), but they're forced to stay in town after a truck-spill leads to a quarantine and the presence of both an FBI agent (Michael Ironside) and an EPA agent (Aunjanue Ellis). Skye gets caught up in local fun and games (orange baseball, potato cannon salvos), while her dad reminisces about the '60s with UFO fanatic Caroline (Lucinda Jenney). Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. — Bhob Stewart

Kate Hudson - Skye
Christina Ricci - Ely
John Heard - Father
Lucinda Jenney - Caroline
Casey Affleck - Pete
Sara Gilbert - Sandy
Isidra Vega - Haley
Ethan Suplee - Cale
Michael Ironside - Agent Bellows
Aunjanue Ellis - Agent Summers
Brendan Sexton III - Blue Baxter
Peter Sarsgaard
Lee Holmes