David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes adapted Bruce Porter's 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All[2] for the screenplay.

It is based on the real-life stories of U.S. drug trafficker George Jung (played by Johnny Depp) and his connections including narcotics kings Pablo Escobar and Carlos Lehder Rivas (portrayed in the film as Diego Delgado), and the Medellín Cartel.

In the late 1960s, an adult George moves to Los Angeles with his friend "Tuna"; they meet Barbara, a flight attendant, who introduces them to Derek Foreal, a marijuana dealer.

Kevin Dulli, a visiting college student from Boston, tells them of the demand for marijuana back home.

After unsuccessfully trying to plead his innocence, George skips bail to take care of Barbara, who dies from cancer.

They meet with cartel officer Cesar Rosa to negotiate the terms for smuggling 15 kilograms (33 lb) to establish "good faith".

He is sent to jail for three years, Mirtha divorces him and takes custody of their nine-year-old daughter, Kristina Sunshine Jung.

[6] The film holds an approval rating of 55% at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 141 reviews, with a weighted average score of 5.8/10.

The site's consensus is: "With elements that seem borrowed from movies like Goodfellas and Boogie Nights, Blow is pretty much been-there-done-that despite another excellent performance from Johnny Depp.

[9] Rob Gonsalves from eFilmCritic.com gave the film four out of five stars stating: "Blow isn't really a classic, but it's a sobering story well-told.

Nusair concludes that while it "is not a bad film ... the central character of George Jung just doesn't seem worthy to be the center of attention.

"[12] Christopher Smith from Bangor Daily News gave the film a "D+", stating "Blow is ultimately more about charisma than it is about truth, more about Depp's smooth strut and tousled hair than it is about George Jung's fatal flaws—his stupidity, desperation, ego and small-town greed.

"[13] Penélope Cruz was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performances in Blow as well as Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Vanilla Sky.