Ruby's Bucket of Blood

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Ruby's Bucket of Blood ★★½ 2001 (PG-13)

Life's not easy for Ruby Delacroix (Bassett), the sultry owner of a bayou roadhouse, colorfully called the “Bucket of Blood,” especially since she's a black woman in the segregated south of 1960. Neglected by her husband Earl (Mitchell) and constantly battling with her teenaged daughter, Emerald (Smollett), Ruby is feeling vulnerable. Which may be why she allows Johnny (Plummer), the leader of the house band, to hire Billy Dupre (Anderson) as a replacement singer. Billy's white—and married. But Ruby and Billy have an undeniable attraction—and when Earl leaves Ruby, it becomes harder and harder to resist. 96m/C VHS, DVD . Angela Bassett, Kevin Anderson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Glenn Plummer, Jurnee Smollett, Angelica Torn; D: Peter Werner; W: Julie Hebert. CABLE