Review: Blue Jasmine

Sony Pictures Classics

Every year for as long as I can remember (so probably the last decade) we get a new movie written and directed by Woody Allen. They can be hit or miss for critics, but I tend to find most of them somewhere in-between with the occasional fantastic film. 2011's Midnight in Paris being the last really great one with Vicky Cristina Barcelona before that in 2008 with a handful of the 'meh' ones mixed in. I've always been a Woody Allen fan, but I did not pay much attention to Blue Jasmine during its production or early release besides when my brother and his girlfriend texted me to say they had seen Allen filming in San Francisco. So, I looked the movie up and was not surprised to find a typically stellar cast Allen always assembles consisting this time of Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Louis CK, Andrew Dice Clay, Peter Sarsgaard, and more. I didn't look into the plot at all, so I had the rare opportunity of experiencing a movie without already having some considerable knowledge of it.

What kind of story would it be? With Allen, it's fairly simple as to what one can expect. Sometimes he tackles certain concepts or human struggles/enigmas such as with Match Point, Cassandra's Dream, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and others, and sometimes he focuses on straight-up character studies as with Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan, etc. Blue Jasmine definitely falls under the realm of character study as the story focuses on the sad life of Jasmine (Blanchett) and all the people her life has affected, generally for the worse.

Sony Pictures Classics 

The movie begins with Jasmine moving in with her sister Ginger (Hawkins) in San Francisco because her marriage to Hal (Baldwin) had come to a disastrous end due to illegal business dealings. Allen plays a bit with chronology here in how he jumps back and forth between the present in San Francisco and back in time to show the major events and a sprinkling of minor details of Jasmine's life leading up to Hal's arrest and imprisonment. In this way, we get a glimpse of her former wealth and cushy life-style and see how she still tries to maintain and put on the same aura of wealth and dignity in the present. However, we learn that Jasmine experienced a nervous breakdown soon after Hal's imprisonment. Suffice to say, Jasmine is a hot mess. And oh boy does Blanchett give the role her all because she is terrific. It would be a crime if she doesn't get nominated for an Oscar, and I can even see her winning if some actress can't out-do her in a Fall or Winter release. She perfectly balances Jasmine's snooty side and her vodka drinking, distraught side. Blanchett's performance combined with Allen's writing and direction make Jasmine a perfect character for this dark comedy-tragedy. She's utterly pitiable but awfully selfish, resulting in true love-hate relationship with the audience.

Besides Blanchett's phenomenal performance, Blue Jasmine also sees Allen at the top of his game. Early on in the film, I couldn't resist leaning over and whispering to my friend about how masterfully Allen handles real life, awkward conversation and human interaction. One of the hallmarks of a good Allen film are the painfully awkward exchanges between characters. He draws attention to everyone's stammering, pauses, slurs, forced laughter, smiles, etc, all the things we do to try and hide our real thoughts or intentions. In a way, much of Allen's films are a study on human interaction. This becomes especially evident in how most of his plots deal with people attempting to hide something from others, pretend they are someone they're not, or maintain a certain facade. 

Sony Pictures Classics

The result is many, long scenes of conversation on varying levels of emotional intensity, and Allen's style makes it almost feel like you're watching a play. I noticed a higher number of longer takes which makes the performances even more impressive. Although Blanchett steals the show (even though not really "steals" since she is the protagonist), Hawkins delivers a fine performance as she always does, and Baldwin, Clay, and CK do as well. Specifically, Bobby Cannavale (Gyp Rosetti from season 3 of Boardwalk Empire) does a great job as Chili, Ginger's obnoxious boyfriend. Still, the bulk of the turmoil revolves around Jasmine's problems and how her train-wreck of a life affects those around her too. 

In the end, Blue Jasmine becomes just plain sad, but done so well! The story of a person who's life depends so much on looking, living, and being a certain way that once it's gone, she cracks. You can't help but feel sorry for Jasmine, but at the same time you can't help but think she deserves it. It's a frustrating but superbly executed mix of emotions that only Woody Allen could do so well.