Blue Jasmine 2013
I remember hearing about this movie, maybe because Cate Blanchett won the Oscar for Best Actress. Woody Allen pretty much makes a movie a year, so this was his offering for 2013, set primarily in San Francisco with a fine cast of people doing very good naturalistic performances. However, other than being a showcase for Blanchett’s ability to play someone who has completely lost her grip, there isn’t much here. It’s not a bad movie by any means and it has a few twists and turns as you find out how Blanchett’s character experienced her rise and fall that leads her to moving in with her lower class sister. But a lot of the people are just not that likable, not least of which is Blanchett’s character, Jasmine. It’s nice seeing some of the other actors like Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sally Hawkins, along with good small parts for Louis C.K. and Andrew Dice Clay of all people. They are a good group of characters, acted out well, maybe even written well, but people you don’t want to hang out with regardless of how things turn out (which I will give away, but only in a spoiler if you’ve watched already, otherwise please skip it). Woody Allen still knows how to craft a good movie, but I didn’t like this one as much of some of his others.
Written: 10 Mar 2018
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital