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Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. (Perdido Productions)
What it's about:
After everything in her life falls to pieces, including her marriage to wealthy businessman Hal, elegant New York socialite Jasmine moves into her sister Ginger’s modest apartment in San Francisco to try to pull herself back together again.
What we thought:
Blue Jasmine is so blatantly a Woody Allen movie that it sometimes feels like its Allen on the screen instead of Cate Blanchett, which makes this movie more appealing for fans of the awkward director than the award-winning actress.
This shows how good an actress Blanchett is though, as she successfully adopts the neurotic style of Allen which completely overshadows the star’s previous roles. She portrays a fallen socialite who cannot accept her new circumstances and dwindles between the present and her past. This fight for sanity feels so real though that Blanchett’s performance becomes quite unnerving.
Besides Blanchett, the other cast members were also exceptional in their performance, with Sally Hawkins, who plays Jasmine’s adopted sister, standing out in a supporting role. Her character tries to move on with a new love, but is kept from moving forward by Jasmine who can’t seem to move beyond what she lost. The two sister’s relationship is very naturally strained as the two actresses play off of each other and is no surprise both got nominated for a Golden Globe.
As for the plot, it is very... weird. It jumps between the past and the present and follows various romances – some unwanted –to an unsettling conclusion. The twist in the story is quite a poignant one and pulls together the reason why Jasmine is in her downward spiral, but also drives home the point that sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to moving beyond a tragedy.
Blue Jasmine is not the type of movie you like but rather is the kind of movie which you can appreciate for its art, the script and the unfiltered flawed humanity that comes through. Life sucks, get over it and move on, and Jasmine shows the impact non-acceptance has on the psyche. This is a movie for those who appreciate it for what it says and not for how ‘awesome’ it is.
After everything in her life falls to pieces, including her marriage to wealthy businessman Hal, elegant New York socialite Jasmine moves into her sister Ginger’s modest apartment in San Francisco to try to pull herself back together again.
What we thought:
Blue Jasmine is so blatantly a Woody Allen movie that it sometimes feels like its Allen on the screen instead of Cate Blanchett, which makes this movie more appealing for fans of the awkward director than the award-winning actress.
This shows how good an actress Blanchett is though, as she successfully adopts the neurotic style of Allen which completely overshadows the star’s previous roles. She portrays a fallen socialite who cannot accept her new circumstances and dwindles between the present and her past. This fight for sanity feels so real though that Blanchett’s performance becomes quite unnerving.
Besides Blanchett, the other cast members were also exceptional in their performance, with Sally Hawkins, who plays Jasmine’s adopted sister, standing out in a supporting role. Her character tries to move on with a new love, but is kept from moving forward by Jasmine who can’t seem to move beyond what she lost. The two sister’s relationship is very naturally strained as the two actresses play off of each other and is no surprise both got nominated for a Golden Globe.
As for the plot, it is very... weird. It jumps between the past and the present and follows various romances – some unwanted –to an unsettling conclusion. The twist in the story is quite a poignant one and pulls together the reason why Jasmine is in her downward spiral, but also drives home the point that sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to moving beyond a tragedy.
Blue Jasmine is not the type of movie you like but rather is the kind of movie which you can appreciate for its art, the script and the unfiltered flawed humanity that comes through. Life sucks, get over it and move on, and Jasmine shows the impact non-acceptance has on the psyche. This is a movie for those who appreciate it for what it says and not for how ‘awesome’ it is.
