Woody Allen’s latest dramedy, “Blue Jasmine”, is not as magical or charming as his 2011 Oscar winner “Midnight in Paris”. However, it’s a major improvement from 2012’s bland romantic disappointment “To Rome with Love”. And it’s just another example of why Allen’s late-career films are much better when he’s behind the camera and not in front of it.
In “Blue Jasmine”, Allen gives the majority of screen time to actress Cate Blanchett who plays Jeanette (or as she re-named herself, Jasmine) in a showcase role. She’s newly single and has moved to San Francisco to stay with her adopted sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins), who has also recently separated from her husband. We learn early on that when she met her now ex-husband Hal, a financial adviser (played by Alec Baldwin), the song playing in the background was “Blue Moon”. She shares that fact with practically everyone she meets.
Allen divides his story of Jasmine into flashbacks of her past life in New York with Hal and her present day struggles to get back on her feet. Jasmine desperately wants to find both a new career and a new love. But life in San Fran, staying at Ginger’s small apartment, is completely different from the rich, glamorous life she enjoyed in Manhattan.
The back-and-forth storytelling forces you to pay close attention to “Blue Jasmine”. In one scene Jasmine is depressed, taking meds and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And in the next, she’s with Hal, enjoying the good life, with no idea of the problems that are just around the corner. Or does she? Allen mixes-in some subtle, situation-based humor with the intense drama, and Blanchett delivers a multi-layered performance. No wonder she’s the frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar.
Allen loves putting together interesting ensemble casts, and he’s got another great one here: Hawkins is excellent as the sister who thinks she “didn’t get the right genes”, but has the soul that Jasmine is lacking. Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger’s ex-husband and Bobby Cannavale (“Nurse Jackie”) as her new boyfriend play working class “losers” (as Jasmine calls them). Baldwin is spot-on as the wealthy big shot who’s not what he seems to be. The underrated Peter Sarsgaard is perfect as Jasmine’s new love interest. Even comedian Louis C.K. makes an appearance late in the film.
“Blue Jasmine” gets a little too straight-forward in the final half-hour, though one revelation does provide a bit of a jolt. And it’s not clear what Allen is trying to say about Jasmine and these other people (besides the obvious lessons about money and love). But it’s an enjoyable film with colorful characters told in classic, Allen style.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Blue Jasmine” gets a B.