DVD Review: Blue Jasmine



That's kind of how I felt when I was watching Blue Jasmine. Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) married a rich man (Alec Baldwin) who's lavish lifestyle she became accustomed to. Then he gets arrested for fraud, kills himself in prison, and now "poor" Jasmine is forced to move to San Francisco with her sister Ginger. (Sally Hawkins) Jasmine is not used to life as a "commoner." She hates Ginger's new boyfriend, Chili (Bobby Canavale) and she doesn't know what she actually wants to do with her life.

I had to see this based on the buzz around Blanchett's performance, and she deserves all of it. She's fantastic as Jasmine. Her character has absolutely no redeeming qualities, but Blanchett still captures her and makes us want to see what happens with the train wreck that is Jasmine's life. Hawkins and Canavale gave good performances too, but other actors like Louis C.K and Peter Sarsgard as wasted. 

I honestly think I would've enjoyed this movie more had it not been directed by Woody Allen. I know, I'm one of the few who doesn't like his movies (minus Midnight in Paris) but his signature jazzy music and neurotic-ness (that's not a word) just didn't feel like it fit. Perhaps it would've worked better as a hard drama? Who knows. The point is, there's some great performances in here, but the film itself isn't the greatest.

Recommended: No (Though if you're a Blanchett fan, you should see it for her.)

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "Who do you have to sleep with around here to get a Stoli martini with a twist of lemon?"

Comments

  1. Oh, yes! I actually didn't enjoy the movie that much, Blanchett's character was such a douchebag and I generally just didn't feel like the film worked for me--but I'm not a Woody Allen fan either. Spot-on review!

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  2. This makes me feel better. I basically loathed Jasmine, and it seems you feel the same way. Cate is amazing in the role, and we definitely don't get enough Louis C.K.

    It seems Midnight in Paris is the most user-friendly Allen for sure, as I loved that one too, and an not the biggest Allen fan myself.

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    1. That one just worked. I think because Paris itself is a beautiful city. I'm glad I'm not alone in my Jasmine hate. She probably should've gotten ran over at the end.

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  3. Sorry you didn't like this one more, my only advice is - never watch You will meet tall dark stranger or From Rome with Love. I'm a big fan of Allen but I wanted to stab myself in the face during those.

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    1. Ha! Watched both of this and felt the same way. Nothing of his will ever get me on his bandwagon. I'm convinced the only reason I liked Midnight in Paris so much was because it captured how beautiful Paris really is.

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  4. I liked this film a lot, largely because of Blanchett and Hawkins as they were the highlights for me as is Andrew Dice Clay who was the big surprise for me.

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    1. I'm not really that familiar with him, but both you and Candice mentioned him. Now I'm trying to remember what he did.,

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    2. He plays Ginger's ex-husband who lost everything because of what Jasmine's husband did and has been bitter about it. It's a real surprise since people know Clay as this kind of misogynist comedian who makes a lot of very sexist jokes and such. Yet, he manages to standout and that one scene he has with Blanchett proves that there's depth to him.

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    3. I saw that now! Had to do a little IMDbing. That's interesting.

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  5. i absolutely love this movie, but it does have a strong streetcar named desire vibe (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but worth noting). while blanchett is magnificent, i loved all the performances. i wish the rest of the cast got as much recognition. i was truly blown away by andrew dice clay in this role. didn't know he had it in him...

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    1. I haven't seen A Streetcar Named Desire, I knew you liked this one a lot. I wish I could've liked it more.

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  6. I liked this one fairly much but more weirdly, I suppose, I do feel for Jasmine more than a few seem to. It's a particularly risky thing giving us no idea was like BEFORE she got married but there's such a wave of sadness under the performance and I swear at the end when she says "I used to know the words" I do actually feel terrible for her.

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    1. I always got the impression she was kind of awful before hand too.

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  7. I liked this one a lot better than you did... But good review, though.

    (P.S. - I nominated this blog for a Liebster Award: http://filmbroadcaster.weebly.com/1/post/2014/03/the-film-broadcaster-gets-a-liebster-award.html)

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  8. Good review Brittani. I think it's been said before, time and time again, that Blanchett is great here, but I think the unsung hero is Sally Hawkins. Not only does she show us the heart behind this kind of broken-down character, but lets us get to know her a bit better, just by the certain men she takes into her life.

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    1. That's true. Sally was great, much better than Lawrence in Hustle anyways.

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  9. I liked the film, but Allen has made better. Still, as you mentioned, there are some great performances here.

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