Blue Jasmine: A Review

To be honest, had I known Blue Jasmine was a Woody Allen film I probably wouldn’t have gone along to see it. I haven’t switched on an Allen film since the first ten or so minutes of 2005’s Match Point, so it would have been with extreme trepidation that I’d have given another a go with fair warning.

Funnily enough, Blue Jasmine is the quintessential Allen film, which I still hadn’t cottoned onto until after the film, when I had to be told and it came as a bit of an ‘aha’ moment. But it’s Allen at his best, and is more akin to his 1970s/80s work than anything more recent.

Cate Blanchett plays Jasmine, who was married to Hal (Alec Baldwin) until his investments and her marriage went belly up and she lost everything. This sees her land on her sister Ginger’s (Sally Hawkins) doorstep with her Louis Vuitton cases piled high but utterly broke and quite mad. Through a series of flashbacks the sorry tale that is the collapse of Jasmine’s marriage and her mind is revealed.

Having never been to either, I’m pretty sure Allen’s San Francisco is more New York than it is San Fran. That aside, the story is one based on a certain kind of voyeurism that compels us to bear witness to the progressive downfall of someone we all hope is kind of deserving of their own fate. It’s watching the fall from grace of someone who is predominantly unsympathetic and unlikeable, but an accurate characterisation of The Real Housewives of [insert random American metropolis here]. I hate her, but I desperately want to see what happens to her, and secretly want it to all go very, very wrong.

The film is skilfully acted, with Blanchett an absolute stand out in a very theatrical portrayal of a woman unable to come to terms with the loss of the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed, or that of her own mind. Hawkins portrayal of the sister left behind is genuine, even when she’s doing what she can to help her sister despite the damage Jasmine has previously caused her – because that’s what family does. The dynamic between the two sisters, who have been separately adopted from different biological families, makes for interesting motivation, especially given the circumstances in which they find themselves, and Allen handles it well. 

Bobby Cannavale as Ginger’s boyfriend, Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger’s former husband, Peter Sarsgaard as Jasmine’s potential new suitor, and Louis C.K. as Ginger’s momentary lapse in judgement all offer up strong support.

Blue Jasmine is in cinemas from September 12.

-Stevie O'C