Review of Blue Jasmine (2013) by Dave C — 22 Mar 2014

Cate Blanchett is really very good. She remains the center piece of what is a somewhat uneven story. I normally enjoy Allen's films. This one engages some of his tell tale stylistic tendencies, bouncing around from different points in time and to different characters with a sort of spotty, unedited and choppy flare. What I often enjoy about his style is that each scene can be taken individually as much as they make up a whole. The viewer is able to give as much time to analyzing and engaging with shorter sequences as they can to navigating the larger themes. And often this results in different points of the film exhibiting and traveling a completely different trajectory from one to the next. The downfall of this tendency though is that what can be perceived as too much freedom can frustrate the flow, both in the sense of continuity and pace. The issue in Blue Jasmine sometimes feels like it is wrestling with what is a powerful singular performance and still intertwining the supporting cast in equally significant ways.

Jasmine (Blanchett) marries in to a well to do relationship with a man who turns out not to be who he says he is. After an affair and privately mismanaging and stealing large amounts of money, Jasmine looses her prestigious life and ends up on the doorstep of her middle to lower class sister. The film essentially examines this relationship while following Jasmines adjustment, breakdown and victories (although not in that order and some coming more than once or all at the same time). Blanchett is remarkably involved in the emotional heart of her character, and plays it sort of off the beaten path. If you ever feel you have lost the story, she makes you want to keep watching just for her. Watching her adjustment to a life without riches, and walking through the complicated relationship with her sister is simply frustrating, but frustrating because you really feel (and feel for) the characters themselves. And that is enough to be able to forgive the spotty direction.