This is a movie about a woman, Jasmine, whose husband's wealth was amassed by him engaging in illegal finance. After he is arrested, Jasmine finds herself broke and is forced to move in with her sister. The stress of her fall from grace starts to take a rather serious toll on her.
Woody Allen usually makes really good, if not masterful, movies. This is one of the masterful ones. Blue Jasmine is not a comedy. Sure, there are some funny bits. But don't let the presence of Louis C.K. and Andrew Dice Clay fool you. Not a comedy. It's more of a psychological melodrama.
Cate Blanchett is the movie. Without her incredible performance, there is no Blue Jasmine. A viewer would never believe the story. Her facial tics, her arrogance, her despair. It is all there. Blanchett goes through physical transformations in the film and it's all just her face. No makeup. No CGI. She just transforms. It's like watching John Barrymore in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (hopefully someone reading this knows what I'm talking about).
The rest of the cast is stellar too. Obviously, Sally Hawkins is amazing (obvious because she and Blanchett are Oscar nominees for this movie) as Jasmine's sister, Ginger. She has her own pride despite feeling inadequate next to the wealth that Jasmine has. Whereas the role of Jasmine is a woman who falls, Ginger goes through many ups and downs. Hawkins plays as a woman constantly torn between two forces: her sister and her boyfriend, her boyfriend and her lover, or her current life and the life she covets. She's the human element of the movie.
It's not a flashy movie, although it is well filmed. Allen lets the actors (and his Oscar nominated script) carry the film. He's a smart filmmaker and he knows that that's all the movie needs. There's no need to gild the lily. Blue Jasmine is not to be missed. A real "must see" movie.
9 out of 10
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