Never a stark admirer of Woody Allen, whose body of work of the past 20 years has left me admittedly lukewarm, "Blue Jasmine" nonetheless had me pulled in from the get-go. Lacking a Woody Allen character, while being led by a strong performance by Cate Blanchett, who plays the titular Jasmine, it suddenly felt fresh and appealing. Still distinctly Allenesque, "Blue Jasmine" focuses on the trials and tribulations of a former New York socialite, whose husband Hal (Alex Baldwin) was convicted of massive money fraud, thus torpedoing her down the ladder and forcing her to move to her adoptive sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in San Francisco.
Ginger, a member of lower spheres, was massively hit by Hal and Jasmine's fall from grace, as he and her former husband investing much money into the financial pyramids. Nonetheless she welcomes Jasmine with open arms, ever welcoming not only her presence, but also her lifestyle and expectations into her life. When Jasmine starts questioning Ginger's new boyfriend as a aimless simpleton, who may not be a classy uptown gentleman, but nonetheless is a loving, caring presence, Ginger accepts the criticism and slowly distances herself from Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). Meanwhile Jasmine, previously hospitalised and still caught talking to herself, struggles to accept the downgrade in her lifestyle, still plotting a way back up the social ladder, dreaming of becoming an interior decorator, whilst keeping both eyes open for a potential rich future husband.
Flashbacks frequent the movie, as Jasmine's crazed talking to herself, transports us into her head and the memories of what transpired in New York and caused the financial empire of her husband to topple. And unfortunately it is the plot the proves the ultimate downfall of "Blue Jasmine", as it takes a recognisable autobiographical turn as Allen decides to punch out out his former wife Mia Farrow. As Jasmine turns out to be a deluded, obsessive woman, who is hell-bent on serving revenge to her husband for cheating on her with a young bimbo, one can't help but connect the dots with the debacle of early 1990s.
Whatever the qualities the movie may have it suddenly becomes embroiled in the past, even more explicitly by the recent public letter by Dylan Farrow, who 20 years ago claims to have been raped and sexually abused by her estranged father-in-law Woody Allen. Suddenly fiction and reality collide, and with all likelihood being that Dylan Farrow is telling the truth, the sour taste in your mouth brings you to the point of vomit. My wife, a previously devout Allen fan, finished the viewing with the simple summary: Woody Allen is finished for me. Unfortunately Woody Allen's ill-fated attempt to hit back at his past and point the finger all so indirectly at Mia Farrow, is bound to be met with blow-back. However decent the movie is and however superb a performance Blanchett gives, "Blue Jasmine" transgresses the fictionalised story and hurts Allen's credential leaving the viewer maddened at the director's ill-gotten form of revenge.
Coupled with the recent revelations I and my wife are now of the firm belief, that any actor who from now on plays in a Woody Allen movie is morally inept.
Ginger, a member of lower spheres, was massively hit by Hal and Jasmine's fall from grace, as he and her former husband investing much money into the financial pyramids. Nonetheless she welcomes Jasmine with open arms, ever welcoming not only her presence, but also her lifestyle and expectations into her life. When Jasmine starts questioning Ginger's new boyfriend as a aimless simpleton, who may not be a classy uptown gentleman, but nonetheless is a loving, caring presence, Ginger accepts the criticism and slowly distances herself from Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). Meanwhile Jasmine, previously hospitalised and still caught talking to herself, struggles to accept the downgrade in her lifestyle, still plotting a way back up the social ladder, dreaming of becoming an interior decorator, whilst keeping both eyes open for a potential rich future husband.
Flashbacks frequent the movie, as Jasmine's crazed talking to herself, transports us into her head and the memories of what transpired in New York and caused the financial empire of her husband to topple. And unfortunately it is the plot the proves the ultimate downfall of "Blue Jasmine", as it takes a recognisable autobiographical turn as Allen decides to punch out out his former wife Mia Farrow. As Jasmine turns out to be a deluded, obsessive woman, who is hell-bent on serving revenge to her husband for cheating on her with a young bimbo, one can't help but connect the dots with the debacle of early 1990s.
Whatever the qualities the movie may have it suddenly becomes embroiled in the past, even more explicitly by the recent public letter by Dylan Farrow, who 20 years ago claims to have been raped and sexually abused by her estranged father-in-law Woody Allen. Suddenly fiction and reality collide, and with all likelihood being that Dylan Farrow is telling the truth, the sour taste in your mouth brings you to the point of vomit. My wife, a previously devout Allen fan, finished the viewing with the simple summary: Woody Allen is finished for me. Unfortunately Woody Allen's ill-fated attempt to hit back at his past and point the finger all so indirectly at Mia Farrow, is bound to be met with blow-back. However decent the movie is and however superb a performance Blanchett gives, "Blue Jasmine" transgresses the fictionalised story and hurts Allen's credential leaving the viewer maddened at the director's ill-gotten form of revenge.
Coupled with the recent revelations I and my wife are now of the firm belief, that any actor who from now on plays in a Woody Allen movie is morally inept.