Dir. Woody Allen
USA, 2013
Based off of the Tennessee Williams play, "A Streetcar Named Desire", Blanchett plays a modern day Blanche DuBois with Hawkins as the spiritually beaten, Stella. While in the original play, Williams focuses on the breakdown of DuBois from her rape by Stanley Kowalski, her brother in law, Allen rewrites the classic tale to feature DuBois' breakdown to be caused by her own hand. While this loose adaptation may seem a disservice to the original play for some, I believe it's a brilliant evolution of the characters reinvented for the modern day that we live in.
Blanchett's portrayal of Jasmine's fragility, vanity, self grandeur and the delusion therein, is marked by an unaware sense of comedy and depressing truth. The writing and order of the scenes, filled with flashbacks, recreates the memories in Jasmines mind and throws the audience into her one sided conversation with herself. While she mumbles her response to these memories, confusing anyone around her in these moments, she gives the audience an insight to her internal monologue. This creates many laughable yet sad moments for the character as we watch her descend into madness, not a long fall for someone so obsessed with their own false delusions.
Hawkins plays Jasmines sister, Ginger, perfectly. Wanting her to find her own footing and relinquish her ties to her boyfriend, Bobby Cannavale, her sister, and her ex-husband, Andrew Dice Clay, we root for her to find her independence. When she finds a lover in Louis C.K., who was made for Woody Allen films, we cheer her on and cry with her when he is found out. Hawkins quiet and people pleasing demeanor is found in her characters actions and dialogue.
The minor characters are all well cast and provide a levity to the film that might otherwise have been lost. Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K. and Alec Baldwin are all superb in their roles, and at time I wish they were featured more. However, the story is of the relationship of the sisters, and Jasmines ultimate breakdown which can be seen as the main focus for all the interactions. One aspect of the film that didn't agree with me quite as well was the convenience of Peter Sarsgaard's character. Like a white knight, he swoops up the plot line and gives Jasmine her last chance at happiness which she botches by her own actions. While such a character is needed for the extra push of Jasmine into insanity, it seemed all a little too easy. What would have been even more interesting, at least in this viewers mind, would be if he was imagined by Jasmine as a last ditch attempt to save her sanity.
While not in the typical Woody Allen vein of writing, Blue Jasmine is a perfect tangent to Allen's main film discourse. While funny and typically neurotic at points, the deeper motifs of sisters and sanity reminds us of the underbelly of all comedy, truth. Blue Jasmine is definitely a worth while watch for any and all Woody Allen lovers as well as those who want a character study with a funny and honest backbone.