4 stars out of 5
I will admit to not knowing the difference between Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet. Thankfully, Woody cast Peter Sarsgaard and not Alexander Skarsgard, who I confuse with Stellan Skarsgard. This could’ve easily turned into a Shakespearean comedy.
Instead, it’s barely a Woody Allen comedy. Closer to a tragedy, really. And Blanchett—the slightly older, more “austere” of the (K)ate-et(t)s—is perfectly cast as Jasmine, who is a bit blue. I’d say she is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but we learn that she’s already had one.
Jasmine—who was Jeanette, but that didn’t sound classy enough—has fallen from grace, and hard. Her marriage to financial wheeler-dealer Hal (Alec Baldwin, who can play slick, cold, and charming in his sleep) has collapsed in infidelity and monetary misdeeds. She leaves Park Avenue for her sister’s place in San Francisco, after a pit stop in (shudder!) Brooklyn. But can she reclaim her life? Or did she ever really have one?
In the hands of a less talented actress and/or writer/director, this fish-out-of-water tale could’ve been played for cheap laughs. (Actually, I wouldn’t be too upset if Woody turned around and made a comedy version of this, like he kind of did with Match Point and Scoop.) But Woody is going for something much more subtle here, and with Blanchett’s help, he really pulls it off. It’s a character study, more than anything; a psychological profile. Blanchett dares to make Jasmine pretty unlikable while betting that we won’t totally give up on her. And we don’t.
Sally Hawkins is also quite wonderful as Jasmine’s sister Ginger. (Both adopted, she points out, so Jasmine has better genes.) She’s happy in her cluttered middle-class life, but the presence of Jasmine makes her wonder if she should be striving for something more. Hawkins makes her totally warm and charming and we feel for her.
Andrew Dice Clay—yes, that Andrew Dice Clay—does fine work as Ginger’s ex-husband. He might really be able to pick up a few Gandolfini roles. Bobby Canavale and Louis C.K. also give solid performances, what you’d expect from them, even if they don’t really pop off the screen. For anyone who’s been watching The Killing this season, Sarsgard—as an image-conscious striver—really shows his versatility here. And his hair. He also gets the only Woody-esque delivery, on one line after his character learns the truth about Jasmine.
As heavy as this movie can seem, there are laughs throughout—just a little more low-key than usual. I think Woody wisely didn’t want to overwhelm the story. Instead, he steps back and lets Blanchett take control.
Wonderfully-written review of a fine, interesting and textured movie. Cate Blanchett wowed me and I love Sally Hawkins, but as you note, was most surprised by Andrew Dice Clay. Thank you for putting this in perspective for me~!
curiosity killed the cat they say. so I googled “blue jasmine’ curious to see what kind of plant it was. (we have a large pesky plain? Jasmine plant that has been going back and forth between life and death the last 3 years). After 15 pages of google search, solidly locked into links pertaining to the movie, I chose to follow its bottom of the page suggestion, ‘blue jasmine flower’. Aha, discovery. It’s wonderful to see the cyberworld’s priorities.