Review Blue Jasmine

Review Blue Jasmine

I've not watched Woody Allen's entire oeuvre. Quite frankly, I'm just excited about the ability to use oeuvre, though I had to check the spelling Relatedly, watching all of Allen would require the sort of time commitment that I'm not prepared to offer. I've only watched a few of his movies, but I'm entirely sure that he has some hits and misses. You can't create significant pieces of art without having some duds. In fact, that's why I'm averse to blogging. Simply churning things out and expecting them to be of quality is a recipe for disaster. This review is not primarly about Woody Allen the filmmker.  If you've seen the movie, and sat down to think or write about it, the review can really only be about one thing, Cate Blanchett.

I don't want to say Cate Blanchett was a revelation, because she's already been confirmed as a great actress. However, the strength of her performance in the movie is striking. She's playing a mentally cracked up rich woman, who's come down rather quickly in the world after discovering that her husband has been cheating on her, and, more importantly, cooking the books. The (spoiler alert) key revelation in the movie is that she has been pretending to turn a blind eye to his financial double dealings, though it's when she discovers his infidelity that she calls the SEC.

When I was getting my graduate degree in creative writing, we talked about the few options that you have in a story. The things is, I don't really remember them, ad I think the concept is partially bullshi-. However, the idea is that either you can have a moment of change, or a moment of change that is turned on so that things continue on as they have. Of course, we were talking about short stories. The novel, something that is movie length provides a variety of opportunities for things beyond those simple rubrics. Luckily, the movie fits the conventions of my Master's program.

The movie begins with an inside joke. Blanchett is riding across the country on a plane to stay with her sister, and, on the way, she's found another passenger who's ear she is talking off, telling her of her problems and how she and her husband met etc. When the older woman who's been listening to Blanchett arrives at the baggage claim, she quickly excuses herself and is greeted by her husband. "Do you know her?" he asks. "No," the woman replies. "She just kept talking and talking and talking about her life" That quote may not be direct, but the gist is there. This is the most recognizable Allen character, a person who will not shut up. And yet, it's also the post-modern, (cringing at the word) academic that people recognize in themselves. The obsessive conversations that we have with ourselves, about people, ourselves, our failings, etc. externalized in Allen movies. And though we often want them to shut up and just deal with them It's fair to say that it is often a case of the pot calling the kettle black. We hate them because they remind us of ourselves, our minds at their neurotic games.

Blanchett's sister, played by Sally Hawkins, provides the counterpoint to the perfect life that Blanchett was living. She was married briefly, though it broke up after she and her husband entrusted money to Blanchet''s husband, played by Alec Baldwin. Thus, we get to watch the very sweet, and not quite privileged, Hawkins, support her sister in her time of need despite the monetary betrayal that ultimately lead to her divorce. Hawkins' performance in the movie is strong and believable. Familial bonds are one of the few ways in which we can believe that someone would overlook rather obvious character flaws that Blanchett displays throughout the movie.

The subplot in the movie involves Hawkins briefly trading in her imperfect boyfriend, played by Andrew Dice Clay, for Louis CK. (Who, as an aside, has been pretty damn boring in his role on Parks and Recreation and in this movie. I've seen his stand up, it's funny, and I should probably just watch his show, which must be great, but it is not so much translating to the big screen thus far). The tenor of the relationship break up is that Blanchett has poisoned her sister against the Dice Clay boyfriend, telling her she could do better. This is true, and yet, in an intelligent piece of movie making, the Dice Clay character is one part brute and one part decent lover. He's given a bit of nuance, and a movie viewer can easily see how Hawkins might both benefit from moving on, or staying with him. Not every choice is black and white.

All this talk of other plot elments, including the excellent Alec Baldwin turn as a rich white male. Okay, he's a  bbit typecast. But he's pretty much killig it as that type. However, he's not exactly stretching his acting muscles, and so not much more will be spent on his character. THe fascinating character is all Blanchett. From the very beginning she is a woman playing just enough off kilter for us to believe that she's recovering from a mental crack up. As the revelations pile up, via flashback, it becomes clear that her life has been lived in a delusion. She's ignored certain things about her husband's business practices to benefit herself. She's sold her sister down the river. And yet, she'a also maintained the illusion that everything was going on swimmingly. The movie then becomes about her dealing with the shattering of that illusion. And, as she drinks with her sister, and almost romances a perfect seeming man, you have the feeling that she could almost get back to normal. And yet, her need for a certain kind of perfect picture eventually sabotages her relationship with the new man, whom she's not told about her ex-husband or son. Eventually she is close to the brink and tracks down her son only to have him turn his back on her as well, blaming her for his father's death, suicide in prison after the exposure of his fraudulent schemes. And so, this woman who's primary crime was wanting to have a perfect life is left wandering the streets at the end of the movie as she apparently began it. Unhinged yet again. And this write up didn't really give her near the credit she deserves. The performance is amazing and relatble. It's easy to see amidst the numerous, and often plain boring challenges that life puts in our way how a person might want to gloss over details to make things easier, and having doen that, it's easy to understand why they might not ever find their way back. It's a brilliantly played mental crack up. Not a bit of it seemed over the top. Rather, the unhinging that eventually takes place winds up making sense, though it's sad, terrifically sad. The movie begisn with movement, with the prospect of change, and it ends where it began, with a woman muttering to herself as a stranger listes, only this time, the stranger walks away.

I've not watched Woody Allen's entire oeuvre. Quite frankly, I'm just excited about the ability to use oeuvre, though I had to check the spelling Relatedly, watching all of Allen would require the sort of time commitment that I'm not prepared to offer. I've only watched a few of his movies, but I'm entirely sure that he has some hits and misses. You can't create significant pieces of art without having some duds. In fact, that's why I'm averse to blogging. Simply churning things out and expecting them to be of quality is a recipe for disaster. This review is not primarly about Woody Allen the filmmker.  If you've seen the movie, and sat down to think or write about it, the review can really only be about one thing, Cate Blanchett.

I don't want to say Cate Blanchett was a revelation, because she's already been confirmed as a great actress. However, the strength of her performance in the movie is striking. She's playing a mentally cracked up rich woman, who's come down rather quickly in the world after discovering that her husband has been cheating on her, and, more importantly, cooking the books. The (spoiler alert) key revelation in the movie is that she has been pretending to turn a blind eye to his financial double dealings, though it's when she discovers his infidelity that she calls the SEC.

When I was getting my graduate degree in creative writing, we talked about the few options that you have in a story. The things is, I don't really remember them, ad I think the concept is partially bullshi-. However, the idea is that either you can have a moment of change, or a moment of change that is turned on so that things continue on as they have. Of course, we were talking about short stories. The novel, something that is movie length provides a variety of opportunities for things beyond those simple rubrics. Luckily, the movie fits the conventions of my Master's program.

The movie begins with an inside joke. Blanchett is riding across the country on a plane to stay with her sister, and, on the way, she's found another passenger who's ear she is talking off, telling her of her problems and how she and her husband met etc. When the older woman who's been listening to Blanchett arrives at the baggage claim, she quickly excuses herself and is greeted by her husband. "Do you know her?" he asks. "No," the woman replies. "She just kept talking and talking and talking about her life" That quote may not be direct, but the gist is there. This is the most recognizable Allen character, a person who will not shut up. And yet, it's also the post-modern, (cringing at the word) academic that people recognize in themselves. The obsessive conversations that we have with ourselves, about people, ourselves, our failings, etc. externalized in Allen movies. And though we often want them to shut up and just deal with them It's fair to say that it is often a case of the pot calling the kettle black. We hate them because they remind us of ourselves, our minds at their neurotic games.

Blanchett's sister, played by Sally Hawkins, provides the counterpoint to the perfect life that Blanchett was living. She was married briefly, though it broke up after she and her husband entrusted money to Blanchet''s husband, played by Alec Baldwin. Thus, we get to watch the very sweet, and not quite privileged, Hawkins, support her sister in her time of need despite the monetary betrayal that ultimately lead to her divorce. Hawkins' performance in the movie is strong and believable. Familial bonds are one of the few ways in which we can believe that someone would overlook rather obvious character flaws that Blanchett displays throughout the movie.

The subplot in the movie involves Hawkins briefly trading in her imperfect boyfriend, played by Andrew Dice Clay, for Louis CK. (Who, as an aside, has been pretty damn boring in his role on Parks and Recreation and in this movie. I've seen his stand up, it's funny, and I should probably just watch his show, which must be great, but it is not so much translating to the big screen thus far). The tenor of the relationship break up is that Blanchett has poisoned her sister against the Dice Clay boyfriend, telling her she could do better. This is true, and yet, in an intelligent piece of movie making, the Dice Clay character is one part brute and one part decent lover. He's given a bit of nuance, and a movie viewer can easily see how Hawkins might both benefit from moving on, or staying with him. Not every choice is black and white.

All this talk of other plot elments, including the excellent Alec Baldwin turn as a rich white male. Okay, he's a  bbit typecast. But he's pretty much killig it as that type. However, he's not exactly stretching his acting muscles, and so not much more will be spent on his character. THe fascinating character is all Blanchett. From the very beginning she is a woman playing just enough off kilter for us to believe that she's recovering from a mental crack up. As the revelations pile up, via flashback, it becomes clear that her life has been lived in a delusion. She's ignored certain things about her husband's business practices to benefit herself. She's sold her sister down the river. And yet, she'a also maintained the illusion that everything was going on swimmingly. The movie then becomes about her dealing with the shattering of that illusion. And, as she drinks with her sister, and almost romances a perfect seeming man, you have the feeling that she could almost get back to normal. And yet, her need for a certain kind of perfect picture eventually sabotages her relationship with the new man, whom she's not told about her ex-husband or son. Eventually she is close to the brink and tracks down her son only to have him turn his back on her as well, blaming her for his father's death, suicide in prison after the exposure of his fraudulent schemes. And so, this woman who's primary crime was wanting to have a perfect life is left wandering the streets at the end of the movie as she apparently began it. Unhinged yet again. And this write up didn't really give her near the credit she deserves. The performance is amazing and relatble. It's easy to see amidst the numerous, and often plain boring challenges that life puts in our way how a person might want to gloss over details to make things easier, and having doen that, it's easy to understand why they might not ever find their way back. It's a brilliantly played mental crack up. Not a bit of it seemed over the top. Rather, the unhinging that eventually takes place winds up making sense, though it's sad, terrifically sad. The movie begisn with movement, with the prospect of change, and it ends where it began, with a woman muttering to herself as a stranger listes, only this time, the stranger walks away.

Other things:

This movie makes me feel Silent all these Years by Tori Amos. Key line: Yes, I know what you think of me, you never shut up. Though I reserve the right to feel Silent all these years about Amor when I finally get around to seeing it.



I also feel kind of Herzog by Saul Belllow about this movie. I know no one reads Bellow anymore, but he's a great writer and also a great deal of fun to read. And yeah, it's a book about someone in their mid-forties sort of losing their mind. Time named it one of the top 100 books of the 20th century.