Blue Jasmine: DVD Review
The Movie:
This film follows the radical life change for a very troubled and damaged Jasmine (Cate Blanchett); a once New York socialite now forced to live with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in San Francisco. She has forever lived in a fantasy and is now faced with the harsh realities she tried to ignore. She wants a fresh start but her journey won’t be as easy as she hoped. Will her denial keep her life at a pause or is there hope for Jasmine to have a new beginning? Written and directed by Woody Allen.
Well, let me start by saying, what a movie! Spectacular portrayal of a mad women by Cate Blanchett! I have never seen her as this type of troubled character, and it was chilling. She played her character so well, you forgot she was just acting. I would not picture anyone else for the part due to her phenomenal performance. A little about the movie, I enjoyed that we were going through Jasmine’s story but also having her have flashbacks in between the film, we got a sense at to how she slowly became as mentally abused as she did. She was married to her husband, Hal (Alec Baldwin), but was oblivious to his repeated cheating and illegal money schemes. It’s hard to say if she really didn’t know what was going on or if she was too afraid to accept the truth that she preferred her own version of a beautiful reality. I was upset with her, I was sad for her, frankly, I went up and down and didn’t know how to feel about her at times. She led a life of wealth and forgot about her past, ell her family. Only when she was at her lowest did she call on her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins), who was another complex character. She was shown to be a timid character who didn’t realize her own self-worth. Peter Sarsgaard played Dwight, a short lived love interest for Jasmin, very eloquently. He definitely brought a sense of class to the cast. I also got to hand it to Bobby Cannavale, who played Chili in the film. He had so much raw emotion and added a level of authenticity to his character. Overall, loved the film. Had the quirkiness you would expect from a Woody Allen film with several underlying messages underneath. Definitely a must see!
Special Features:
Notes from the Red Carpet – Interviews of the stars of the film; another great insight to how each actor felt about the film.
Blue Jasmine Cast Press Conference – Press conference with Cate Blanchett, Peter Sarsgaard, and Andrew Dice Clay. Many questions answered as well as what it’s like for each actor getting asked to be in a Woody Allen film.
