''Blue Jasmine'' (2013 movie)- Review

Directed by: Woody Allen
Released: 2013
Country: United States

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Dice Clay

Genre: Comedy-drama

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

By the end of ''Blue Jasmine'', it did feel really sad. Cate Blanchett's character, Jasmine, comes to a conclusion so sad that we keep wondering whether this is more her fault or the fault of the circumstances around her. We can't help feeling sorry for the protagonist, and on the other hand, if we think in depth about the story, it can be realized that the  conclusion that she comes to is perhaps the fault of the circumstances around her, and some faults are of her own.

Jasmine arrives in San Francisco to live with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins). Jasmine once used to be a socialite but has now lost all her money. Ginger kindly takes her in. Ginger's ex-husband asks her why she is being so kind to Jasmine. When Jasmine had money, she never really paid much attention to Ginger. Ginger doesn't, however, pay heed to the past, and takes care of Jasmine. It was really impressing the way Ginger took care of Jasmine, it felt really sweet. To Jasmine, Ginger devotes much of her attention.

Jasmine wants to learn interior decoration, but can't afford to go to a college. She decides that she will learn online, but for that, she has to learn how to use a computer. She gets into computer classes, and takes a part-time job as a receptionist. Supported by Ginger, who even starts to give less attention to her boyfriend for Jasmine's sake, she works hard to learn computer, but faces a lot of obstacles. Meanwhile, Jasmine starts convincing Ginger that she (Ginger) can have a better life if she doesn't get involved with messed-up men like her current boyfriend, Chili (Bobby Cannavale). 

Sure, Jasmine's intention might be good, but her interfering into other people's lives and relationships ultimately mess up their lives, and it especially starts messing up her life. She apparently suffers from mental illness, as she often talks to herself. I really find it difficult to describe the character. She loses friends and supporters over the course of the film, and it's really a sad thing. As such, the journey of the protagonist over the course of the film is quite depressing. The flashbacks show us Jasmine's past as a socialite, how her husband Hal had been cheating on her, and what it resulted in. While Jasmine tries to start a new life, but the obstacles that she faces, mixed with the past and present incidences, repeatedly make things more difficult for her, ultimately culminating in a sad ending.

Everybody is saying that this is one of the better Woody Allen films in the last few years, but I'm afraid I can't say anything like it because I haven't seen many Woody Allen films (I know, I know, I need to watch more). Anyway, the screenplay is brilliant, and both Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins give remarkable performances. This is a film that starts as a light comedy-drama but over the course becomes serious, emotional, though the lightness somewhat remains throughout the film.

4 out of 5