Woody Allen often uses a variety of devices in his storytelling. In Blue Jasmine he employs a similar trick to that used in his 2002 film, Melinda and Melinda. In that picture the audience sees the two lives of one woman. In Blue Jasmine we also see the former and the present lives of the central character, Jasmine, played out side by side in the film. The difference is that in the older film the narrative is dealing with a 'what if' hypothesis whereas in his latest film he is looking at the consequences of a life-altering event, the before and the after.
Cate Blanchett plays the title character, a hyper and neurotic Manhattan socialite who has recently separated from her rich husband, played by Alec Baldwin. He has been evading tax and the family is now bankrupt. As a result, Jasmine has had her indulgent Park Avenue life torn from her and has moved to San Francisco to live a much less salubrious life with her sister Ginger.
Much has been made of the similarities between this film and the iconic play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Indeed, William's Blanche du Bois and Allen's Jasmine are both tragi-comic figures, both lost in a new world which they are not comfortable in. Cate Blanchett is excellent in creating a character that is hopelessly and haughtily out of her depth in the world of ordinary people. At one point she declares that the thought of moving from Manhattan to Brooklyn had been insufferable not so long ago but now she has reached new depths living with her sister in a dingy little flat in a San Francisco suburb.
This is a film about the clash of two worlds. Jasmine uses an endless cocktail of Xanax and vodka to deal with her new circumstances. Blanchett is a sort of female incarnation of Woody Allen; neurotic and can't stop talking about herself and her own concerns. While the Australian actress plays the role with nervous abandon and comic aplomb, the problem with the character is that she is not likeable. In fact she is a monstrous incarnation without redeeming qualities. Without compassion for her, the viewer ceases to care about her fate.
Blanchett has been singled out for her fine performance, and well she should be. However, the real star of this film is British actress Sally Hawkins. Having excelled in former roles including her break out part in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky, she shines as Jasmine's affable and kindly sister Ginger. Hawkins brings a lightness of touch and a genuine charm to the role, especially when she is pitted against the nastiness of Jasmine. She is a simpler person who works in the local grocery store and is the perfect foil to Blanchett.
Woody Allen occasionally forces plot over character in his work and this film is no exception. There are times when he make his characters do things which they just wouldn't do, in order to drive the plot in a different direction. This has the effect of emptying a character of their sincerity and leaving the viewer somewhat perplexed. However, on the flip side, he has once again created some wonderfully truthful characters. Ginger aside, her boyfriend Chili, played superbly by Bobby Canavalle, solicits real compassion from the audience. Though he can be violent, he is put upon not only by Jasmine's disdain and condescension but also by Ginger's wavering commitment to their relationship.
Blue Jasmine is an engaging and witty film which suffers occasionally from Allen forcing his narrative on his characters in order to achieve the story that he wants rather than the outcomes that his characters desire. It is certainly not on a par with his great films of the eighties such as Hannah and her Sisters or Crimes and Misdemeanours.
Blue Jasmine is on general release across Dublin.
Keepin' it Reel...movie news
The Farrelly Brothers have finally got around to the much anticipated sequel to their 1994 smash hit Dumb and Dumber. It is striking to look at the contrast in career paths between the lead actors, Jeff Daniels and Jim Carey, since its first incarnation twenty years ago. While Carrey has gone on to produce an endless line of comedies, Daniels has pursued a much more serious line of dramas, including The Hours and the recent Emmy winning Aaron Sorkin-penned The Newsroom, for HBO.
For their new adventure, Harry and Lloyd set out on a road trip to find one of their long lost kids, in an attempt to procure a kidney.
In her January appearance on Jimmy Fallon's chat show, Jennifer Lawrence talked about how much of a fan she is of Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman and Stepbrothers. It has now been confirmed that the Oscar winner will make a cameo appearance in the Farrelly Brother's sequel, since she is currently shooting the third instalment of the Hunger Games trilogy next door to Dumb and Dumber in Georgia, USA.
The movie is entitled Dumb and Dumber To and is set for release in 2014. During the week the pair uploaded a picture to Twitter of themselves on set...
Box, Set, Match...the must-have boxset
This week’s must-have boxset is the BBC drama Top of the Lake. Created by Jane Campion of The Piano and Bright Star fame, this lonely and chilling detective series is a complex and richly satisfying watch.
Written by Campion and Gerard Lee, the show is set in a small and isolated community in the mountainous south island of New Zealand in the present day. Odd characters and a possibly corrupt police populate this idyllic setting. The lake of the title refers to the topography in which the action takes place. The cinematography takes the breath away while the story will make you tremble.
Elizabeth Moss, best known as Peggy in AMC’s Mad Men plays the leading role as a detective drafted in to solve the case of a 13 year old girl who appears to be pregnant and then disappears. However, not only must she find the girl and her rapist but also come to terms with her own demons at the same time.
Peter Mullan delivers a tour de force as the local drug lord who has a tight hold over each section of the community. He is the daughter of the lost teenager, Tui. Mullan steals every scene he is in, at moments sweet and calm and at other times exploding in a fit of violence. He treats only his his dogs the way most attempt to treat people...with kindness. At the other end of the spectrum, Holly Hunter plays the aloof role of a sort of female shaman who shelters female victims of domestic abuse. It is the conflict of interests between these two groups and their uncomfortable co-existence which creates some of the most sizzling scenes.
The first two episodes are a little tough going as the writers establish a detailed map of the people within the community. This is slow storytelling which rewards the viewer who perseveres. By the end of the season you know the community intimately despite the secrets which they are intially shrouded in.
Jane Campion is a master of atmosphere and in this show she excels. There is a sense of foreboding which infiltrates the very sinews of this programme. The backdrop of New Zealand's Lord of the Rings-esque landscape adds to the menace.
Campion has created a highly cinematic television programme. The scale and depth of the story, and indeed its consequences, are epic and linger with the viewer between its six installments. Just like its characters, the show reveals its secrets slowly, as the writers gradually peel away the layers of mystery surrounding the girl's disappearance.
The show was filmed in the sleepy town of Glenorchy on the south island of New Zealand, by the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It is surly one of the most beautiful and melancholy landscapes you could imagine. Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw allows the camera to linger on the sad shadows which the mountains cast over the town. One feels closed in by this landscape. This is a highly isolated community at the end of the earth and there is a lawlessness at play which is frightening and dangerous. Rape and incest are commonplace. You feel that the town is so removed from civilisation that the rule of law and order doesn't appear to apply in this disfunctional community.
ENDS
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