Blue Jasmine Review

I saw Blue Jasmine with two of my best friends Noelle & Lisa on September 10,2013!! Normally, I am not that big of a fan of Woody Allen. I like Annie Hall, Anything Else, & Vicki Cristina Barcelona, but for the most part I haven't been a fan of his work. However, I must say I was thoroughly impressed with Blue Jasmine and found myself enjoying the characters and story. I have read that Cate Blanchett is in the running for Best Actress when awards season comes around, and I am fully in favor of that if she is nominated. Blanchett is one of the best actresses in the history of cinema (not exaggerating, I really do think she's that good). Jasmine is a New York socialite that has to live with her sister Ginger because of the dark past surrounding her and her late husband Hal & estranged relationship with her son Danny. Moving from New York to San Francisco is something Jasmine needs. Blanchett's ability to show strength & vulnerability in each scene was incredible to watch. She is deeply disturbed and tends to talk to herself thinking past events are happening. The movie gives us flashbacks of how Jasmine came to be in her present state. We learn how Hal is a deplorable human being, and Alec Baldwin playing him was great because I naturally dislike him as an actor anyway (except in Beetlejuice & Barrett Moore in Nip/Tuck). Due to her status as a socialite, she finds it frustrating to work in "menial jobs", and she really doesn't have the skills to do these jobs accurately. However, when you're watching this there is a deeper meaning. This is really human emotions of anxiety trying to find your identity and where you belong. Jasmine needs to find her own person and distance herself from her past in order to get better. She really commands the screen with her incredible acting and different layers to Jasmine's personality. I want to point out how great Sally Hawkins & Bobby Cannavale were. I feel as incredible as the Jasmine character was, Ginger & her boyfriend Chili provide some great supporting roles. I think Cannavale was the best male performance of the movie, and he fights for Ginger throughout the movie. Ginger needs stability just as much as Jasmine does-that is what is intriguing about their relationship. Jasmine & Ginger aren't necessarily close, however, throughout the years they have both had issues with men in their lives such as failed relationships, cheated by Hal with money schemes, etc. I think each scene has a moment of great dialogue. The actors put alot of emotion into their words and made the performances stronger as a result. There were some other fun supporting roles by Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., and Andrew Dice Clay. You want both Jasmine & Ginger to be happy in the end. The performances, writing, cast, and story were brilliant. Woody Allen really impressed me with this so much that I feel it merits a 5/5. It was extremely well done. The cut aways with the past & present were well done, and I think many of the twists & turns, though upsetting at times really kept the movie flowing. This is one of the best movies I've seen in 2013. I am definitely in favor of Blanchett, Hawkins, & Cannavale on the acting nomination lists for award seasons. They deserve it. At Applebees, Noelle, Lisa & I were discussing how we liked the movie and how much of an A-hole Andrew Dice Clay & Louis C.K. ended up being. If you want to know what I mean, see the movie!! I highly recommend people see this movie. It's a quality movie and much better to see than stupidity such as Riddick.