Woody Allen's newest film Blue Jasmine is all about Jasmine, formerly Jeanette, and her sister Ginger. Jasmine was on top of the world until her husband was arrested for all sorts of financial crimes. She's now forced to move in with her sister Ginger, who already let everyone know that Jasmine had a nervous breakdown and now pops Xanax like Pez to even come close to functioning in society. For the first time in her life, Jasmine has to learn to take care of herself.
Woody Allen's direction is solid but the screenplay is far too mean-spirited. The film is a drama that encourages the audience to laugh at Jasmine and Ginger for the failings, not laugh with them because of their circumstances and actions. It's rather disturbing to see severe anxiety used as a punchline in and of itself with no accompanying joke. The audience is meant to laugh at Jasmine babbling to herself when she has an episode, demonstrated by commentary or wacky sitcom-level reactions to her behavior.
The issues with the screenplay are deeper than a nasty tone. The story just isn't that compelling. There's a wonderful range of material covered but nothing really sticks. The most intriguing element is Jasmine's impact on Ginger's relationship with her fiance, but the resolution is clear from the start. The entire screenplay is just too predictable to justify the narrative approach.
The only reason to see Blue Jasmine is the acting. Cate Blanchett is phenomenal as Jasmine. Despite Allen's best attempts to dehumanize her and turn her into a living monster of mockable mental illness, Blanchett's Jasmine acts as a damaged Allen-surrogate. She is still a human being. She has clear emotions and unfulfilled dreams. Jasmine does horrible things but they come from a place of pain, not any genuine malice.
Best of all is the actual portrayal of mental illness. Judging by the new Hollywood standard, screaming in a crowd and crossing your arms a lot is considered an accurate and award-worthy representation of mental illness. Cate Blanchett doesn't give you that satisfaction. Jasmine's anxiety attacks and episodes are painful to watch. My own anxiety started to peak sometimes when she reached for a bottle of Xanax because her acting was so realistic. It is rare for an actor to accurately portray severe mental illness without becoming a caricature of the condition and Blanchett added a much-needed sense of realism to the entire film.
Woody Allen aimed for a dramatic story in Blue Jasmine but took the easy way out by turning a very sad and complex character into the audience's punching bag. The film is saved by the virtue of Blanchett's performance going above and beyond merely being a punchline into something worth experiencing.
Rating: 6/10
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