This afternoon, my mom and I walked into the beautifully renovated Village Theatre to see Woody Allen’s newest film, “Blue Jasmine.” Since this movie had earned a rating of 90% on the notoriously critical Rotten Tomatoes website, we were excited to be seeing it! The film, written and directed by Allen, was released in New York and Los Angeles on July 26th. It boasts a star studded cast, led by Cate Blanchett as the titular character and including Alec Baldwin and Sally Hawkins.
Jasmine (Blanchett) and Harold (Baldwin) “Hal” Francis are a New York City-based couple worth millions. They have indefinite wealth and enjoy everything that comes with it summers in the Hamptons, yachts and diamonds. When Hal is arrested for fraud in a Bernie Madoff-inspired turn of events and ends up committing suicide in prison, Jasmine is left with no money and no future plans. She is evicted from her gorgeous apartment in New York City and left with none of the material possessions that had meant so much to her.
She flies first class to San Francisco (a “splurge”, even though she’s broke) and moves in with her estranged sister, Ginger (Hawkins), a divorced mother of two who bags groceries for a living. Jasmine, desperate to pull her life together, quickly realizes that she no skills to survive on her own at least not at the level luxury that she was accustomed to. “Blue Jasmine” follows Jasmine’s attempts at standing on her own two feet and how she copes when she fails at taking care of herself.
Throughout the film, the acting is stunning. The way that Blanchett expertly illustrated Jasmine’s descent into madness while still somehow managing to make the audience laugh out loud is attracting rave reviews from film critics. “The lack of self-awareness on the part of Jasmine was so funny and made the movie much more enjoyable,” said moviegoer Kathleen Wakefield. Sally Hawkins gives a touching and believable performance as Ginger while Alec Baldwin is perfect for the role of adulterous, thieving Hal.
Overall, this movie is funny, tragic and a breath of fresh air. The movie is a modern-day parallel to Tennessee William’s “A Streetcar Named Desire,” where Jasmine portrays an updated Blanche DuBois. Overall, definitely go and see “Blue Jasmine” at Coronado’s Village Theatre!
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard
Length: 98 minutes
Rating: PG-13
See Coronado Village Theatre times here.
——————————
Sophia Zaller
Online Editorial Intern
eCoronado.com
Do you have a story or news event that you would like to share with Coronado? Feel free to contact us.
