Blue Jasmine

Woody Allen has joined with Clint Eastwood in being one of those older film makers who still continue to make brilliant films after all these years.
I may not be the right person to critique a Woody Allen film. As a huge fan of his I tend to see the greatness and can sometimes over look the bad stuff. But despite that I still thoroughly enjoy all his films. 'Blue Jasmine' would have to be his best film in recent times. Woody seems to have a real knack for creating such wonderful female characters. I think the awards actresses who have appeared in his films have received is testament to that. Jasmine is such a multilayered character that despite the fact she can be annoying at times you end up feeling a great deal of sympathy for her. She can be seen as someone we would be unable to relate to because of her social status but after a while you come to appreciate her situation. There is also a certain sense of joy in seeing a person of high stature cut down to size. But Jasmine does not wallow in self pity but instead goes out and tries to improve her situation. She does get herself into trouble but she learns from her mistakes and moves on. What I really liked about the film was the way Woody was able to blend so seamlessly the comedy and the drama of the situation. In some scenes he can go from heartfelt drama to funny dialogue. I feel it is his most accomplished and mature work. He has had a great resurgence lately since the success of 'Midnight In Paris' but I think this is by far and away his best recently.
As great as Woody's writing and directing are, the biggest delight in this film is the performance of Cate Blanchett. She is another actress who I think is incapable of giving a bad performance. So powerful is her performance that you do not see Cate Blanchett in this film but Jasmine. As good as Cate is, equally as good is Sally Hawkins. Sally, much like Cate, really inhabits her character so you feel for her character and all the problems she is going through. The men in the film are not too bad either. I was most amazed at Andrew Dice Clay. I did not think he was such a great actor outside the comedy roles he has played but he gives an excellent, more dramatic performance here. Bobby Carnivale is also equally as good, even if his character does border on stereotype and caricature. Alec Baldwin's role is sadly more functional than you'd expect.
Further proof of the brilliance that is Woody Allen. That is coming from a huge Woody Allen fan but I'm sure non-fans can enjoy it too.