Blue Jasmine

Out of the many movies that Woody Allen has written and directed, I only liked a handful that I would watch again.  Midnight In Paris, Bullets Over Broadway, The Purple Rose of Cairo and even Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask are those movies.

Blue Jasmine is not one of those movies.

Cate Blanchett (Jasmine) is a wonderful actress who is totally believable at portraying a mentally ill woman.  Sally Hawkins (Ginger, Jasmine's sister) is a good actress but was better in Happy Go Lucky and undeserving of a supporting actress nomination.  I wish Woody Allen had made the sisters more connected and Sally more caring about her sisters mental illness.  Alec Baldwin was typecast as a swindling womanizer.  Peter Sarsgaard is a good actor but the role was sort of a dunce.  Andrew Dice Clay was surprisingly good as Ginger's ex-husband Augie.

I hated the ending and felt like there was too many gaps in the character arcs.

I give this a half thumb up for Cate Blanchett carrying the film more than anyone else including Woody Allen.