Blue Jasmine

Grade: C

If you’re not a fan of Woody Allen’s movies, Blue Jasmine isn’t going to convert you. From the white-on-black opening credits, to the jazz music (much of which appears where it is most spectacularly inappropriate), to the annoyingly neurotic lead character, it’s business as usual in the Allen world. Allen seems to want to play up situations that are not funny for laughs by throwing in corny slapstick or the jazz pieces he likes so much. I don’t remember finding anything funny, there was not a single character I rooted for by the end, and I just wanted the film to end without any more stumbles (sometimes literally). Cate Blanchett can be a powerful, lovely presence. American characters are not where she shines. I have never completely “bought” her American accents, like I have with, say, Kate Winslet. The director in me wanted to write down the individual words she was pronouncing strangely, and then give these to her in a “notes” session afterward. Don’t waste your time with Blue Jasmine. If you must, wait for Woody Allen’s next one. He does one every year, after all.

Grade: C