Blue Jasmine = A Streetcar Named Desire

Yeah, I saw it last week and made that comparison about 15 minutes into it. I thought Blanchett was fantastic and the movie itself was very good but there was just "something" about it that struck me as false.

There was definitely something missing from it. I thought it was very well-acted and Blanchett deserves all of the good notices. What's wrong with playing homage (if that's stealing then what is Stardust Memories to Fellini's 8 1/2?) to Streetcar anyway? Especially when you have an actress who you know can play a Blanche.

The cinematography and camera choices were not my favorite and I tend to like Woody when he makes the aesthetics out of his comfort zone. A lot of shots of characters in conversation without reverse shot- like a film student directing their first movie after just discovering Godard's Breathless for the first time- which made for some unconventional framing of those conversations on camera.

Was anybody at a theater where there seemed to be people who mistook it for a more conventional Woody Allen comedy and were laughing at parts that felt a little more serious? I know people who have lived among people with mental illness and this movie actually made them a wreck. Even as I was struck by Blanchett's performance I wondered if the audience around me just thought Allen was going for laughs on mental illness when I felt like he was definitely aware of the complicated nature of the character and material.

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I did expect Jasmine to be the reason for her husband getting caught pretty early on. I had no problem with that. I just thought her son's reaction to finding that out to be completely devoid of complication or complicated feelings. The structure of the movie through Jasmine's perspective did not serve that character well, and I like Alden Ehrenreich a lot. I have a hard time believing he wound up in Oakland, of all places. I think even as a Harvard drop-out he would've, even if he was miserable and turning to drugs, probably having a job that was still very white collar as opposed to some music store 3,000 miles away. Maybe it is because I actually went to school with a son of one of the more notorious ponzi schemers, but that whole plot reveal rung as very false to me. It seemed like so night and day from the WASP-yish life he was living.

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Updated On: 8/18/13 at 07:12 PM

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I did think in the play/movie Stella does see Blanche have certain moments of where the craziness seep through. It was never clear that Ginger ever saw those moments actually happen, which can be very different than hearing about it. But I think Ginger felt, understandably, very distant and unappreciated by Jasmine. She had her own life and her choices were getting scrutinized by somebody who never really cared for her. That being said, I thought the scene of Jasmine really losing it in front of Ginger's kids would be a much bigger deal.

Blanchett is the favorite right now and might just have the good will and self-promotion skills to stay there through Oscar night. We just need to see how the other major anticipated performances shake out and what little indies start to get traction.

As for the Streetcar comparison, I caught it early on. I just wish Woody Allen played more with it. Some of the better ideas were the blatant parallels--especially the Stanley Kowalski-like Chili as the ultimate cry baby/macho man hybrid. I didn't really get into Blue Jasmine because I think there were too many ideas going on and not enough structure to hold them together.

It seems like a lot of Woody's recent films have been homages to past writers and directors.

Well, MATCH POINT especially and CASSANDRA'S DREAM to a lesser degree borrow heavily from Dreiser's AMERICAN TRAGEDY, so it's a fair point to posit that Woody is paying homage rather explicitly as of late.

Having seen BLUE JASMINE, I don't think that the STREETCAR correlation is as direct or onerous as some people are claiming. Is EVERY damaged female character a version of Blanche Dubois? Is every troubled sisterly relationship a Blanche and Stella? There are elements that could be read as STREETCAR-esque, but I don't think it's as strong or simple as that.

Having seen the film, I think Cate Blanchett gives one of the best performances I've ever seen. And having seen her actually perform Blanche Dubois, her Jasmine is NOTHING like her Blanche.

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More than Bergman, Fellini, Chekhov or any one else from whom Allen has affectionately and blatantly borrowed, Williams has brought something truly great out of him. The result is not simply derivative but truly inspired. This is a cross pollination but it is also highly original and very different than anything Allen has ever done. Though in some ways Purple Rose, a very different but equally lyrical movie, with its very different but equally tragic heroine, comes close.

Here, Streetcar's archetypes and themes, its kitchen sink family reunion and dubious class conflicts and sexual tensions, and, above all, the protagonist's descent to hell, inform a very contemporary and quite different narrative. Taking place in a very different U.S.. It is his most beautifully realized movie in many years. Yes, there are imperfections and contrivances but this remains a painful, painfully funny, gripping and mature work. Leading a flawless cast, Blanchett is exquisite.

Updated On: 8/19/13 at 09:09 PM

Agreed, Jordan. Blanchett gives a great performance. I'm trying to decide between Rosario Dawson in Trance, Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha, and Blanchett in Blue Jasmine as my favorite performance of the year so far. Very different work in very different films.

I agree with everything AC said about Blanchett's performance. And I would also call this Allen's most fully-realized movie in years. I thought it was lightyears better than MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, actually. And I liked MIDNIGHT IN PARIS quite a bit.

I've never had a feeling for her one way or another before but her performance is so remarkable in this. Manhola Dargis worked the Streetcar theme deep into the ground in her Times review, going so far as to link "Blanche" and "Blanchette." To me, it's just a great woman having a total breakdown film with a last scene that rivals Sunset Blvd. also, Sally Hawkins is top notch once again.

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Updated On: 8/18/13 at 10:27 PM

Midnight in Paris was a joy. I sat there with a smile on my face the entire time both times I saw it and found it even better on second viewing. It's all heart. There isn't much heart in Matchpoint but it's a technically masterful redux of the dark half of Crimes and Misdemeanors. And that's achievement enough.

Cassandra may be far better than most people realized if they thought about it at all. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is certainly far better than most people realized if they thought about it all, and Naomi Watts gives one of her best performances.

Whatever Works was a disaster. To Rome With Love almost as bad.

Some of the reviews on this thread of what Cate does for Blue Jasmine remind me of how I felt about Penelope and Vicky, e.g., a case of a great actress in the right role elevating weak material.

I'd raise that. Blue Jasmine is the case of a phenomenal actress in a terrific role elevating a very compelling and important movie to greatness.

There are many more pleasures to be found in Blue Jasmine than in Elysium, to pick just one of too many examples from this summer's steaming pile of movies.

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