Blue Jasmine

USA 2013, 98 minutes
Dir. Woody Allen
Rating: [M]
Genres: Drama, Comedy

Feat. Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K, Peter Sarsgaard, Andrew Dice Clay

“Allen's best film in years, astute, humane and shot through with keen observations on the state of the world.”~Empire

Aroview: Another jewel from 'late period' Woody Allen with Cate Blanchett also in fine form as a down-at-heel socialite who moves to San Francisco to rebuild her life with the help of her working-class sister (Sally Hawkins).

Considering the rate of knots that Woody turns out feature films, this is one of his most well-rounded stories in some years with a symmetrical/flashback structure that incisively contrasts both the "us and them" and the "then and now" of the siblings and their men folk. Even if it bares the (teeth)marks of a terminally grumpy old man, the script is refreshingly free of Woody's usual art-and-culture gripes while his trademark wit has not betrayed him. With the aid of a congenial cast, it's a film that not only hit a lot of right notes but, with the topicality of post-financial crisis, also hits a nerve.