Oscar bait for Cate Blanchett as a mood-swinging alcoholic ex-socialite lost without her husband's millions, Woody Allen's latest is not his usual comedy, though there's plenty of dark humor. Blanchett (profiled in Hanna) metamorphoses between silky golden girl and baleful mutterer at each flashback and -forward, making the contrast between the two so distinct. Because Allen (last blogged for To Rome with Love) can have his pick of stars, these shine brightly. After Blanchett we have Sally Hawkins (most recently in Made in Dagenhem) spot-on as Jasmine's insecure grocery-store-checker sister Ginger who takes her in (Blanchett has been covering up her Aussie accent for years but this is the first time I've heard Hawkins without her English one). Then Alec Baldwin (regrettably in Rock of Ages) is smooth as the Madoff-like husband. Bobby Cannavale (last in Win Win) brings the intensity we've seen in Boardwalk Empire and Nurse Jackie to Ginger's boyfriend Chili. Michael Stuhlbarg (also from Boardwalk Empire and last in these pages in Seven Psychopaths and Men in Black III) makes us laugh without cracking any jokes as Dr. Flicker, Peter Sarsgaard (voice in Robot & Frank) is equally smooth as Dwight, and Andrew Dice Clay, whose stand-up comedy Jack and I have both detested, pleasantly surprised us with a solid turn as Ginger's disgruntled ex-husband Augie. Comedian Louis C.K., whom we love, has a nice cameo as Ginger's friend Al. In fact, he auditioned for Augie, but Allen thought he was too nice and so cast him as Al.
Mary Ellen had warned us this wasn't a comedy and thought that Allen usually doesn't get Oscars. However he has four (for writing and directing Annie Hall (1977), and for writing Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Midnight in Paris), 19 nominations, and actors in his movies have gotten 14 nominations and six wins. What he doesn't do is go to the Oscars. And here are some statistics on his movies' box office take before the opening of this one.
Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (Almodóvar's Talk to Her (2002), The Sea Inside (2004), Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Identity Thief, among others) deserves a mention for the beautiful images of upscale New York and middle class San Francisco, the latter a new venue in Allen's 44th feature. Production designer Santo Loquasto (his three Oscar nominations are for Allen movies Zelig (1983) (costumes), Radio Days (1987), and Bullets Over Broadway (1994); he was PD on 19 more for Allen and some for others, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Big (1988), and She-Devil (1989)) gives us the lush NYC sets to which we've become accustomed and Ginger's artfully cluttered SF apartment.
As usual there is no composer, but instead a list of classic jazz and Dixieland tunes, including some Bessie Smith type belting from Lizzie Miles (enjoy it here).
My regular readers probably need no urging to see this, averaging 90% critics and 85 audiences on rottentomatoes. But, in case you do, Jack and I urge you!
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