IMDB Score – 7.9
RT Score – 90%

Woody Allen is one of my favorite writers in film. I love his classics such as Annie Hall, Bananas, Sleepers, Manhatten, and Deconstructing Harry. I started to notice a theme however. The films I really love from Allen are the ones he stars in himself. There are now two exceptions, Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine. Usually Allen swings and misses with his dramas that he doesn’t put himself in as a character, he’s that funny. This film however exceeded my expectations tremendously and it weighed heavily on the acting. Cate Blanchet gives the performance of the year, of the last couple years for an actress, and the role of her career in this film. She’s in every single scene. She steals every single scene. How is that even possible? I don’t know. Allen wrote a pretty good film about a woman (Blanchet) trying to find herself after she finds out her husband has been scamming people his entire career to make his millions. She goes from throwing parties on Park Ave to working as a receptionist. She’s also batshit insane and this is where Blanchet really shines. Allen uses a split narrative, going from the past to the present and Blanchet excels in every facet of this fictitious life. She’s mesmerizing. Secondary characters were great too as Bobby Canavale and Sally Hawkins have great performances as well but Blanchet was just so good. It’s worth your eleven dollars.

4/5