Rent Blue Jasmine (2013)

3.4 of 5 from 867 ratings
1h 34min
Rent Blue Jasmine Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Film centres around Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), a former New York socialite teetering on an emotional tightrope, balancing between her troubled east coast past and a fresh start in San Francisco. Having moved into her sister's humble apartment, Jasmine ricochets between the tumultuous acceptance of her new limitations and the dreams of reclaiming her past life's glamour.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , Max Rutherford, , , , , , Laurena Allan, , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Edward Walson
Writers:
Woody Allen
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Comedy
Collections:
2014, A Brief History of Films About Sisters, Acting Up: British Actresses at the Oscars, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2023, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Amy Adams, Getting to Know: Cate Blanchett, Getting to Know: Renée Zellweger, Oscar Nominations Competition 2023, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Oscar's Two-Time Club, Oscars: Winners & Losers, A Brief History of Film...
Awards:

2014 BAFTA Best Actress

2014 Oscar Best Actress

BBFC:
Release Date:
17/02/2014
Run Time:
94 minutes
Languages:
English Audio Description Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English, English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.40:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Notes from the Red Carpet
  • 'Blue Jasmine' Cast Press Conference
BBFC:
Release Date:
17/02/2014
Run Time:
98 minutes
Languages:
English Audio Description Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles:
English, English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.40:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Notes from the Red Carpet
  • 'Blue Jasmine' Cast Press Conference
  • Trailer

More like Blue Jasmine

Reviews (8) of Blue Jasmine

Comedy Drama. - Blue Jasmine review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
Updated 28/02/2021

For a director who (perhaps comically) stereotyped his milieu as New York, left wing, Jewish intellectual, Woody Allen has always addressed politics, if at all, then cautiously and tangentially. This is his most political film, being concerned with the kind of toxic capitalism associated with Bernie Madoff or Allen Stanford. But it's still an oblique approach as it focuses on the wife, Jasmine played by Cate Blanchett, based on the experiences of Ruth Madoff.

Her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) is involved in multiple crooked Ponzi schemes, some managed through her. After Jasmine learns of his infidelities, she calls the FBI and he is jailed, and their son estranged. After mental collapse and some degree of recovery, she goes to live with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in San Francisco.

 Blue Jasmine is a febrile drama, pitched quite uncomfortably rather nearer tragedy than comedy. But what it overwhelmingly becomes is a vehicle for Blanchett's powerful performance as a woman who has lived a life of delusion, now compelled to face reality, and not only blinking, but falling apart utterly. She makes it a great film, especially supported so adroitly by Sally Hawkins. There was no doubt who would win best female actor Oscar that year.

The film isn't as assuredly plotted as usual for Allen, and turns on two huge coincidences. But there are some lovely widescreen pictures of San Francisco and brilliant cast performances in a relentless melodrama. Jasmine's ultimate unravelling at the end of the film is pitiful. She's a terrible moral washout, but the capacity for the audience to forgive is near inexhaustible. 

5 out of 6 members found this review helpful.

Comedy? - Blue Jasmine review by JM

Spoiler Alert
24/05/2015

Surely this has been wrongly categorized? Comedy - you must be joking:)

Is it directed by Woody Allen's alter ego, perhaps, or a Woody Allen from an alternative universe? Some of the dialogue is clearly Woody, but without the humour, dead pan or otherwise. Sure, it's well acted - or one might say over-acted - but the characters are quite unlikeable, unrealalistic and frankly, I couldn't have cared less about them. I'm tempted to say it was a waste of 90 odd minutes of my life, but perhaps not quite in that class. However, it was bordering on "let's scrap this and find something interesting to watch" territory (which saved it from a one star rating). The plot was OK and ending after quite a deal of hard work was quite inconsequential.

Frankly, don't don't bother, would be my advice.

3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

One star for effort - Blue Jasmine review by BE

Spoiler Alert
13/07/2015

In am not usually a Woody Allen fan but swayed to hire this movie by some really excellent reviews. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it. I found the characters abrasive, unlikeable and unreal. I don't think falling asleep twice during transmission helped but this was the magnetic strength for me of this film!

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Critic review

Blue Jasmine review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso

Having never been a particular fan of Woody Allen I have always accepted that for many his neurotic and rather sideways comedy has a certain appeal; in recent years however I felt Allen has been undergoing a definable change in his personal psyche, his movies have, in my mind, become more and more hit and miss, with his attempts to rekindle his previous comedic atmosphere falling far short whilst his personal indulgences and movies made simply for the love of art have utterly sparkled with ingenuity and beauty. When asked to sit down and watch Blue Jasmine I admit I was quite apprehensive, unsure as to whether I would be greeted with another poor excuse to imitate his early success or something a little more haunting and genuine.

Luckily for me I found myself presented with the latter; albeit a far grittier and greyer movie than the shining effervescence that was Midnight in Paris – there is still something tangible and real about Blue Jasmine that I have always felt Allen’s signature neurosis lacked.

Jasmine, played excellently by Cate Blanchett, is a well to do high society wife who lives in New York with her businessman husband Hal (Alec Baldwin), yet as the film opens it is already clear that there is something going on behind the scenes in the life of Jasmine, who for some as of yet unknown reason has moved in with her adoptive sister the blue collar and emotionally generous Ginger (perfectly brought to life by the wonderful Sally Hawkins). It is slowly revealed that Jasmine’s life of luxury, swanky parties and fancy jewellery has been funded by illicit and immoral business transactions on her husbands part and now that he is out of the picture Jasmine herself has been forced into making a living for the first time.

A rather typical riches to rags story one would expect there to be a wealthy and wonderful man waiting to bring Jasmine back to riches again and though the narrative offers up Peter Sarsgaard’s Dwight this is not a typical Hollywood romance and as ever Allen shows that life is never really that easy.

The fantastic performances that Allen always seems to bring out of his actors, whether they themselves are well traversed in the art of acting or veritable on-screen newbies, is once again what brings the real magic to the narrative. Blanchett, living with her nose upturned is constantly affronted and disapproving of her sister, her rather inept boyfriend and noisy, manic children, yet her life of control is constantly undermined with a clever and rather satirical sarcasm that is both sharp as a whip and incredibly funny.

Yet Blue Jasmine is unlike any other Allen movie I have seen, the comedy here is entirely implicit and the over arching tone of the piece is a very low, gritty and painful one. There is little sympathy and nothing to warm the heart, yet the film ends with a genuine sense of competition, things are, by and large, as they should be, the characters have been served their just desserts and though most of them remain marginally unhappy the viewer is left with a feeling of satisfaction as to the nature of the world.

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