Blue Jasmine

Cate Blanchett delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in Woody Allen's compassionate, yet chilling character study centered on the disgraced, discarded wife of a Bernie Madoff-like fraud. For many years, WASP-y, elegant Jasmine (Blanchett) has been the trophy wife of Hal (Alec Baldwin), a conniving, mega-rich Manhattan financier. Having changed her name from the more prosaic Jeanette years ago, she's a svelte, self-absorbed, snobbish Upper East Side socialite, living on Park Avenue and spending weekends in the Hamptons. But her lavish lifestyle falls apart when she discovers that Hal is not only dishonest but also a habitual philanderer. After he's sent to prison and the government repossesses everything, Jasmine packs her monogrammed Vuitton bags and relocates to San Francisco. Moving in with her adopted sister (Sally Hawkins)—a hard-working grocery store clerk/single mother with two young sons—unhinged Jasmine self-medicates with vodka and tranquilizers. Financially forced into taking a “menial” job as a dentist's receptionist, humbled-yet-conflicted Jasmine yearns to become someone “substantial” again, a possibility that emerges when she meets a wealthy widower/diplomat (Peter Sarsgaard) with political aspirations. Andrew Dice Clay, Michael Stuhlbarg, Louis C.K., and Bobby Cannavale offer strong support for luminous Blanchett, who masterfully plays her fluttering, delusional, Chanel-clad character with exquisite precision. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Cast Press Conference” with costars Cate Blanchett, Andrew Dice Clay, and Peter Sarsgaard (24 min.), “Notes From the Red Carpet” interviews (6 min.), trailers, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine vehicle for star Blanchett.] (S. Granger)