Writing about Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus two weeks ago, I speculated that Sebastian Silva’s direction of actors in that film—guiding them through extended improvisations within a tightly organized structure—may owe something to his background as a musician. This thought occurred to me again while watching Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen’s latest comedy-drama, which opens this week. Allen has long moonlighted as a jazz clarinetist, and he too seems to cast his movies as though preparing jam sessions, bringing together a diverse set of players to see how they’ll interact.
Blanchett, Hawkins, and Baldwin fare much better, imbuing their characters with confidence and charisma without making them sympathetic. Surprisingly, the most revelatory performance comes from Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger’s ex-husband, another boorish working-class archetype. Best known for his vulgar, misogynistic stand-up routines, Clay first seems out of place in a tony-looking movie like this. One can still hear in his line readings the tough-guy swagger of his comedy act, as well as a poignant struggle to sound sincere. Yet these qualities bring an authenticity to the character that’s missing from Cannavale’s. Visibly insecure yet determined to hold his own with pros like Blanchett and Baldwin, Clay illustrates more vividly than anything else in Blue Jasmine the divisions separating the haves and the have-nots.
Directed by Woody Allen
