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.
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It’s well-known that Allen offers little instruction to his actors once they’re on set, forcing them to rely on their instincts. Some performers thrive in this environment—to date, 15 separate actors have received Oscar nominations for their work in Allen’s films—while others flounder. In any case, the method typically results in maddeningly inconsistent characterization, with realistic and cartoonish portrayals often clashing within the same scenes. (Ray Pride once quipped in New City that one of the reliably interesting things about Allen’s work is that everyone onscreen seems to be in a different movie.) Thankfully, Blue Jasmine contains one of the strongest casts that Allen has assembled in some time, and the more successful performances manage to enliven some rather tired observations about American class relations.
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
