Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen) - 2013

Cate Blanchett (not to be confused with Mrs. Bernie Madoff) loses everything when her husband (Alec Baldwin) is caught stealing investment money.  The indignity of poverty and the lack of any marketable skills cause her to move in with her plain but honest sister (Sally Hawkins).  Hawkins endures an unending barrage of insults from Blanchett regarding her lifestyle and her choice of male friends.  This is the most depressing of all of the Woody Allen films.  Ms. Blanchett carries the movie with an excellent dramatic performance as her character takes dysfunction to a new level.  Allen's sharp dialog is here but his sense of humor is missing in action.  Some of those in the audience laughed at certain points but their reaction always seemed inappropriate to me.  This one will not make money in America's malls. [JAM 8/15/2013]