Blue Jasmine

There was a time in film history when Woody Allen was consistently making the best movies in the business. His latest, one of many movies he has made in the last 10 years, is that return to form that some of us former Allen fans have been waiting for, thanks in large part to a phenomenal central performance by the sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated Cate Blanchett. Blanchett plays Jasmine, the wife of a Bernie Madoff-type financier (Alec Baldwin) who must relocate from New York to San Francisco after she is bankrupted and emotionally destroyed. She gulps martinis, criticizes her helpful sister (Sally Hawkins), and, quite frighteningly, is prone to bouts of talking to herself. Allen finds the dark humor in the story, and employs a supporting cast that includes comedians Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K. and, most astonishingly, Andrew Dice Clay, who, doggone it, delivers one amazing performance as Ginger's financially destroyed ex-husband, Augie. Above and beyond the humor, Allen makes his film a parable about how some deeds are irredeemable, and some folks are simply doomed. It's as bittersweet as any movie you will see this, or any, year for that matter. As far as the Allen film canon goes, it's a top five installment. It's one of those films where everything pulls together perfectly, with Blanchett at its powerful center.