I am always optimistic about every upcoming Woody Allen film, because you never know how they’ll turn out. The certainty about Allen lies in the fact that he will have a movie come out year after year, seemingly no matter what. The uncertainty lies in how good the finished product will be. Now, I’m a sucker for the guy, so I don’t think I’ve actually seen a movie of his that I’ve disliked (Hollywood Ending came awfully close). At the very least I find them amusing. At best, they’re magnificent. And every time he gets written off, he returns with a movie like Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and the recent Midnight in Paris from just two years ago. It’s hard to say he’s lost anything despite being 77 years old and pumping out movies for the last forty-some years.
Not even the description provides much of an impression of what to expect. Sony Pictures has offered the summary: “It is the story of the final stages of an acute crisis and a life of a fashionable New York housewife.” Kind of sounds like all the others. Then again, so did Match Point. The cast for Blue Jasmine looks pretty spectacular, featuring the likes of Cate Blanchett, Louis CK and Sally Hawkins. Then again, To Rome With Love had a stellar cast, and it was a bit of a letdown for audiences. As always with Allen, we’ll just have to hold our breath, and if it sucks, just wait another year.
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