Why did Jasmine? - Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2001) Discussion

[–] KittenCaboodle 18 years ago

Dennis knew Jasmine was an exotic dancer even before they started dating, if he didnt like it he shouldnt have pursued a relationship with her and hope she change her life/occupation to suit his inscurities. Men like Dennis will go their whole life trying to change women no matter what their occupation. Jasmin needs to find a real self-assured man with trust & confidence not a soft cock like Dennis.

Good riddance!!!

"Get In Touch With Your Inner Bitch!"

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[–] miamisfootballplaya 18 years ago

I didn't really get where he was trying to change her. He seemed to be perfectly alright with it (but I did watch the movie late at night about a week ago), do you think you could offer examples?

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[–] JanReb 18 years ago

Dennis was in no way trying to change her. He came to the club looking for her because she never showed up to go away with him to the Poetry Conference in San Francisco. Remember her boss would not give her off for that weekend?

When she just blew off Dennis, I assume he was concerned and went to make sure she was alright.

When Sandra Oh danced, she played that song , she purposely played a song that was telling him it was over and dancing more seductively than normal to show him just what a slut she was. But she really loved him and she wasn't a slut. Just another confused mess from the iguana.....

Peace,
Janice

BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!!!

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[–] ekko26 17 years ago

The way i saw it was her boss had convinced her that her life was Jasmine the dancer and not Cathy (her real name was Cathy right?) the poet.

I think that with this realisation she felt the only thing to do was to leave him - despite that she loved him, hence the tears.

Which i gotta say Sandra Oh did such a superb job of showing such frailty and hurt almost completely buried underneath the determination of following through with her good bye. I believed that 'Cathy' was right on the very edge of saying good bye to 'Jasmine' as opposed to actually saying goodbye to Dennis.

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[–] cuttingedgenyc 17 years ago

My take: She had been hurt badly before. She was afraid of opening up to him (letting him into the part of herself that wrote the poetry, etc.) and exposing herself to that potential for hurt again.

It was easier for her to return to her life as a stripper where men treated her like objects and it was all superficial. Easier, but it didn't make her happy. That's why she was crying.

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[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cuttingedgenyc 17 years ago

Well, yes, of course I know that scene. But she could have quit her job if she really wanted to go. She could have had another kind of life if she chose it. (not just dating this guy, but also focusing on her writing.) This was the perfect moment for her to choose that path.

But she didn't. That's what you're missing here.

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[–] Rheli 10 years ago

I felt she has kind of a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde thing going on.

She feels that if she is a poet she has to reject dancing. Or if she is a dancer she is ashamed to be a poet. Maybe to most of us the right choice seems obvious, but I believe this character, probably because of her upbringing and experiences, actually likes both lives.

It would be interesting to do a follow-up movie with this character where she figures out that what she can do -- what for her own sake she must do -- is integrate both of her identities into one. Maybe she would become the famous Stripper Poet or something like that. Diablo Cody may be a prototype.

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[–] PattyGJones 8 years ago

I think Jasmine was trying to find out if Dennis (naïve, tight-a$$ butthole) really knew and accepted her despite what she did for a living. He owned a book/video store. Did he really expect her to make enough to live on as a poet? And did he think strippers still did what Gypsy Rose Lee did on stage? Jasmine was crying because she could see from the look of shock on his face that Dennis, regardless of his claim not to care that she was a stripper, looked down on her and was not the answer to her prayers. She didn't "do that to Dennis" -- he did it to her.

I'm only in Show Biz by injection

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[–] hoosier95-551-986445 8 years ago

I always got the impression her boss coerced her into continue dancing and to her it was a matter of economics at the time. Granted she could have told her boss to shove it and quit but she didn't have anything to fall back on at a moments notice. Would Dennis have supported her in the interim? Maybe, maybe not but she didn't have the time or opportunity to find out before she had to go on. The tears told the whole story actually. She was upset that Dennis had to see her dancing and that he dissed her once he did see her dance. Just my take on the situation but feel free to dismiss it if you want.

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[–] beavertoof 8 years ago

i felt like she was running him off on purpose, as deep down she knew she would never get out of the stripper lifestyle. Even tho she did have talent as a poet, she felt she could not really cut it in the 'legit' world, so she ran him off, tho she hated doing it.

my take on it anyway

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