It would be hard for
me to encourage any filmmaker to be derivative,
but in the Woody Allen Comedy’s case, the
technique works. Of course, that’s not to say
that the derivation used in Allen’s latest film,
Scoop, led its craft to match that of,
say, Annie Hall. And the statement
certainly doesn’t apply to the writer/director’s
work in genres outside of comedy; last year’s
“thriller” Match Point was so stiffly
referential and predictable that I practically
felt like boycotting his career. Regardless, I
would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy
watching Woody Allen make comedies. Scoop
is slightly staler than each of its predecessors
from the filmmaker, but Allen’s ear for witty
punch-lines and gift in staging combine with
fresh performances from leads Scarlett Johansson
and Hugh Jackman to make it a thoroughly
humorous film.
Johansson plays Sondra
Pransky, a young, American journalism student
vacationing in London. During her trip, Sondra
doesn’t intend on investigating much more than
an interview with a popular filmmaker for her
school-newspaper, but runs into much more than
she bargains for when she attends a magic show
put on by the sleezy, neurotic Splendini
(Allen). When participating in the Age-Old
“Magic Box” trick, Sondra comes into contact
with the ghost of a late, infamous British
Journalist, Joe Strombel. Joe informs her that
Peter Lyman (Jackman), son of successful
aristocrat businessman Lord Lyman (Julian
Glover), is the “Tarot Card Killer”, a wanted
man who has pathologically murdered a series of
short-haired prostitutes. He has discovered this
while on his long journey into the afterlife
across the River Styx, alongside Lyman’s
former-secretary, who was poisoned after her
criminal of a boss overheard a telephone
conversation in which she suggested his
potential involvement in the deaths. Sondra,
realizing that she has a story for the ages on
her hands, decides to go undercover with
Splendini as Jade Spence, a wealthy Californian
who attracts Lyman from the second he lays eyes
on her.
Sitting here thinking
about all of the recent Woody Allen comedies
released, I’m puzzled as to why people are
displeased the direction in which his career has
gone. Clearly, Allen hasn’t made a truly great
film in years, but then again, who has made
as many great films as he has? His recent
Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Hollywood
Ending, Anything Else, and, indeed,
Scoop, may be footnotes on his lengthy
career, but they still function as enjoyable
pieces of work made by a reputable filmmaker.
Allen’s skill in assembling pictures is
thoroughly apparent here, accentuating his
pleasurably fast-talking dialogue as performed
by the charismatic pair formed by a saucy
Johansson and a devious Jackman. There’s no use
in trying to compare Scoop to Allen’s
best efforts when it works as a perfectly
thoughtful, engaging, and clever film on its
own. This film serves as ideal
counter-programming to all of the summer’s big,
brainless blockbusters.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews (8.2.2006)