Even when Woody Allen isn't working at his best, he still makes films infinitely wittier than most comedies produced today. Even when he's being silly, he never dumbs down the content. He has mined the world of murder mysteries before and returns again in SCOOP.
Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson, MATCH POINT) is a beautiful, yet awkwardly direct, American journalism student visiting her wealthy friend Vivian (Romola Garai, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE) in London. During a magic act performed by Sid Waterman (Allen), Sondra is visited from the great beyond by the recently deceased reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane, TV's DEADWOOD), who is compelled to inform her of a big scoop he overheard while floating down the River Stix — Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman, X-MEN), son of Lord Lyman, may be the Tarot Card Killer. So Sondra recruits Waterman to pose as her father and help her get close to the possible killer. However, the dashing man wins her over and she has a hard time believing that he may be a murderer.
More gaggy than say MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, but not as much so as HOLLYWOOD ENDING, SCOOP is like watching the slightly retooled act of a veteran comedian. Some of the jokes are the same, but they're still funny, and there's just enough new material to make it worth your time. The trailers actually don't do the jokes justice because the old joke flavor fits Allen's character well.
Allen has rightfully removed himself as a romantic lead, making a new dynamic between himself and his pretty female star. Johansson is quite good as a bumbling nerd, who is smart, but slightly unsophisticated. It's a unique part for her, considering her recent string of sexpot roles. Allen makes it work by not trying to make her frumpish. She's pretty and she knows it, but she's awkward nonetheless. McShane is kind of wasted, as his character is really just a plot device. Likewise, Jackman isn't given anything more than "be charming," which he could pull off in his sleep.
Mainly the story is Sondra and Sid's investigation into the crime. The one-liners fly fast and furious and Allen's rapport with Johansson is sweet. Allen finds some nice irony for the end, which one may see coming, but it's smarter than 99% of the other stuff out there. It made me laugh; it didn't talk down to me — what else could you want from a comedy these days?
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
