Scoop

Woody Allen
2006

I'm sure it would make veteran director Woody Allen's teeth grind to hear this but moving his current productions to Britain has done wonders for his stagnating work. Not to knock "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" or even "Hollywood Ending," they are both cute and pleasant to watch, but sometimes it is easy to forget that this is the guy who made "Annie Hall," "Love and Death," and "Sleeper." These are the standards I think he should be held to, he's proven the talent after all.

"Scoop" brings us the story of ace reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) who has just snagged what is arguably the biggest story of his already illustrious career, one involving murder, prostitution, and the House of Lords. Of course Joe happens to pick up this hot item postmortem, as he has recently died of coronary thrombosis and is on Charon's ferry crossing the river Styx. The good reporter won't be robbed of his story however and crosses over to give the tip-off to budding american journalist Sondra Pransky (Scarjo), while she is locked in the trick box of ham magician Splendini (Allen), real name Sid Waterman. Sondra and Sid become unlikely pals and slowly but surely start to unravel the case of the Tarot Card murderer who may or may not be aspiring politician and dashing aristocrat Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). Thanks to a thin and humorous ruse, Sondra (alias Jade Spence) becomes close to Peter and starts falling for him. This is proves to be quite the journalistic conflict of interest and not even the appeals of ghostly Joe Strombel can keep her out of Lord Fauntleroy's sack.

Along with "Match Point" this picture is as good as anything Allen's done since "Deconstructing Harry." Where New York's stuffy upper East side provided an appropriate background for his 70's and 80's films it seems that London's ultra stuffy high society gives Allen's scripts a breath of life in terms of modern perspective and locale. Its a milieu that suits his tastes and sensibilities, and tailors itself well to the script. The characters are solid with the exception of Splendini, who doesn't have quite enough personal quirks or affectations to set him apart from any other hackneyed stock role Allen writes for himself. Sondra Pransky is great for light comedy with her eyeglass-bound librarian sexual charisma, and enthusiastic innocence. Its always nice to see a starlet as bankable as Johansson take a less glamorous, even goofy role. Of course this isn't the case with Peter Lyman's upper-crust playboy which Jackman plays as sleek and unscuffed as pressed Gucci.

The biggest flaw here is the tiring relationship between Pransky and the magician. When the faux father/daugther duo aren't crashing countryside fetes to dig up clues their inane banter becomes incredibly repetitive and tiring. Its also notable that the story is very predictable, however its written and lensed so expertly that its less of a mystery to be figured out as much as a familiar story pleasantly enjoyed. As for the jokes, Allen's character only hits about one in three, but Johansson gets a much higher percentage due to her awkward and infectious geekiness. The sarcasm and borderline animosity between Pransky and Waterman is particularly delightful. Its always fun to see an old fogey crack jokes at youngster's expense.

This film is rough and imperfect, but a gem nonetheless. Perfect for die-hard Allen fans and worthwhile for newcomers (particularly dates). Keep an eye out for the casual filming of Charon's boat, its as visually and stylistically reminiscent of some of Allen's best 70's work. The stepdaughter-trysting bastard may be old as dirt, but he's certainly not dead yet.

Review By Brett A. Scieszka