Comedy

There are a few themes and stories Woody Allen seems obsessed with, murder being one.  Here again he presents a murder mystery that’s much lighter and funnier than his last film, which also starred the delectable Miss Johansson.  Never quite what you’d expect (making it slightly better than Match Point), it’s a clever and enjoyable film.

Scoop
3 & 1/2 Stars

I called up a friend, who doubles as my Woody Allen expert, to check out Allen’s latest flick.  I enjoy Allen’s films, but to be honest, there are many of his earlier works I haven’t seen.  Ry on the other hand has seen them all, except one I wish I hadn’t – 2003’s aptly titled Anything Else (as in, I wish I was watching anything else but this piece of garbage).

So how does Scoop measure up?  Well it got thumbs up from my expert.  As for me?  As I’ve said before, if you put Scarlett Johansson in a clever, fun film, there’s very little that can go wrong.  Once again my great predictions have panned out.  Tomorrow’s lottery numbers will be 21 – 3 – 17.

Watch out for his adamantium claws, Scarlett!

Sondra (Scarlett Johansson), an American journalism student who often falls for the subject of her interviews, is staying with a friend (Romola Garai) and her family in London.  One night she goes to a magic show, performed by “the great Splendini” (Woody Allen), and her life is never the same.

While alone in the disappearing box, Sondra is contacted by the ghost of a recently deceased reporter (Ian McShane) who discovered, after his death, the identity of the Tarot Card serial killer.  He shares his information with Sondra hoping she can give him one last scoop.

With the help of Splendini, who’s actually named Sam Waterman, Sondra starts dating the suspect trying to find out if Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), the son of Lord Lyman and who she shares a mutual attraction, is indeed the killer.

The film isn’t a laugh riot; in fact for a comedy it’s very subtle and clever.  There are big laughs, but most of the jokes are the short asides we’ve come to expect from Allen.  Here he’s at his best.

I don’t know if he is more comfortable in this role or if it’s mainly written to harness his talents, but this is his best on-screen performance by Woody Allen in years.

He’s equally good on the page and behind the camera providing a wonderful stage for his actors to play out their roles.  Johansson is beautiful and charming, and Jackman provides just the right notes for the man who could be a secretive gentleman or a cold blooded killer.

Perhaps the best joke of the film comes early on where Ian McShane’s character, after his death,  finds himself aboard the ferry of Charon (from Greek mythology, last seen in Clash of the Titans).  In a film that gets most of it’s drama and laughs from more normal oddball behavior (the moments of Sam trying to pass himself off as Sondra’s father are terrific), a few absurdly comic touches like this come off as near genius.

There are a couple of hiccups.  Johansson struggles early on with the timing of Allen’s dialogue, and there are a couple of scenes and transitions that seem rushed (as does the ending).  Still these minor point shouldn’t be too much of a bother for fans of Allen’s work.

The film is so sharp and clever that many of the jokes may take a few screenings to enjoy fully (especially if you’re in a crowded theater where some of the quick replies might get lost in the audience’s laughter).  It’s an extremly small cast;  for most of the film only two or three characters appear on-screen at a time.  Even with such tiny supporting roles Allen does a remarkable job in casting them (for you BtVS fans look for Anthony Head in a small role as a detective of Scotland Yard).

It’s not a top-notch Allen project, but along with Match Point (read that review here) and Melinda and Melinda (read that review here), Allen is proving he can still churn out some pretty good flicks.  With his latest he gives us an enjoyable little film that although is about a search for a murderer, isn’t really a murder mystery.  It’s a comedy about small lies, mistaken identities, and deceptions.  Go check it out for yourself to get the full Scoop.