Scoop
Review by Fritz Esker
In a cinematic summer as barren as this one, even a relatively slight entertainment such as Woody Allen's Scoop is a delight, merely because it is an enjoyable, likeably acted film.
Of course, some people will pan this. Mainly, these people will be those who think Allen has either 1) not made a good movie since Crimes and Misdemeanors or 2) has only made one good film since Crimes, the wildly overrated Sweet and Lowdown. However, for those looking for laughs, Scoop mostly succeeds.
Scarlett Johansson plays a Jewish-American journalism student in London. One evening, at a magic show conducted by the Great Splendini, a.k.a. Sidney Waterman (Woody Allen), she is visited by the ghost of an investigative reporter (Deadwood's Ian McShane), who gives her a promising scoop. The scoop is that Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), the well-to-do son of a Lord, is actually the man responsible for what the local press has dubbed the Tarot Card Murders.
After the awkward, unconvincing opening in which Johansson and Allen meet, the film breezily speeds along as the two mismatched detectives investigate the case. Not surprisingly, Johansson finds herself falling in love with Jackman, even as Allen grows increasingly suspicious of the aristocrat. Johannson and Allen have an easy chemistry together, and a lot of laughs are derived from their attempts to pose as father and daughter when infiltrating the world of British aristocracy.
In a way, Johansson's performance is reminiscent of Will Ferrell's in 2005's underrated Melinda and Melinda. Like Ferrell, Johansson seems to be directly channeling Allen at first. While this statement may seem odd, Johansson's neurotic character in many ways seems like a young, female version of Allen (I know that sounds frightening, but she says many Allen-esque lines like "I don't wear contacts because I don't like putting my finger on my eyeball). However, just as Ferrell did in Melinda, Johansson becomes more comfortable as the film progresses and eventually makes the character her own.
Once again, Allen plays a variation of himself. It may not be original or groundbreaking work, but it remains mostly funny, whether he is backhandedly insulting his "daughter" Johansson or trying to impress rich Brits with card tricks or delivering one-liners like "I believe the glass is half-full...of poison" and "I was born of the Hebrew persuasion, but converted to narcissism sometime ago." Jackman, in a markedly different role than his macho Wolverine in the X-Men films, does a skillful job of portraying a charming man who still seems to be just a little bit off.
Perhaps most welcome of all, the ninety-five minute Scoop is quite possibly the first summer movie that does not overstay its welcome (even the otherwise solid Cars rambled on longer than it needed to). If you typically enjoy Allen's humor, you'll enjoy this. If you find Allen irritating, then you probably don't need me to tell you to avoid it.