Scoop
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Movie Reviews of Scoop
Movie Review: Woody vs. Woody
Summary: 4 Stars
Scoop, directed by the inimitable Woody Allen, features very hot stars Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson. This is the second of back to back Woody movies set it England; featuring Johansson. This movie is best described as a light and airy comedy, with a bit of murder mystery mixed in. I am compelled to compare it to Manhatten Murder Mystery. Therin lies the rub. From a critic, reviewer, and [the] public's standpoint, Woody Allen is in constant competition with himself. His body of work is phenomenal. There are great movies and average movies. Were Scoop to have been directed by a first time director, I wonder what type of reviews it would have received? I tend to believe that since Woody is so polarizing, this film is held to a higher standard than most others. I think this film falls in the 3.5 star range. To begin with, any film with Scarlett Johannson in it is time well spent. She is a very good actress and is very easy on the eyes. Hugh Jackman has proven to be a very versatile actor who does a nice job in this movie, which is a bit of a change of pace for him. The movie is about a college student from America who majors in journalism. She is in London when she unearths (scoops) a big story. She meets with a ghost who provides some information about a London serial killer's identity. With Woody as her magician friend, Johannson embarks on a romance with Jackman who may or may not be involved in the killings. This movie is a nice little way to spend a couple of hours watching a light and airy comedy, with a dash of mystery mixed in.
I give this film 3.5 stars overall, but show it as 4 stars as a nod towards one of the best directors of his day.
Movie Review: The Scoop on "Scoop"
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm surprised at the number of people who have trashed "Scoop", because I can be rather critical and yet I enjoyed this one. The trouble with evaluating Woody Allen movies is that each film begs comparison to every other one, rather than being permitted a fresh start to stand on its own merits. And Allen fans will seek out his work, while naysayers will avoid it, thereby ruling out the need to critique his movies in the first place, I suppose.
So I'll try to steer away from those pitfalls and just contribute my two cents by stating that "Scoop" contains enough wit and fun to be engaging entertainment. Sure, the plot revolving around a "Tarot card killer" was somewhat underdeveloped, as was the character of Hugh Jackman, as Peter Lymon. But never mind that - if the mystery/thriller genre is your thing, perhaps you shouldn't be choosing Woody Allen films; that's not really what he's about; DUH. In this case the "plot" is just a ruse to showcase the humor in unlikely situations, such as a young journalism student and a magician of recent acquaintance masquerading as father/daughter after she receives an invite to a posh estate. Here Allen as the magician/faux parent gets an opportunity to make us laugh, without being hopelessly crude or juvenile, and that's what it's all about, my friend.
Also worth a mention is the way death is depicted early on in "Scoop", giving me a strong intuitive sense that I was in for a treat. HA - let THAT be the mystery for you!
Movie Review: Very Enjoyable and Entertaining!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a real fun movie that seems to capture the feel of some of Allen's "middle" work like Live and Death. A boatload of people are being carried by Mr. Death on a boat to their final destination in the afterlife. Two of the people start up a conversation. One was a newspaper journalist and the other a woman. The woman tells him that she was murdered by a high society gentleman. The reporter decides that this is the scoop of the century and must escape from Mr. Death so he can give the "scoop" to another reporter.
He materializes in the middle of a magic trick where Scarlett Johannsen is being made to disappear in a box. He tells her what he knows before he disappears. Johannsen enlists the aid of the magician (Woody Allen) to prove the allegations of the "ghost" and nail the "scoop" in the newspaper. Allen relucantly agrees to help only because he sees the ghost too.
The two pose as father and daughter and get in the good graces of the society man (Hugh Jackman). The rest of the movie unfolds as Johannsen and Allen try not to blow their cover and get enough evidence to implacate Jackman. In the meantime it gets more and more difficult as Johannsen has fallen in love with Jackman.
Johannsen is very likable with a personality similar to "Ugly Betty" and Allen still has good comedy skills and is sometimes hilarious as he does card tricks in front of very aristocratic people who are guests at several of Jackman's parties.
Movie Review: What a surprise
Summary: 4 Stars
I liked Match Point, but I haven't liked a Woody Allen movie since Deconstructing Harry. Scoop feels like a re-telling of Manhattan Murder Mystery set in London, and it is somewhat light and fluffy, but there are some great, classic Woody Allen moments and lines. ("You're so negative. You always think the glass is half empty." Allen: "No, I think the glass is half-full, but of poison.") Woody's magician act is hilarious and kudos to him for finally playing the bumbling old man. It's a new Woody Allen we haven't seen before and it's anxiously endearing. Five years ago, he would have played the girl's lover. Here he pretends to be her father. Woody grew up and it's welcomed.
I normally don't like Hugh Jackman, but he was well-cast and he did something few people do in Woody Allen movies: he didn't act like he was in a Woody Allen movie! The movie loses a star for Scarlett Johannsen. Sorry, I just don't get it. I find her bland and a poor choice as sucessor to the Woody Allen menagerie of leading ladies.
This isn't up the level of the Woody Allen of the late 1970s or early 1980s, but it's better than the stuff he has been doing the last 10 years and just fun to watch.
Movie Review: Not earth shattering, but very fun
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie theatre I work at in Memphis was the only place to see the film in the city and it attracted steady crowds who seemed to love it. Having seen the bulk of Woody's pre-1995 films, I thought this measured up pretty well with a lot of his better work. I classify it as "light" as far as his films go, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As I told patrons at my theatre who asked if they should see it: if you're a Woody Allen fan, you'll enjoy it, and if you didn't like most of his past works, then you won't. This is a fun comedy that might predominately appeal to the tastes of older generations in its pace and humor, but hey, I'm 30 and really enjoyed it. Yes, it's much like Manhattan Murder Mystery (with a younger appeal, due to the savvy casting of current moviegoer faves, Scarlet Johansson and Hugh Jackman (my only criticism of Johansson is that, like some actors before her, she seems to take on too many of Allen's vocal affectations), but I see nothing wrong with that. Though typical Woody, it was a breath of fresh air amongst many of the other films this past summer. Like I said, if you like Woody...