>>REVIEW
SCOOP
STARRING Woody Allen, Scarlet Johansson, Ian McShane and Hugh Jackman
DIRECTED BY Woody Allen
Opens Friday, July 28
Check listings
You’ve got to give Woody Allen his props. He’s spent nearly 40 years making movies and,, more recently, grappling with personal controversies and yet remains a gifted director, actor and natural comedian.
Scoop, his latest offering, doesn’t stray far from the formula of his early caper comedies with Diane Keaton, but his nubile new partner in sleuthing and comedy, Scarlett Johansson, steps up to the plate and delivers an alluring performance.
Set in London, the film begins with an ambitious, but bumbling, young journalism student (Johannson) who drunkenly falls into bed with a famed director, yet doesn’t get the story she was assigned to write for the school paper back home. Frustrated, but unquenchably keen, she attends a magic show with her friend and meets the ghost of a star reporter (Ian McShane) offering her the scoop of a lifetime. The plot is implausible, but Allen has rarely made movies rooted in reality.
There are times when Johansson appears a bit nervous and compensates by overacting. Thankfully these moments are brief and overall she holds her own with co-stars Allen and McShane. Hugh Jackman turns in a sigh-inducing performance as the dreamy son of an aristocrat (who could also be a serial killer), with devastating charm and charisma.
The plot moves along comfortably, with a few twists, turns and visually hilarious bungling. Amid the confusion and wild leaps of the imagination, a not- so-far-fetched romance develops between Johannson and Jackman. But, the real chemistry happens between she and Allen. Not in a romantic way – that would be creepy – but there’s a friendly respect between the two that’s undeniable. It’s easy to see why Allen chose her for this film. Despite her relative youth and beauty, the lady has killer comedic instincts and great timing.
More than anything, this film gives Allen a chance to showcase his classic stand-up talent and some scenes seem to be about nothing more than him doing his shtick. Still, the laughs come easily and often.
Scoop is a gratifying comedic caper that is cleverly engaging and secures Allen’s reign as the king of neurotic comedy. |
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