WANT THE SCOOP? SKIP THIS ONE.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic `Scoop'' represents a return to form for Woody Allen Noun 1. Woody Allen - United States filmmaker and comic actor (1935-) Allen Stewart Konigsberg, Allen , which is bad news for anyone who saw the grimly unfunny movies -- ``Anything Else,'' ``Hollywood Ending,'' ``Curse of the Jade Scorpion'' -- Allen made before winning back some measure of respect last year with ``Match Point,'' itself a knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. of his superior ``Husbands and Wives.'' Revealingly, ``Scoop'' is close cousin to ``Match Point,'' revisiting the same locale (London), the same basic plot line (passion-fueled murder affects the lives of high-heeled Brits) and the same leading lady (Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and subsequently gained critical acclaim for her roles in Ghost World, Lost in Translation and ). ``Scoop,'' though, is supposed to be a comedy. But the dead serious ``Match Point'' was actually funnier, which should tell you all you need to know about Allen's latest exercise in laziness. The movie opens somewhat promisingly, with a recently deceased British journalist (Ian McShane from ``Deadwood'') named Joe Strombel cruising the river Styx, making small talk with his fellow passengers. There, Joe unearths a hot scoop -- well-known, debonair deb·o·nair also deb·o·naire adj. 1. Suave; urbane. 2. Affable; genial. 3. Carefree and gay; jaunty. aristocrat Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) may well be the second coming of Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper, name given to an unidentified late-19th-century murderer in London, England. From Aug. to Nov., 1888, he was responsible for the death and mutilation of at least seven female prostitutes in the East End section of London. . Strombel has got to tell somebody, so he jumps ship and ends up inside a magician's cabinet with Sondra (Johansson) a wet-behind-the-ears American journalism student. He tells the ambitious Sondra his scoop and promptly vanishes, leaving the girl and the magician (Allen) to learn whether Lyman really is offing short-haired brunettes all around London. Lyman soon warms to Sondra's charms, which gives her access to his swanky swank·y adj. swank·i·er, swank·i·est Swank. swank  i·ly adv.swank apartment, aiding her amateur detective work. Meanwhile, Lyman remains oblivious to Sondra's true motives and falls in lust with her. ``I love an American accent and find much of what you say amusing,'' he tells her, which is hard to believe because her patter pat·ter 1 v. pat·tered, pat·ter·ing, pat·ters v.intr. 1. To make a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: Rain pattered steadily against the glass. is more irritating than charming. More persuasive is a later Lyman confession: ``I can't get that vision of you and that swimsuit out of my mind.'' Bingo. Johansson does look fetching in a red one-piece, but she's entirely miscast mis·cast tr.v. mis·cast, mis·cast·ing, mis·casts 1. To cast in an unsuitable role. 2. To cast (a role, play, or film) inappropriately. here, her languid screen presence at odds with the screwball screw·ball n. 1. Baseball A pitched ball that curves in the direction opposite to that of a normal curve ball. 2. Slang An eccentric, impulsively whimsical, or irrational person. adj. nuttiness the role requires. And Allen is just plain annoying, his comic kvetching a pale imitation of past triumphs. Only Jackman gets out of this mess unscathed. Allen is currently filming another movie in London with Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell. There's no stopping him. His work is his life, and he remains unreceptive to advice that he slow down and take the time to hone a screenplay. As such, it looks like ``Match Point'' was an aberration in a late-career slide. We can only hope the next movie might be a drama, too. The good news -- he's not in it. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672. glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com SCOOP - One and one half stars (PG-13: some sexual content) Starring: Woody Allen, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Ian McShane. Director: Woody Allen. Running time: 1 hr. 36 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell: Woody Allen more or less remakes ``Match Point'' as a comedy. The joke's on us. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Hugh Jackman, left, Scarlett Johansson and Woody Allen star in ``Scoop,'' Allen's comedy about tabloid journalism. |
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