Scoop

It would be easy to expect another Match Point; same city, same young actress, same director, etc. We would be right to suppose that Scoop would be a departure from our well-hewn and well-traveled Woody-Land. Considering this is Allen's second foray into the royal capital, it would be logical to assume that this film would somehow follow in the darker footsteps of it's predecessor, and land somewhere in the area of not-what-we're-expecting from the little guy. But expectations are there for us not to meet them, to more or less paraphrase Mr. Allen.

This film is a return to Allen's previous love; the quirky, goofy, sometimes unbelievable murder-mystery. Allen has made quite a franchise out of tweaking the hell out of the classic whodunit; this is no exception. For those myriad fans out there who've followed Allen's ouvre from Annie Hall through Broadway Danny Rose, this entry into his catalog doesn't fail to disappoint.

It all unfolds easily enough, and you realize quickly that you are on both hallowed and familiar ground, nestled comfortably amongst the writer/director/actor's many neuroses. Scarlett Johansson plays Sondra Plansky, a college-coed journalism major who longs for her big scoop, something that will justify her major and her love of the printed word. Enter the vaulting stage presence of Ian McShane as the ghost of Joe Strombel. He is - or was - the great purveyor of the London word, the carrier of many a front-page scoop. But Strombel died a little too early, barely missing the story of a lifetime: could dashing young aristocratic Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) be a serial killer? It would disappointing to check out while hot on Lyman's trail; on the other hand, for a journalist to be one of the dear departed means getting a little back-door-access to the details from the afterlife. Sondra encounters Strombel's ghost while partaking in a cheap magic act put on by Allen's character Sid Waterman, whose stage name is The Great Spendini. After a little supernatural meet-and-greet, the movie takes off into the wild blue mystery.

As confusing as it sounds in summary, Scoop does nothing but entertain on the front end. McShane has a certain quality of presence that is readily recognizable to those who've followed his wicked portrayal of the amoral Al Swearengen in HBO's Deadwood, and Johansson is cast perfectly as the smart-yet-somehow-ditzy front-row lady. Allen's Great Splendini/Sid Waterman is charming and cohesive, serving as both foil and catalyst to Johansson's lead. In true Woody Allen style, the characters are masterfully directed and the script is ripe with entertaining dialog.

You like anything else by Wood Allen? This entry into his catalogue is just as good as anything from the bulk of his work; say, middle to best. But Allen's not for everyone. Some are turned off by his quirk and a certain tendency toward cinematic excess. But for those of us who've always appreciated the New York king of self-deprication, Scoop is a must-see movie.