Scoop

The importance of Woody Allen to me can not be understated. His work provided a catalyst for me when I was a teenager. His collection of short humor pieces, Without Feathers, inspired me to write comedy. His play, Don't Drink the Water, was put on by our high school drama club, and I played a part, and that got me into theater. His films, well, let's just say I've seen Annie Hall close to fifty times. I also count Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters in my top ten of all time.

Much has been made of the great man's decline over the past decade or so. I suppose when you're as prolific as he is, some clunkers are bound to happen. It is true that he has not had a honest-to-goodness masterpiece since 1989's Crime and Misdemeanors. Some of his last few comedies seem like extended sketches, with paper-thin plots and characters. Scoop, his latest, is one of those. Set in London, it involves a young journalism student who is visited by a spirit of a recently-departed ace reporter. He gives her the scoop of a lifetime, and urges her to investigate. This all happens in a cabinet belonging to a third-rate magician, played by Allen.

So if Scoop isn't premium Allen, it's still enjoyable. There are about five or six good laughs, and just the sight of Allen as the magician brings a smile to my face. Scarlett Johannson is the young reporter, and she's not quite up to the task of playing screwball comedy. This is a part that a young Diane Keaton would have knocked out of the ball park. But at least Scarlett is shown off well by Allen, including putting her in a bathing suit (a one-piece, alas).