After directing Scarlett Johansson in the well-received Match Point, Woody Allen appeared with her on screen for his next film, Scoop, another story set in London involving murder. Only this time, the film is a comic mystery, like Manhattan Murder Mystery from 13 years prior in which he re-teamed with Diane Keaton after a 14-year hiatus, not counting her cameo in Radio Days.
Buy ScoopJoe Strombel (Ian McShane), a revered reporter, has died. While Charon, ferryman of the dead, transports souls across the River Styx, Joe meets Jane Cook, an assistant for Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). She thinks she was poisoned because she suspected Peter was the Tarot Card Killer, a modern-day Jack the Ripper, who has been terrorizing London.
Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson), a college journalism student, is picked as a volunteer at the magic show of Sid Waterman (Woody Allen). While placed in the Dematerializer box, she encounters Joe’s ghost, who passes on his scoop about Peter. The next day, she returns to the theater and Joe’s ghost appears before both Sondra and Sid, offering more details about Peter.
Posing as daughter and father, they meet Peter and get invited his father’s estate to attend a garden party. Peter and Sondra start to date, which she uses to get close but eventually starts falling for him. Peter acts suspicious while Sondra and Sid find clues to build a case. However, after they go their story to a newspaper, they find out someone else has confessed to being as the Tarot Card Killer. Sondra is relieved that she can pursue her feeling for Peter, but Sid and Joe aren’t so sure the case is over.
Allen has written a fun murder mystery with a good twists. Where the film stumbles is the dialogue, which doesn’t sound polished but at times, comes across as ad-libbed as the actors try to get out the needed information and move the scene where it needs to go. Allen returns to playing a fumbling, Bob Hope-influenced persona while the other characters don’t have much depth. Some of the jokes still use the same references Allen always has, which were funny coming from a 40-year-old man in the ’70s, but sound odd coming out of a young woman 20 years younger 30 years later.
The video has been given a 1080p/ MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The colors appear in solid hues, but from 21 to 29 minutes, there’s a pink tint, seen the first time Sondra and Sid are outside together. Blacks are inky. The image has a sharp focus, revealing fine texture details. The audio is available in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Dialogue is clear throughout and the main component. The rest of the soundtrack offers minimal ambiance, and no original score but there are classical music pieces used. There are no bonus features except for a trailer
Scoop is pleasant enough as light entertainment, but for longtime Allen fans, it pales in comparison to his previous work, like much of his latter films do when he repeats himself. There are no memorable scenes or jokes that stay with the viewer after it ends. Aside from the pink-tinted portion, the A/V presentation offers a satisfactory high-definition presentation.
