Scoop
Woody Allen's London-set comedy caper doesn't break any new ground, but he and Match Point muse Scarlett Johansson are good for some odd-couple laughs.
Story
All plucky journalism student Sondra Pransky (Johansson) wants is a big story to get her career off the ground; instead, she finds herself in the London audience of a corny magic show headlined by New York schlemiel Splendini, aka Sid Waterman (Allen). But while Sondra is helping Sid with one of his tricks, she gets an unexpected, ghostly visit from recently deceased star reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane). He tips her off to the scoop of a lifetime: Handsome political rising star Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) just might be the notorious Tarot Card Killer. With Sid's reluctant help (he poses as her dad), Sondra decides to investigate the story by getting closer to Lyman--who turns out to be suave, charming, and instantly smitten by her. In between looking for clues and bickering with Sid, Sondra has to decide whether to trust her e movie over and over, and Scoop isn't exactly evidence in his favor. All witticisms and suspense-less suspense, it's pure Woody fluff, and it feels a lot like The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Manhattan Murder Mystery. On the plus side, unlike his last comedy--the excruciating Melinda and Melinda--most of the dialogue sounds believable in the characters' mouths, and there's someone to root for. Realism and logic may not be Scoop's strong points--there's the whole dead-reporter angle, for one thing, and Sid and Sondra's decision to team up to investigate Peter seems dictated by the laws of cinema rather than real life--but fans of Allen's comedies will probably find it decent entertainment.
Bottom Line
Hollywood.com rated this film 2 1/2 stars.