Woody Allen: Day Twenty-Eight

Scoop is Woody Allen's second film shot entirely in London and the second film in a row to star Scarlett Johansson. It is an unfortunate letdown after Match Point, his best film of the decade, and part of the problem with this film is Woody Allen. His jokes feel tired and forced and his presence weighs the film down.

Sondra Pransky (Johansson) is an American college journalist visiting family friends in London. One evening she attends a magic show by The Great Splendini, also known as Sid Waterman (Allen). She agrees to participate on stage and while inside the box she meets the spirit of Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), a recently deceased investigative journalist who has a scoop. He has reason to believe that Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) is a serial killer. Sondra and Sid create aliases and become friendly with Peter Lyman in order to discover the truth.

Scoop has a decent premise but the material seems stale. There is also very little chemistry between Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman. It is not Woody Allen's worst film but it is one of his least inspired.

Next up: Cassandra's Dream.

1. Hannah and Her Sisters
2. Everyone Says I Love You
3. Manhattan
4. Bullets over Broadway
5. Annie Hall
6. Crimes and Misdemeanors
7. Radio Days
8. Husbands & Wives
9. Another Woman
10. The Purple Rose of Cairo
11. Broadway Danny Rose
12. Match Point
13. Love and Death
14. Sweet and Lowdown
15. Mighty Aphrodite
16. Interiors
17. Sleeper
18. Manhattan Murder Mystery
19. Zelig
20. Stardust Memories
21. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
22. Take the Money and Run
23. Deconstructing Harry
24. Oedipus Wrecks from New York Stories
25. Bananas
26. Small Time Crooks
27. What's Up, Tiger Lily?
28. Melinda and Melinda
29. Alice
30. Shadows and Fog
31. Don't Drink the Water
32. September
33. A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
34. Celebrity
35. Scoop
36. Hollywood Ending
37. Anything Else
38. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion