Woody Allen acts like the biggest chicken around, but the eggs he lays are still healthy, hard-boiled entertainment. With most of Hollywood concerned about big action, computer animation and teenage humor, Allen is still frying up great dialogue and runny wisecracks.
In his latest film, "Scoop," Allen pulls out his old secret recipe that no one else seems to be able to create: flipping between a bantering American social consciousness and puny comedy, while cooking up a devilishly self-contained plot.
Based in London — it's nice to know that we still have some foreign correspondents — Allen taps in with another brilliant film with his latest favorite leading lady, Scarlett Johansson.
Sid Waterman (Allen) scrambles between a job as a two-bit magician and uses his spare time to assist college journalist Sondra Pransky (Johansson) in solving the case of Britain's "Tarot Card Killer." Allen plays his usual quick-witted, physically bumbling, paranoid character — much like himself.
Besides nesting brilliant dialogue, the film rises above the usual burnt Hollywood clichés because it's a single vision — not only written and directed by Allen, but also acted in by Allen. It's becoming more and more commonplace for mainstream films to be written by at least two people and then directed by another, and these parties don't take part in the acting.
As well-done as compromise and collaboration can turn out, there are many times in which films become very watered down and lose a concise purpose when too many parties become involved.
On the other hand, Allen has so much experience and success in the movie business, he's able to cook up films with all of his own absurd ingredients.
It was delightful to bite into a film that gave off the Allen aroma throughout.
There were no scenes in which the humor cooled down or you found yourself asking why. Much in the same way "Pulp Fiction" was a single vision by Quentin Tarantino with alluring dialogue, "Scoop" also succeeds.
Allen's latest film doesn't have all the violence or a buffet of characters like "Pulp Fiction" does, but instead relies more heavily on Allen's brilliant comedic delivery.
He does stutter a bit and take his time getting to the punch lines, but when he gets there, he really wipes up the yolk with some toasty jokes.
Of course, Johansson doesn't have the same comedic spice as Allen, but she's easier on the eyes, and the chemistry between the two could make chemicals on a Bunsen burner bubble over. Johansson plays it straight, allowing Allen to act the clever fool — card tricks at fancy English tea parties and religious jokes at highbrow soirees.
If you're a fan of the skinny boy from Brooklyn, then you know he's cooked up some great films and stirred up some flops. But "Scoop" is a good egg with plenty of cool dialogue to defeat the steaming heat.
