This movie is classic Woody Allen. It's light as a feather, very talky and does not take itself seriously, rather it enjoys itself as it goes along its merry way.
The premise is that a young journalism student (Scarlett Johansson) finds herself being visited by a ghost (Ian McShane) while participating in a magic show. She's given the 'scoop' of a lifetime when he gives her the potential identity of a serial killer. She ask the help of the magician (Woody Allen) whose act she was in as she follows the trail.
A material like this can not be taken seriously and this movie does not. It does not have any mean bone in its body unlike say an Adam Sandler movie. It goes for laughs without trying to embarrass anybody. The movie is talky and has a lot of one liners, which means it's usually hit and miss. There are a lot jokes that are obvious and maybe not even funny but I think there are enough to make me recommend it.
The acting is very good, the actor shows respect for the material and the audience. They don't act as if they're superior to the material and to the audience. Frequently today, comedies that stars stand-up comedians take on the attitude of those comedians, unfortunately many of those comedians have attitudes I can not stand. This film has good performances from Hugh Jackman, McShane and yes Johansson. They all treat the material with proper respect instead of disdain. They know that the material they are doing isn't to be taken seriously yet they just don't dump on it.
Unlike most comedies today, the movie does not treat its audience as a bunch of morons instead it trust its audience will be willing to go along on a romp and enjoy themselves which I did. Credit has to go to Woody Allen for getting his actors to put their faith in his hand and for writing good material no matter how ridiculous the premise might be.
Overall the movie has very entertaining with a lot of jokes, some fall flat some funny. Personally I have never found Woody Allen movies to have a lot of big belly laughs but in some cases such as Scoop they can be very entertaining and put a smile on your face for the rest of the day.
The premise is that a young journalism student (Scarlett Johansson) finds herself being visited by a ghost (Ian McShane) while participating in a magic show. She's given the 'scoop' of a lifetime when he gives her the potential identity of a serial killer. She ask the help of the magician (Woody Allen) whose act she was in as she follows the trail.
A material like this can not be taken seriously and this movie does not. It does not have any mean bone in its body unlike say an Adam Sandler movie. It goes for laughs without trying to embarrass anybody. The movie is talky and has a lot of one liners, which means it's usually hit and miss. There are a lot jokes that are obvious and maybe not even funny but I think there are enough to make me recommend it.
The acting is very good, the actor shows respect for the material and the audience. They don't act as if they're superior to the material and to the audience. Frequently today, comedies that stars stand-up comedians take on the attitude of those comedians, unfortunately many of those comedians have attitudes I can not stand. This film has good performances from Hugh Jackman, McShane and yes Johansson. They all treat the material with proper respect instead of disdain. They know that the material they are doing isn't to be taken seriously yet they just don't dump on it.
Unlike most comedies today, the movie does not treat its audience as a bunch of morons instead it trust its audience will be willing to go along on a romp and enjoy themselves which I did. Credit has to go to Woody Allen for getting his actors to put their faith in his hand and for writing good material no matter how ridiculous the premise might be.
Overall the movie has very entertaining with a lot of jokes, some fall flat some funny. Personally I have never found Woody Allen movies to have a lot of big belly laughs but in some cases such as Scoop they can be very entertaining and put a smile on your face for the rest of the day.