Scoop (2006)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

15 September 2006 (Iceland)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

The perfect man. The perfect story. The perfect murder.

Plot:

An American journalism student in London scoops a big story, and begins an affair with an aristocrat as the incident unfurls.

Plot Keywords:

Scoop | Journalist | Student | Magic | Card

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jim Dunk	...	Funeral Speaker
Robert Bathurst	...	Strombel's Co-Worker
Geoff Bell	...	Strombel's Co-Worker
Christopher Fulford	...	Strombel's Co-Worker
Nigel Lindsay	...	Strombel's Co-Worker
Ian McShane	...	Joe Strombel
Fenella Woolgar	...	Jane Cook
Pete Mastin	...	Death (as Peter Mastin)
Doreen Mantle	...	Joe's Co-Passenger
David Schneider	...	Joe's Co-Passenger
Meera Syal	...	Joe's Co-Passenger
Kevin McNally	...	Mike Tinsley (as Kevin R. McNally)
Robyn Kerr	...	Tinsley’s Fan #1
Richard Stirling	...	Tinsley's Fan
Scarlett Johansson	...	Sondra Pransky

Also Known As:

Untitled Woody Allen Fall Project 2006 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Mono)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Canada:G (British Columbia) | Netherlands:AL | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:7 | France:U | Germany:6 | Spain:13 | Hong Kong:IIA | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, Mayfair, London, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

The lead character (originally an adult journalist) was tailored specifically to Johansson, whom Allen observed as having an unused "funny" quality about her while working on the previous film Match Point (2005).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The instrument in the Music Room under which the Tarot cards are hidden is constantly referred to as a "French horn" when in fact it is actually a Conn 16E Mellophonium. Additionally, in the first scene in which the Mellophonium is shown it appears without a mouthpiece. In all subsequent scenes a mouthpiece is in place.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Funeral Speaker: Don't mourn Joe Strumble.

Movie Connections:

References All the President's Men (1976)

Soundtrack:

In the Hall of the Mountain King

With All Due Respect

Greetings again from the darkness. Remember all the "What happened to Woody Allen?" jokes? Even Mr. Allen poked fun at the fans who wanted him to continue making his same "funny" films. As with any great artist, Mr. Allen's craft evolved over the years and he lost some fans, while picking up others. Last year's masterpiece "Matchpoint" showed he is still every bit as relevant and poignant as he was in the days of "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan". What is most striking to us 40 plus year fans is that Mr. New York himself seems to have a bit of a crush on the mother country. Apparently he actually likes England!! While filming "Matchpoint", Mr. Allen became enamored with Scarlett Johansson and her real life spirit and sense of humor. This attraction motivated him to write his best comedy in years. Scarlett, while risking overexposure, must be given credit for not just picking films that cast her in some glamorous light. She is unafraid to look and act like a real person. In "Scoop", she flashes some real on screen comedy chops and, in many scenes, delivers the real punchline to Mr. Allen's straight man. Of course, any time Mr. Allen decides to put himself in front of the camera, he will get more than his share of one liners and social commentaries in - which is fine, because few do it better.

Very nice support work from Ian McShane and Hugh Jackman. In fact, Mr. Jackman provides a few glimpses into why many of us thought him the best choice to replace Brosnan as the new Bond. As with most of Allen's films, the star is the script, not the actors. Although Scarlett delivers superbly here and is a nice contrast to the polished Allen and Jackman, what makes this one crackle is the dialogue ... especially the banter between Allen and Scarlett. If you are not a huge Woody the actor fan, fear not. He does limit his screen time and he is quite effective, except in two or three brief scenes that almost seem out of place. Another Woodman tradition is a sparkling musical background and "Scoop" is no exception ... especially the Strauss composition.

"Scoop" is a nice cross between "Annie Hall" and the best of the Marx Brothers films or the Cary Grant comedies. Yes it is an adult comedy, but it is actually very cute ... especially for a serial killer and talking ghost comedy!!