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Woody Allen erases curse in `Jade Scorpion’
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The consensus around Hollywood these days seems to be that Woody Allen, at 66, is getting a little long in the tooth to still be playing romantic leads in his films. But, at the same time, who else can play Woody Allen better than himself? Advancing age aside, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion continues the tradition of smart, fast-paced comedy that viewers have come to expect from the Woodman over the years.
Set in 1940s Manhattan, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion opens in a well-respected insurance companyOs main office and introduces us to flirtatious insurance investigator extraordinaire C.W. Briggs (Allen).
Briggs, known for his spectacular intuition and ease in solving difficult cases, has finally met his match in the form of Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt), an efficiency expert hired by Chris Magruder (Dan Aykroyd), Briggs’ boss.
Fitzgerald and Briggs continue to butt heads until they fall under the spell of the hypnotist Voltan (David Ogden Stiers) at a 50th birthday party for a colleague. During a mystical ceremony involving the titular jade scorpion, Briggs and Fitzgerald are hypnotized to respond to certain words and do as they’re told until the hypnosis is broken.
Soon after the party, a strange series of jewel robberies begins occurring and Briggs is hot on the trail of the thief, all the while not realizing there’s a crucial piece of information right under his nose.
He soon becomes mixed up with the vampy Laura Kensington (Charlize Theron) and fights to keep his case away from competing detectives (Arthur J. Nascarella and John Schuck).
The whole plot twists and turns, building to a climax that is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming.
The cast is excellent, the standouts being Theron’s Lauren Bacall-esque Laura Kensington and Hunt’s alternately vicious and sweet Fitzgerald. The production design by Santo Loquasto and Zhao Fei’s luminescent cinematography also greatly enhance the flavor of the time period. Allen’s script contains zingers that prove dialogue isn’t dead in this age of digitized blood and mayhem.
The film takes a while to actually get going, but once it does, it is thoroughly enjoyable.
Writer/director Allen’s deft comic touch fails him at times during the film, but not often enough to make the film a waste of time.
Evoking an era reminiscent of classic films like his Girl Friday, Allen’s new film is a refreshing comic romp through the snide one-liners and smart dialogue one has come to expect from Woody Allen.
In a summer packed to the hilt with reprehensible releases, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion offers something rare: it’s actually entertaining.
Currently playing at The Flicks. Don’t forget to bring your student ID in order to reap the savings.
Preston Jones, Oklahoma Daily (U. of Oklahoma)