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The Curse of the Jade ScorpionRating:
Release Date: 06 May, 2003 Retail Price: $14.99 OUR Price: $9.99 You SAVE: $5.00! Cast: Complete Cast (9 total) |
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion Reviews
Standard, Entertaining Woodman Work.
`The Curse of the Jade Scorpion' is a standard Woody Allen comedy homage / satire of an historical dramatic / film genre, in the same way that `Shadows and Fog' was a take-off on 1930s German expressionism and `A Mid-Summer's Night Sex Comedy' was a takeoff on Shakespeare's `A Mid-Summer's Night Dream'. The movie is also `standard' Woody in that many of Allen's stock company of actors and production team are working on the film, including Wallace Shawn and David Ogden Stiers. The lead actors Dan Aykroyd, Helen Hunt, and Charlize Theron are all working with Allen for the first time, but as Aykroyd says in the notes, not for want of trying. The stock quote from actors in an Allen film when they talk about getting the call to work with Woody is that they never have to be asked twice.
The movie parodies a 1940's whodunit that would have been a perfect vehicle for Humphrey Bogart in the Allen role of insurance investigator and Lauren Bacall in the roll of daughter of a wealthy burglary victim, played in this movie by Charlize Theron. Both castings are the basis of two of the more prominent humorous situations. Seeing nebbish Woody playing a role typically performed by Bogart or James Cagney or John Garfield or Edgar G. Robinson is the biggest running gag of the film. One evocation of this gag is when Allen finds himself entering an erotic encounter with the very luscious Theron. The reason the encounter is not consummated is part of the underlying story line, so I cannot say much more without giving away the heart of the movie. The joke is in how this circumstance can detour Allen from bedding Theron. Aside from this episode, Theron's appearance in the movie is poorly used. The only excuse may be that this appearance was still a good two years before Theron's Academy Award for `Monster', so she was not even at the same level of star power as costars Aykroyd and Hunt.
Aykroyd and Hunt, especially Hunt, are at the heart of the story line. Aykroyd is the boss at the insurance company at which Allen's character has worked as the head loss investigator for many years. Allen's character has been very successful at this job, largely through a talented intuition and a network of informers. Hunt is a newly hired efficiency expert charged with improving the profitability of the company. In this role, she immediately clashes with Allen's old time testosterone stereotype who views Hunt in much the same light as he sees the luscious office girls. This clash, leading to Hunt's hiring an outside detective agency to investigate two very similar burglaries, is the main foreground action, sharing the stage with the love affair between Hunt and Aykroyd.
One thing I always like about Allen films is that once you buy into his basic premise or setting for the movie, his presentation of human nature is generally quite accurate, contrary to implausible behavior in many other comedies, not to mention plainly impossible premises based on miracle changes in age or body switching. In this film, Allen's character is quite competent at his job and his colleagues stand by him even when evidence connecting him to the burglaries mounts, gathered by the outside agency. We are dealing with stereotypes here, but they are realistic stereotypes.
As always, Allen has a roster of stars behind the camera as well as in front of it. One of his greatest strengths seems be in building a strong team that historically always brings his films in on schedule and within budget, with a critical if not a popularly successful movie. Allen's studios have probably gotten into the habit of expecting him to create movies produced for 20 million and netting 25 million. Money in the bank, for sure.
As Allen movies go, this is not his best comedy, and it is certainly not his worst. It has a happy ending with none of the angst of `Manhattan' and none of the pathos of `The Purple Rose of Cairo'. It is the kind of movie that can be enjoyed by people who are not confirmed Woodman fans. Up to this point, DVDs of Allen films generally do not have a lot of special features. All the usual subtitle, trailer, and biographic extras are there, but nothing else. I really have no problem with this, as I would much rather see Allen spend his time on his next movie rather than spicing up the extras on a good movie which can stand on its own very well, thank you.
Recommended to anyone who likes intelligent comedies. Especially recommended to Woody Allen fans.
A Woody Allen Favorite!
The premise for this movie allows for so many funny situations. I wasn't sure that it could be a favorite of mine, considering Helen Hunt plays such a big part and I'm not at all a fan of hers normally, but the movie's so good that not only does she not spoil the fun for me, but she actually fits right in. I can watch this movie over and over.
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