woody allen's SCOOP (2006)

after the unqualified artistic success of Match Point, which caught even the most apologist of his fans off guard, Scoop unfortunately finds Woody trying once again to simply keep his head above water. to its credit, it's pleasant (after the dreadful, grating Anything Else, that in itself is a godsend) and Allen seems more comfortable here than in Curse Of The Jade Scorpion using whodunit conventions as a frame for comedy. but as with most of his later, lesser work, much of the humor is conspicuously laborious, and does no favors for muse-du-jour Scarlett Johansson, whose tenuous but endearingly awkward read on her character is repeatedly torpedoed by bum gags. Ian McShane shines in an unfortunately minor role as a dead reporter, and Hugh Jackman is charming as a suspected murderer of prostitutes. hell, even Woody himself seems more comfortable onscreen than he has since Small Time Crooks. but the material's just not there, and so the slide regretfully continues.