Sight FleeingNo other filmmaker has received such an uneven career as Woody Allen. His heyday was in the 1970s when he ended with his ultimate classic Annie Hall. The '80s was still good, with Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Purple Rose of Cairo and the superb Hannah and Her Sisters. The '90s was a little rocky, as I think Bullets Over Broadway was a mild success while Mighty Aphrodite was the type of comedy that I'm still not sure why exactly I liked. Then came the new millennium, and with it a streak of forgettable flops from this once claimed master of cinema (remember Anything Else? How about Melinda and Melinda?) Being born during that rocky decade, I didn't have much to be interested in with Mr. Allen. Then came the absolutely brilliant, wonderfully symbolic, cleverly ironic Match Point and the whole world rejoiced. Had the master finally come back? Here's the answer: Scoop. This film isn't a great one, but it does provide yet another change of scenery for the evolving director, and it's a quirky ride indeed.
Allen sets up this story with his most famous pairing of friends. Their introduction (provided by busy narrator Christopher Evan Welch) is put out as two people as complete opposites: the controlling, over-analytical Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and the spontaneous, open-minded Christina (current muse Scarlett Johansson). The two are invited to stay in Barcelona by a couple friend of Vicky's (Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn). While in the city, the two come across the mysterious Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem, oozing suave) who invites them on a weekend romp. Christina seems to be the one more interested (mainly because Vicky is engaged to a nice, yet dull, millionaire), but then Vicky begins to have a relationship. All of this is seriously dashed when Juan sultry ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) conveniently shows up.
The campaigning for this film has put Cruz as the main attraction for the film. She steals the show many times, and her constant rants are always made even better by the flighty Spanish language (a language I think she should stick with). However, I would also argue that her presence always harps on notes that seem forced. She never comes across as a natural character but more like a force of nature that blows in from a storm when it sees an opportunity to ruin a quiet moment. The real actress to campaign for this film is Rebecca Hall. Her character arch is handled with such delicacy that she goes through a subtle metamorphosis without even realizing it. Every scene of hers is so real. Johansson is alright, but I still feel a wall behind her acting. Bardem doesn't pour himself as much energy as he did for his Oscar-winning role last year (my vote still would have gone to Casey Affleck), but his charm and constant ability to change his persona depending on which woman he's kissing is something to marvel at.
The way that Allen directs this film is full of kinetic energy, as his films always are. He moves his characters around which trigger more events later down the road until all the action snowballs into a tension-peaking moment at the end. While Hall plays Vicky wonderfully, I don't know if Allen really writes her as a character that intentionally steals the show; I think it happens accidentally because of Hall's performance. There is also something about the strange relationship between Juan, Christina and Maria. The three become a legitimate "couple" (Juan and Maria share the opposite personalities of one person) and the dynamics of their emotions is really well played out in Allen's script. However, Allen also suffers from not having his supporting players doing much as he virtually wastes the magnificent and brave talents of Patricia Clarkson as a painfully obvious symbolic reference as being an older version of Vicky. The narration is also a bit strange, only because Welch's voice is more casual than I would have liked. I prefer the stern oration of a Hugh Ross (The Assassination of Jesse James) or the public informant of a Will Lyman (Little Children).
I am not so quick to label this as a successful comeback for Mr. Allen, but it does seem that he needs a change of scenery now and then. After decades of being isolated in New York, and his work diminishing, he relocated to England and there was his grand return. Then he began slipping in his new location, so he's moved again. The next great Woody Allen classic will probably come along when he decides to film in Moscow (I predict South Africa somewhere down the line). Still, this film is light, fun entertainment. It's not a masterpiece, but it puts a grand smile on the face, and sometimes, that's all we need. *** / ****; GRADE: B
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