Cast: Woody Allen, Helen Hunt, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Markinson, Wallace Shawn, David Ogden Stiers, Charlize Theron
Director: Woody Allen
Producer: Letty Aronson
Screenplay: Woody Allen
Cinematography: Zhao Fei
U.S. Distributor: Dreamworks
Once, not that long ago, Woody Allen was one of America's most respected filmmakers. The arrival of a new Woody Allen film was an event - a date to be circled on the calendar. Sadly, that time has passed. Allen is still making movies, but they're not of the same caliber. It has been more than a decade since Allen's most recent great film (1989's Crimes and Misdemeanors). The '90s gave us two examples of very good Allen (Bullets Over Broadway and Everyone Says I Love You), but those were islands in a sea of mediocrity. Everyone remembers Manhattan and Annie Hall. Understandably, the same claim cannot be made of Celebrity, Deconstructing Harry, and Small Time Crooks.
Over the years, Allen has basically made two kinds of films: serious dramas with a quirky bent and no-holds-barred comedies. Movies that fall into the former category typically rely heavily on character and plot. Those in the latter get by on joke power alone; other qualities are relevant only when they are needed to get a laugh. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Allen's 2001 entry (and his first production in years not to feature a credit for Jean Doumanian, his longtime producer, now turned court foe), has the sensibility of a comedy, but the humor quotient of a drama. Or, to put it another way, this movie is supposed to be a lot funnier than it actually is.
The year is 1940. Allen stars as C.W. Briggs (Woody Allen), a crack fraud investigator at an insurance company. Briggs has a reputation second-to-none, both for getting his job done and as a ladies' man. One woman his charm has not affected is the company's new efficiency expert, Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt). She and Briggs hate each other with a white-hot passion. She's desperate to get him fired, but her boss (and lover), Chris Magruder (Dan Aykroyd), dismisses Briggs as harmless. One night, when several of the workers go out together to a club, a hypnotist (David Ogden Stiers) brings Briggs and Betty Ann on stage and places them under the influence. While in his power, they confess their undying love for each other. When they come to, they seem normal, but the hypnotist has implanted a key word into each of their subconsciouses. Later, he uses this power, the "power of the Jade Scorpion", to force Briggs and Betty Ann to commit jewel robberies - robberies they end up investigating as part of their job.
As unfortunate as it is to admit, there's not a lot to like about this motion picture. Aside from an occasionally funny one-liner, the comedy is stale. Those expecting big laughs are in for a disappointment. There are chuckles, but little more than that. The romantic aspect of the film - the Hunt/Allen pairing - is lackluster. At 66, Allen is no longer capable of playing an offbeat romantic lead; he's starting to look his age. Recently, he has been stepping out of the actor's chair and letting other men take the starring role in his movies - he should have used that approach here.
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion's lone bright spot is a campy performance by Charlize Theron as a promiscuous, opium smoking actress who tries to seduce Briggs. Theron's scenes are energetic and playful, and she seems to be having a lot better time than anyone else involved in the proceedings. Unfortunately, as in Celebrity (her other Allen credit), she isn't given enough screen time. Support is provided by the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Wallace Shawn, and David Ogden Stiers.
Allen has always been his own harshest critic and both he and his funding studio (Dreamworks) have shown skepticism about the movie's prospects (its August 24 release date is a clear "no confidence" vote). Their discomfort is warranted - other than die-hard Allen fans, who will likely endorse the movie simply because of who directed it, few will see The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, and those who do will not be enamored with it. This is easily Allen's least watchable effort since Shadows and Fog.
Only time will tell whether Allen can regain the form that made his movies such a joy to watch during the '70s and '80s. It may be that age, burnout, too many tabloid scandals, and his obsessive love of jazz have conspired to leech away the better part of Allen's talent. Certainly, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion does not seem to have been made by the same man who helmed Hannah and Her Sisters or even Manhattan Murder Mystery. Time will tell whether Allen is still capable of delighting audiences, or whether he has slipped into the continuum of mediocrity where hundreds of undistinguished comedy filmmakers toil.
© 2001 James Berardinelli