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Allen’s one-liners
carry the day
IF Alfred Hitchcock used schizophrenia in Psycho to enhance suspense, Woody Allen does the same with a schizophrenia of sorts---hypnotism---to embellish comedy in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Though he may not be as successful as he was in some of his earlier films, there are enough of his trademark one-liners to keep even non-Woody Allen fans more than satisfied. As top insurance investigator C.W. Briggs’ (Woody Allen) modus operandi is to get into the mind of the thief, but now, thanks to the hypnotic powers of the Jade Scorpion via hypnotist Voltan (David Ogden Steirs), the mind of the thief is getting into Briggs. So, Briggs finds himself in the unenviable position of solving a larceny he himself has committed. What's more, the firm's
new efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt) has become his bete
noire, never sparing an opportunity to spurt venom on him. She calls
him "a shallow skirt-chasing egomaniac" and much more. But
Fitzy, as she is often referred to, is having an affair with the boss
Chris Magruder (Dan Aykroyd) and hoping he'll eventually divorce his
wife. |
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Though the film is set in 1940, the thinking is quite contemporary. Office life is very much the same and though Fitzy is a clever woman, her love for the boss is her biggest weakness. There's enough happening but of course it is our neurotic hero who holds centrestage and his verbal pyrotechnics with Fitzy form the crux of the film. There is good situational with Briggs and Fitzy blowing hot and cold by turns. The climax is rather convenient but unlike most of the current Hollywood films it is totally devoid of slapstick, thankfully. Woody Allen, the actor, may seem a bit tired and weather-beaten but he does a fair job and is ably supported by Helen Hunt who is giving evidence of her comic talent after As Good As It Gets. In these days of Hollywood
famine, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is a welcome change.
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