Details
Movie Description
Woody Allen's funny, frantic THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION is part screwball romantic comedy, part 1940s noir detective story, and part ingenious heist film. Allen stars as C.W. Briggs, a set-in-his-ways old-time insurance investigator who refuses to get along with the bright new efficiency expert, Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt), brought in to streamline his office's operations. Their back-and-forth bickering is reminiscent of the interplay between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in HIS GIRL FRIDAY. When a magician, played by the always excellent David Ogden Stiers, hypnotizes them as part of his stage act, Briggs unknowingly becomes a jewel thief while falling in and out of love with the exceedingly more confused Fitz, who is carrying on a secret affair with the married head of the company (Dan Aykroyd). Mayhem ensues as a pair of brother detectives zero in on the criminal, a sexy debutante comes on to Briggs, and Briggs and Fitz start suspecting each other. Production designer Santo Loquasto, who has been working with Allen for more than twenty years, once again has created beautiful sets, and the soundtrack, featuring such 1940s jazz treasures as Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington, is simply splendid.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: August 17, 2001
Industry Reviews
"...The sixty-five year old filmmaker continues to practice his craft with consistent artistic aplomb....JADE SCORPION is definitely the date movie of choice..."
Rolling Stone - p.132 - Peter Travers (08/30/2001)
"...There isn't a moment here that lapses out of period....Theron provides sultry atmospherics, as does a fine supporting cast..."
Variety - p.43-52 - Robert Koehler (08/13/2001)
"...Impressively meticulous....The film is a ready-made high-end collectible....[It] flatters the good taste of everyone involved....[With] lovely moments of humorous invention..."
New York Times - p.E1 - A. O. Scott (08/24/2001)
"...Santo Loquasto's exquisite period detail, in dreamy shades of gold, brown and orange, is perfection down to the glassware and wall calendars..."
USA Today - p.6E - Susan Wloszczyna (08/24/2001)
"...There's enough good fun in its zinger lines and clever plot twists to recommend it..."
Box Office - p.58-9 - Michael Tunison (10/01/2001)
"...The plot rattles along, the music pumps nicely, the hypnotist hypnotises, the misunderstandings mount, and a legion of Woody Allen fans will most likely count themselves happy..."
Sight and Sound - p.39-40 - Simon Louvish (01/01/2003)
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