The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)'s comments

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Siskoid

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is another of Woody Allen's odes to the 1930s and 40s (like Radio Days and The Purple Rose of Cairo), and in this case, he tries his hand at filming what could be a script from that era. As a particular fan of 1930s Hollywood, I immediately perked up at the stock sets and bantery language, but by trying to mash up several genres popular in 1940 (the year it is set in), it sometimes feels a little confused. It has elements of screwball romantic comedy (the two leads who hate each other), pulp (the swami who hypnotizes people into crime), and noir (a femme fatale and an insurance investigator right out of Double Indemnity), as well as the sexism of the era, albeit contrasted with more modern attitudes (though the movie tries to have its cake and eat it too in terms of consent). Not everyone is on the same page in terms of acting style/delivery either, with Charlize Theron giving a performance that could be right out of a pre-Code picture, while others, namely Allen himself and Helen Hunt, feel more modern. I know Allen was forced to take the lead role when his first choices declined, but he makes everything more cringy, and I don't think he can carry the type fo comedy he's angling for. Loved the music though.

4 years 5 months ago