Curse of the Jade Scorpion, The  (2001)

Rating: PG-13

Studio: DreamWorks

Review Posted: 11.3.01

Spoilers: Minor

Rating: 2.5/4

By Craig Younkin

Woody Allen's "Jade Scorpion" is bright with comedy and also a really good soundtrack that gets you right into its setting, the 1940's. Allen plays insurance investigator C.W Briggs, a man who has survived in his field mainly by using out door methods of tracking, questioning the neighborhood bums and so on. But this method just doesn't fly with the new efficiency expert brought into investigate the company.

The expert would be Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt),
a woman who wants to replace his department of the
company and hire outside help instead. She makes Briggs very nervous, causing him to respond to her with insults, and at one point, kindness to smooth things over. But their relationship continues to go south, until one night at a birthday party when they are picked as volunteers by a hypnotist named Voltan (David Ogden Stiers), who makes them believe that they are actually married and very much in love. The two come out of the trance feeling the same animosity toward each other, but the curse is far from lifted.

Later on that night, Voltan calls and brings Briggs back under the trance and tells him to steal jewelry from a mansion in which he set up security for. Then more of the houses Briggs set up security for are also being robbed (by him unknowingly), forcing his boss (Dan Aykroyd) to hire outside help to investigate. It isn't long before the finger is being pointed at Briggs, who is shocked and has reason to believe that Betty Ann is doing the burglaries, because she is also acting odd (because she too is getting calls). And neither one of these characters can tell that the other is in a trance, making it even odder when the trance starts getting affectionate.

Writer, director, and star Woody Allen takes center
stage in "Curse of the Jade Scorpion", giving himself the best lines, most development, and funniest character. It should be no surprise that his comic wit is the highlight of the film. He plays off his cast, especially Helen Hunt, always coming up with a snappy come back and occasionally a sex joke thrown in. His neurotic delivery also just can't be beat, only unfortunately he looks sort of like a weasel here, making his believability as a romantic lead go right out the window.

The rest of the nice looking cast is completely wasted. Hunt, showing the same intimidating office female from "What Women Want," tries but he never lets her or the rest of the cast get as juicy a dialogue as he gets. The laughs are very few when Allen isn't on screen. His plot is also very dry. It seems to only be used in spurts while Allen's random joke telling sees way more action.

"Jade Scorpion" is a very funny film with really well thought out jokes. Only you just feel that Allen could have milked more out of this film by the time it ends.

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