The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Love stings
CW Briggs is a veteran insurance investigator, with many successes. Betty Ann Fitzgerald is a new employee in the company he works for, with the task of reorganizing the office. They don't like each other - or at least that's what they think. During a night out with the rest of the office employees, they go to watch Voltan, a magician who secretly hypnotizes both of them, in order to use them for his dirty schemes. The next evening already, Briggs makes his first robbery, and when he wakes up in the morning he has no memory of it. Things get really complicated when he starts investigating the case. Will he be able to uncover... himself?
| John Tormey | Sam |
| John Schuck | Mize |
| Woody Allen | C.W. Briggs |
| Elizabeth Berkley | Jill |
| Kaili Vernoff | Rosie |
| Brian Markinson | Al |
| John Doumanian | Office Worker |
| Peter Gerety | Ned |
| Helen Hunt | Betty Ann Fitzgerald |
| Kevin Cahoon | Lunch Delivery Man |
| Philip Levy | Rocky's Waiter |
| Wallace Shawn | George Bond |
| Dan Aykroyd | Chris Magruder |
| Vince Giordano | Rainbow Room All Star |
| Woody Allen |
6.70 out of 10 (9129 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Funny but instantly forgettable
posted on 26 Aug 2009This movie came a year after his return to lightweight stuff (Small Time Crooks), and as was the case with that movie, this one has some funny lines but is probably the only "two star" movie in his catalog (at least in my non-professional opinion). Helen Hunt does a nice job playing the Rosalind Russell character, but Woody is a little too old now for the Cary Grant part. This movie reminded me of His Girl Friday, right down to the period.
That was probably his intention. There were bits and pieces from his other movies here and there (particularly Manhattan Murder Mystery, Shadows and Fog and his segment of New York Stories), and it's clean (I have no idea why this got a PG-13 rating). Good supporting cast as well. The trend continues.......
It's cursed allright.
posted on 20 Aug 2009Although this may not be the worst Woody Allen, this is the one I hate the most and refuse to see again (I've seen some of his movies over 20 times).
Completely lifeless with rotten banter between Allen and Helen Hunt, the only thing that saves this, just like Celebrity, is Charlize Theron's face.
Oh My, Woody
posted on 14 Aug 2009Oh my, is this movie ever bad. Great cast, but everyone seemed bored and restless. The chemistry between Dan Akroyd and Helen Hunt appears very very uncomfortable. This movie wasn't even good camp or kitsch...Woody, what were you thinking? Take a sabbatical and clear your head.
Three hotties do not a movie make
posted on 17 Jul 2009It must be nice to be able to write, direct, star and CAST your own films. In this particular effort, Woody Allen has cast 3 incredible babes: Charlize Theron as the bad little rich girl sex siren (a Veronica Lake/Lauren Bacall type); Elizabeth Berkley as the innocent but sexy office secretary; and Helen Hunt as the "smart girl" who is just bubbling with repressed sensuality. With this going for it, "Curse" is off to a good start. Woody Allen stars as a 1940 insurance investigator at odds with the company's new efficiency expert (Hunt). On a night out to celebrate fellow investigator John Shuck's birthday, they are both hypnotized by a nightclub entertainer, played with flair by David Ogden Stiers. What seems like a harmless stunt soon turns in to a crime wave as the evil hypnotist keeps Allen under hypnosis to commit crimes. When he is awake, he has no memory of what happened, so as he investigates, Allen has no idea he's on the trail of himself. Easily the best scene in the movie comes when Charlize Theron, playing the spoiled daughter of one of the victims, meets Allen. She totally "gets" her 1940's character and steals the show. But she has an advantage. Besides being INCREDIBLY HOT, her part is well written and has a definite point of view. If only the rest of "Jade Scorpion"was as good. Instead, the movie has one foot in the 1940's and the other in the present. Hunt seems horribly miscast, but may just be the victim of a part that was not clearly written to the genre. Ditto for Dan Aykroyd, who seems curiously restrained in his part as the head of the insurance company and Hunt's secret lover. One can only speculate on what someone like the late Phil Hartman would have done with such a part. Instead, Aykroyd comes off flat. Strangely enough, Woody Allen himself seems to be a little out of character at times. For the first ten minutes of this picture, he appeared to be walking through the film merely doing a mild impression of himself. Elizabeth Berkley,of course has the most to be thankful for. By picking this fine figured woman off the ash heap of "Showgirls", Allen has given her credibility as an actress again. After all, if a director as talented as Woody Allen gives her a major part in a film, she can't be all bad, right? I'm sure she was most grateful. Charlize Theron, of course is the one WE have to be most thankful for. She is the highlight of the picture. Who knew she could be so funny while being so sexy! Yes! Helen Hunt, unfortunately must have just gotten off the set of "What Women Want", because she pretty much plays the same character she did in that Mel Gibson vehicle. She gives us no sense of time and place. As for the rest of the picture, it is slow and uneven at best. Woody still can do a solid joke when he wants to. Trouble is, he seems satisfied to get by with texas league singles instead of playing home run derby. A lot of the jokes fall flat. The direction is slow and the music, while appropriate for a Woody Allen film, did not seem right at all for a film of this 1940's genre. But perhaps Allen was looking for something else, and not a straight aping of those genre pictures. If he was, he should've kept looking. Perhaps even a filmmaker as gifted as Allen could not overcome the pictures title, "Curse of the Jade Scorpion". As far as I know, every movie with the word "Curse" in it has been cursed, or at least disappointing at best. These range from last year's "Curse of the Vampire" to the posthumously produced "Curse of the Pink Panther", the unfunny "Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen" and any number of shlocky horror films like "Curse of King Tut's Tomb" (with Raymond Burr), "Curse of Frankenstein" (A Cushing-Lee snorefest) or "Curse of the Fly", the sequel to the sequel "Return of the Fly".
WHY!
posted on 09 Jul 2009WHY do Woody Allen HAVE to be playing in a Woody Allen -movie? I mean... He has NO talent for acting! It's a shame, 'cause his movies COULD be really good - withouth him - Great actors like Helen Hunt and the others (and other, even greater actors in other Allen-movies). the Jade Scorpion COULD've been a GREAT movie, but with him - it stinks!
The usual funny lines, but not totally up to standard Allen comedy
posted on 15 Jun 2009Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion has moments of hilarity and has delightful characters that fumble around in often comic irony, but it doesn't totally add up to something I'd expect from a Woody comedy. Still, with a plot like this (hypnotism being used on a insurance detective to help heist jewels with him not knowing about it) and some excellent lines (ex: Do you know what someone is called when they think everybody is conspiring against them? Yes, perceptive!), the flaws are somewhat diminished. Helen Hunt plays Allen's possible romantic interest (more or less), Dan Aykroyd plays the boss of the insurance agency),and Charlize Theron has possibly the sauciest role of the film (wonder how Woody got her?)
B+
Painful and pitiful
posted on 07 Jun 2009I have been a fan of Woody Allen since the days of his early slapstick comedy. Unfortunately I have seen in his recent works a gradual deterioration. But with Curse of the Jade Scorpion the gradual deterioration has become an avalanche. What a gawdawful film! It had about half-a-dozen funny lines, an ok music score and the costuming was alright. But for the rest of it . . . I have seen better high school plays. The writing was so tedious, the acting so stilted (Woody Allen and Helen Hunt? I have seen more romantic tension between fenceposts.) and the plot so absurd I tried napping and when Woody's whining kept me awake, tried reading the movie guide by the light of my wristwatch. Woody Allen's character is sad,unappealing,irritating and even despicable, although I think the intent was for him to be cute. There are none of Woody's famous insights in this movie and only the smallest glimmer of the humour that illuminated his earlier works. Woody Allen has made some wonderful movies, but this sure isn't one of them. It would take some awful good reviews for me to go see any new release by him. I'll go back and watch Hannah and her Sisters, bananas, or Love and Death. What a shame.
Woody Allen is still brilliant
posted on 28 May 2009Woody Allen is back with another brilliant cinematic masterpiece that will be ignored at the box office. "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is a very funny movie with Woody Allen's trademark dialog and very artistic direction. The only problem with the movie is that Helen Hunt's dialog is somewhat heavy-handed from time to time. All-in-all, I felt that the entire cast turned in solid performances, especially Woody Allen in his role as New York's greatest detective. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies with substance rather than the typical drivel that Hollywood serves the public.
Woody delivers, as usual
posted on 12 May 2009Woody delivers another smart, funny movie. I am finally learning that nearly all of Woody's movies are good, and that they should be seen for one's self without regard to reviews. Sometimes the critics love Woody, sometimes they inexplicably bash him. They seemed to bash him here, and I haven't a clue why. Of course, my local paper, The Houston Chronicle, has critics that can never, ever be trusted. They loved Windtalkers, for example. Anyway, the usual Woody stuff here, and well worth seeing.
familiar but also fresh
posted on 08 Apr 2009"Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is a very enjoyable film. Particularly to those of us who prefer the classic "Inner Sanctum" genre over the bang bang shoot it up films of today. The lighthearted approach to this film removes it from the darker suspense typical of the older films. Instead the suspense is in the fresh interpretation of classic characters and situations. Often with unique little deviations and twists. Its familiar but also fresh. As such it is a worthy effort.
The weakest link in this effort is casting Woody Allen as the classic gumshoe. It simply does not come across right. Someone like George Segal would perhaps have been a better selection. The strongest performances comes from the three main women. Helen Hunt is excellent as the rather obnoxious proto-feminist. This is a role that Hunt plays very well. Charlize Theron is also excellent as the bored rich socialite. Elizabeth Berkley also delivers a fine performance as the gentle romantic but innocent sexy secretary. All in all a well spent trip to the theater.
Sweet and appealing
posted on 08 Apr 2009I don't understand why this film got such a poor reception on release. It's great fun, the wisecracks keep on coming, the dames are glamorous. Don't expect some note-perfect pastiche of 40s films - it's a Woody Allen film in costume, with all kinds of anachronisms in style. But it's relentlessly entertaining and there's a rather sweet love story at the bottom - I think it actually owes more to Billy Wilder's 'The Apartment' than to the classic screwball comedies. It's fluff, but likable, uplifting and charming fluff. Contrary to what some have said, both Helen Hunt and Woody are perfect in their roles. The fact that he's old and dilapidated fits the comedy, the romance, and the conventions of the detective genre. Hunt is appealing and does the hard-boiled but vulnerable underneath thing perfectly. Hooray for the discerning gentleman critics of IMDb who have given this film the credit the professionals didn't.
Horrible
posted on 15 Mar 2009Way back when, there was no one more original, creative and witty. Now, the age is showing on Woddy Allen's sense of humor. It is far more simplistic and generic, and it's difficult to find much to laugh at loud at. I look aroound the crowd and MOST of the viewers are senior citizens, who keep coming back because they were around when Woody Allen was actually a genius of comedy. I think the elderly still enjoy him, for as you age, your sense of humor, more often than not, tends to soften. I think they enjoy the more innocent humor, and Woody Allen is definitely delivering that these days. I have gone to the theater for his last four movies, and each time, I walk away thoroughly disappointed. I do not know why i keep giving him another chance. For some reason, I expect him to snap out of it and rekindle what he used to bring to us, but I now fully realize, it's not there anymore. The storyline was simply dull, and the dialogue was just not funny. He missed 9/10 times on his "jokes". The king is dead.
Great wit and fabulous insight into the "war of the sexes".
posted on 03 Mar 2009Having seen all of Woody Allen's previous films, I feel that this one is the funniest on a superficial level and yet the most satisfying at the gut level. Its satirical handling of the "war of the sexes" is priceless. Casting and acting are first class. Its sensuous innuendoes are reminiscent of pre-code movies. The plot is outrageous, yet feels plausible. The fabulous jazz musical accompaniment sets the mood for its place in time. It even has a very satisfying boy-gets-girl Hollywood ending.
Highly underrated Woody Allen flick
posted on 07 Feb 2009The Curse of the Jade Scorpion follows 'CW Briggs (Woody Allen), a veteran insurance investigator with many successes under his belt. Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt) is a new employee in the company he works for, with the task of reorganizing the office. They don't like each other - or at least that's what they think. During a night out with the rest of the office employees, they go to watch Voltan, a magician who secretly hypnotizes both of them in order to use them for his dirty schemes. The next evening Briggs is hypnotised into making first robbery, and when he wakes up in the morning he has no memory of it. Things get really complicated when he starts investigating the case. Will he be able to uncover... himself?'Upon its release, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion received negative reviews from critics. It also performed poorly at the box office, recouping only $19 million of its $26 million budget. But how did this happen? Woody Allen is one of the most famous and loved directors in America (although some may argue that), and I'd expect his films to do a little more successfully (this movie made less that $10 million in North America). In my eyes, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is a wonderful film that perfectly emulates the feel of age-old film noirs and hard-boiled detective stories. Allen directs this film exceptionally well, and also plays the protagonist excellently. His usual blend of humour, wit and screwball comedy is all here in this film, and I found it exceedingly hard not to love the movie.The Curse of the Jade Scorpion does suffer from a few minor flaws; whilst I found its plot highly original, engrossing and entertaining, at most parts the humour fell flat. There were some standout jokes scattered throughout the film – all of this generated from Allen's mouth and nobody else's – but otherwise it ultimately failed as a comedy. Additionally, I thought the film had a less than memorable ending; the resolution wasn't abrupt, nor was it ludicrous, but I just felt it could've been BETTER. I wasn't satisfied with the way things turned out, and frankly questioned the plausibility of the events. But otherwise, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is a truly wonderful film, which in my opinion does not deserve the flak and ignorance that it so constantly gets. It might be slightly different to Allen's other films that are widely-acclaimed, but that doesn't mean it's a bad one. Directors occasionally like to stray from their comfort zone and make something different. Sometimes this doesn't always work out, but I think that The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is an example of a film that does.
Compares favorably to "Manhattan Murder Mystery"
posted on 15 Nov 2008My favorite among Woody Allen's more recent films is 1993's"Manhattan Murder Mystery." It's interesting to compare this filmwith "Curse of the Jade Scorpion." Woody's humor works perfectlywrapped around a mystery. I prefer the improvisational dialoguestyle in "Manhattan" to the theatrical delivery in "Scorpion," but thenew film does benefit by avoiding the hand held camera style. Asothers have noted, Woody needs to cast a more age-appropriateactress as his love interest. He had wonderful chemistry with bothAngelica Huston and Diane Keaton in "Manhattan," why weren'tthey considered? Keaton and Allen are only 11 years apartcompared to the ludicrous 28 year age difference for Hunt. I wasnever convinced that she was attracted to either Allen or Aykroyd'scharacter. "Scorpion" follows a more even and logical plot line;although I was more caught up in the story of "Manhattan.""Manhattan" seems to be more spontaneous and has more
energy than "Scorpion," where everyone seems to be a bithypnotized. The new film isn't quite as humorous, but there aresome classic and memorable lines here: "Never bet on a racehorse with Parkinson's" and the fireworks scene was fun."Scorpion" has a much more satisfying resolution than
"Manhattan" and a nice little plot twist. "Curse of the JadeScorpion" is a beautifully photographed period piece that's onlyflawed by miscasting.
60 Years Ago...
posted on 20 Oct 2008The lack of mystery (you know from page 6 who the villain is) and too many script holes are factors that hinder the complete enjoyment of this Woody Allen minor film. The in-and-out of hypnosis device may have worked 60 years ago; but today's audiences are more informed and refined to fully accept Allen's thin and silly story. What really works is the pairing of Helen Hunt and Allen as opposite characters: both work in an insurance company, they strongly dislike each other and while attending a dinner with office folks they fall under the spell of an evil magician (David Ogden Stiers) who orders them to steal jewelry hidden in places where the company designed the security system. How they fall in love is the only mystery the viewers must solve, but it's preferable when they are fighting each other.
sixty-six year old kid
posted on 18 Oct 2008My partner and I went to see this when we were bored on a Sunday night. There was nothing else on worth watching and we had always considered Woody Allen films to be a bit risky so it was quite a courageous choice on our part. Woody Allen has the tendency to make the kind of films no other director would normally conceive to make. Partly because they may sometimes be the kind of films no film studio would be willing to support financially, or either because the plot seems too crazy to make into a watchable film. Because of this tendency, Allen can sometimes hit his mark with precision and make immensely enjoyable films like Annie Hall (1977) and my favourite, Manhattan Murder Mystery (1988). At the same time Allen can also make some abysmal mish-mash of films like Celebrity (1997) and Deconstructing Harry (1998).In The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Allen has created a comedy/mystery whose plot resembles something somewhat belonging to perhaps a Scooby Doo cartoon, or maybe one of those detective novels that 11-14 year olds read. Allen plays C.W.Briggs, a gumshoe investigator who works for an insurance fraud company, and whose latest case involves a series of jewellery thefts cleverly engineered by a professional hypnotist Zoltan Polgar (David Ogden-Stiers). Allen is joined by a splendid cast once again, this time with Helen Hunt who plays Betty Ann Fitzgerald, Dan Aykroyd, Charlize Theron and many other notable actors. Wallace Shawn also makes an appearance, Fezzini the Sicilian from Rob Reiner's classic The Princess Bride (1986). It seems like every actor or actress in Hollywood wants to be in a Woody Allen film - perhaps an indication that Allen's craftmanship while not considered popular film studio material is generally regarded in such high esteem by the acting profession. I think also they have more fun in Allen's films, I don't know where else Helen Hunt can dress up in a 1950s red outfit and carry a cigarette in her hand like one of those femme fatale characters that appeared in the film noir of that period.I found the movie to be hilarious, my partner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I laughed out loud several times, I especially liked the line "Look I don't want to say I didn't enjoy it but I didn't" or "Paris? the actual city?". You could almost sense that the actors were making fun of it while they were playing their parts. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion was a very fun movie to watch and although it was not probably what you would consider a masterpiece it was nevertheless a fun film, and in effect cured a night of potentially absolute boredom. Allen, who makes a successful return to acting in his own movies after a couple of years, is classic Allen, quick-witted one-liners accompanied by what you would describe as exasperating body movement. And there's a catchy jazzy score to go with it. My only criticism for the movie would be that although Helen Hunt does an excellent job playing her character, I think, without giving too much away, it would have better sense in terms of the story's plausability if the character of Betty Ann Fitzgerald was played by someone like Diane Keaton.You should go watch this movie bearing in mind Woody Allen's creative flair for making the kind of movies that really he wants to make for his own self-interest rather than what big Hollywood film studios would generally be interested in, which is, in other words, movies that most intelligent people would appreciate. If you are going to go watch this, then go with a relaxed laid-back attitude, with the expectation that the film is exactly what the title suggests, the product of a sixty year old kid's imagination.
Lame...Woody I love you but....
posted on 24 Sep 2008Woody its time to retire. You looked haggard in this film and the plotline was lame and uninspired. I must say Helen Hunt looked great though! I have seen nearly all of your films and count myself a fan but this movie was just sad without any real laughs or anything interesting to say. I met a polish mother and son prior to the screening as they sat in front of me. They were more entertaining than your film.
"Woody The Detective" - another Allen classic
posted on 23 Aug 2008SPOILERSThere are few directors in the world today who manage to write films and place themselves in such superb roles. There are even fewer who get away with it. Woody Allen is one of the exceptions to this rule though. Over his career, Allen has produced so many films staring him that they could probably be renamed the Woody series (for example "Woody In The Future" instead of 1973's "Sleeper). In this film, the same is again true with Allen's regular screen persona this time relocated to 1930's New York. Change the date and rarely the setting however, and any film written, directed and staring Allen is always going to be worth a few viewings.Playing Insurance Investigator CW Briggs, Allen chooses in this feature to spend 98 minutes arguing with Helen Hunt and solving a superb murder mystery. Hypnotised by the Jade Scorpion, Briggs will rob and steal by night before then trying to catch himself during the day.There's a lot of harsh criticism for Woody Allen nowadays. With people either complaining that he ruins his own films or is just too old to play the roles he picks, poor old Woody is forever condemned and chastised. Ultimately though, all Allen ever does is live the regular man's dream. To be a private eye in 1930's America, or to be a saviour of the future, or to play any of the other roles Allen has done, the majority are major male fantasies. Allen's characters are always designed around his own personality and his own ability to make us laugh, but primarily Allen's characters always seem to be obsessed with sex, and who can blame him? In "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" for example, Allen gives himself a character who most women tend to adore and who gets to kiss Helen Hunt and Charlize Theron. Theron in particular as Laura Kensington is drop dead gorgeous in this film, and the only major surprise is that Allen's character (although forced) rejects her and never gets to sleep with her. Allen basically gets the best characters, the best jobs and the best women, and when a man has all three of those things, truthfully, why should he really care if one or two people think he is too old for the part?"The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is just another Woody vehicle really. The script is again Allen based and funny, the plot is detailed and well thought out, the acting is top notch by everyone (even the usually abysmal Elizabeth Berkley) and over all the film is hard to fault.On a side note, one thing which ALWAYS pleases about Woody Allen is the fact that he sticks to the same style of introduction. Since the turn of the millennium, a large amount of film conversation seems to have been devoted to the idea that an introduction should grab the audiences attention and make us expect something wonderful. For a lot of films, this is definitely true. With Allen however, the regular black screen with white writing is never flash and it never really grabs the attention (except perhaps noticing the familiar, unexpected name in the cast) yet it works. Ever since his earlier works, Allen has kept this style, and by keeping to it, there's a sense of familiarity and comfort. Change is good, but as Allen says in this film "if something isn't broken, why fix it?"So there it is. A lot of critics hate Allen for supposedly never repeating his earlier works. They compare his later films to "Annie Hall" (1977) and they feel undervalued. This always amazes however because whilst Allen has obviously gotten old (we all do), the guy still possesses the comic genius to make his films works. Whether on screen or just behind the camera, Allen is one of the greatest film contributors in the last forty years, and "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is another fine addition to his catalogue.
More of the same, but that's OK
posted on 28 Aug 2009I saw this film AFTER reading all of the negative reviews from "major" critics. The simple fact is that Woody Allen has not lost his touch, the "major" film critics are out of touch.The film is funny and interesting to those of us who love old movies. That is certainly reason enough for me to leave the house and fork over $8. In a vast wasteland of films targeting violence and gross out humor loving teens and "20 somethings" Woody Allen and any other mature film maker is always welcomed to my metroplex.