Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Good concept, poorly executed.

An Exercise In Nonsense

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Often times I'm asked, usually by people who believe Woody Allen acted in his films for too long, why I better enjoy the films he has a role in over the films he doesn't. I can now point to The Curse of the Jade Scorpion as a prime example. I didn't love this film; like always, I have no problem with the fantasy elements intertwined with real world events, Woody Allen does a fantastic job of weaving real world and fantasy. Despite my lukewarm feeling to it, Woody Allen reveals himself to be not unlike the human chameleon he portrayed in his 1983 film, Zelig. Allen can so effortlessly put himself in any time period in any of his films and something about it will just work. Woody Allen can make himself work in any decade which makes it a consistent treat to see him pop up in his films. The 2001 film written and directed by Woody Allen saw him as an insurance investigator who can always catch a thief until he's hypnotized into becoming one. Also starring Helen Hunt, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is another trek into comedy/fantasy/mystery land that Woody Allen is so proficient in.In New York in 1940, CW Briggs (Woody Allen) a veteran insurance investigator is having his life turned upside down as he is being challenged by an efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald, who started her position with the company 6 months prior. The two constantly butt heads as Betty Ann wants to implement drastic changes which rubs C.W. the wrong way, as he is reluctant to change. One evening after work, the office members go out for drinks and volunteer C.W. and Betty Ann to go on stage to be hypnotized by a performer. Despite both claiming to be unable to be hypnotized, they reluctantly go on stage and become entranced. The kicker is that they are both left under hypnosis and used in a robbery. While under hypnosis, C.W. is sent on a jewelry robbery that he has no recollection of. Meanwhile, sent back into hypnosis, Betty Ann assists in some robberies, as well. Following their instincts, the two are led to begin accusing each other of the crimes even though neither thinks the other has it in them to be a thief. It's always the Woody Allen films I like the least that I notice how funny they are. Maybe that's my own downfall in that I'm so invested in other areas of the Woody Allen films I enjoy that their comedy is secondary to me. Whatever the reason, I noticed all through watching The Curse of the Jade Scorpion that the script lands every joke it launches. Even the most subtle of jokes hit their mark through the entire film's run time. I was so impressed by the period detail achieved, the costumes, the dialogue, every aspect of the film felt like it was the 1940's. I missed Woody's black-rimmed bespeckled face, but his slimmer frames fit the tone of the film nicely. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion goes to show just how much is too Woody Allen, for me anyway, because I can always find something to appreciate in one of his films.

What the heck. An old school Woody Allen movie. He plays his little schmuck to perfection. The one liners reign supreme. This is a throwback to those B-Detective movies of the early forties. Helen Hunt plays an emotionless efficiency expert who immediately treads on Woody's toes. He is an excellent insurance investigator, saving the company millions, but one day he gets himself hypnotized by David Ogden Stiers who uses his power over our hero to pull off jewel heists. From then on it's totally unbelievable stuff, with a magic word causing the two principle characters to do the will of the evil hypnotist. There is nice chemistry between the two leads and you know that despite their animus, there could be something positive down the road. Dan Aykroyd plays a boorish boss who is after hunt, but has been unwilling to call it off with his wife till now. Just a funny piece of fluff, but quite engaging.

Woody Allen's produce during the 90's was a mixed bag - films like Deconstructing Harry, Sweet & Lodown, Mighty Aphrodite, Shadows & Fog and Everyone Says I Love You aren't as universally loved as most of his films from the 80's and 70's, but they're all ambitious, unique and considered masterpieces at least by some. With Small Time Crooks and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, however, Allen entered the biggest slump of his career, the only period in which his reputation was seriously at stake, and he wouldn't recover from it until he began his journeys to Europe, starting with 2005's Match Point.The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is, indeed, one of Allen's weakest films; not because it's a strict comedy (he made quite a few of those, many of them - even the latter ones - quite good; I'm one of the few people who actually enjoyed Scoop) but simply because it's not good. Allen doesn't feel at home with his role at all, more than ever playing not a character but himself stuck with a gig as an insurance investigator; it's impossible to buy him as the hard-boiled womanizer. Worse is his on-screen chemistry with Helen Hunt - there is none. We as viewers know there's sexual tension between them only because, in films, there always is between co-workers of opposite sexes who hate each other - but none of it shows up in their performances. There's also no chemistry between Hunt and Dan Aykroyd, whose character is a completely flat waste.The film is not all bad, of course, it's Woody Allen and therefore has entertainment value. The script is smart and often funny, and whenever it gets self-conscious and turns into a film-noir parody it works pretty well, but it never goes far enough in that direction. The ending, for example, feels like a complete cop out; were it self aware and self mocking, like the ending to Shadows and Fog, it would have worked, but it just feels like Allen didn't know how to finish his film. All too often it feels like he just didn't know what he was doing, and that means that even the good scenes couldn't be enjoyed completely.

I am mostly familiar with Woody Allen's earlier work, such as the goof-ball comedies of the late '60's and early '70's. When he went cerebral, I lost interest... For 10 years, I've heard that "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" was considered by everyone - including Woody himself - his worse film, so I never bothered with it... One night last week, Netflix was showing it as a "Watch it Now" free offer, so I thought I'd at least give it a chance. I will tell you that I feel cheated all these years! I laughed through the entire film, and loved it so much that I bought the DVD! I've watched it several times with family and friends over a few occasions, and they loved it too! Perhaps it was released before it's time? I have no idea why it failed at the box office when it was released in 2001, nor can I understand why it was so disliked by the main critics of that time, but I honestly cannot find anything not to enjoy about this film: the story, the characters, the lavish 1940's sets and soundtrack... the chemistry between Allen and Hunt is believable, with witty, snappy dialog, and Woody is back as the underdog comedic hero again. I hope you give this movie a chance, it really has improved with age, and I am really happy I finally watched it.