SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

James Hitchcock Woody Allen's "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is set in 1940 and combines and pays homage to two film genres popular during the forties, screwball comedy and film noir, even though during that decade those two genres were not generally regarded as having much in common with one another. It shares with film noir the figure of the dedicated, trenchcoat-wearing lone criminal investigator and with screwball comedy not only an absurd and convoluted plot but also the device of two characters who, on the surface, hate (or at least dislike) one another but who are secretly in love. In the forties those characters were often a divorced or separated couple who inevitably ended by getting back together, like Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday."Here the ill-matched couple are C.W. Briggs, an insurance investigator, and Betty Ann Fitzgerald, an efficiency expert working for the same company. Although Briggs has had a good deal of success in uncovering insurance frauds and recovering stolen goods, due mainly to his ability to think like a criminal and his numerous underworld connections, he does not impress Betty Ann who regards his methods as outdated and Briggs himself as a male chauvinist pig (to use a more modern expression not actually in use in the forties). Unfortunately for Briggs, Betty Ann has the ear of his boss, Chris Magruder, with whom she is secretly having an affair. The plot is not only far-fetched but also fairly complex, but the central idea is that Briggs and Betty Ann are hypnotised by a crooked stage magician into stealing jewels, that neither of them have any memory of what they have done under hypnosis, and that Briggs is then assigned by Magruder to investigate these crimes. The film had a production budget of $26 million, making it Allen's most expensive film to date, even though that figure is peanuts compared to today's average Hollywood blockbusters, or even to the Hollywood blockbusters of 2001. It fared poorly at the box office and received a mixed reception from the critics. For at least the last twenty years the standard critical idée recue about Woody Allen has been to say "He's not as funny as he used to be", but in the case of "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" critics of this type have had an unexpected ally, Woody himself, who has said that it is perhaps his worst movie. He stated that it was only the high cost of the film, caused largely by its period setting and its elaborate sets, which prevented him from going back and reshooting the whole thing from scratch as he famously (or notoriously) did with "September". My initial reaction was to say that this is yet more evidence that great artists are not always great critics, especially where their own work is concerned. Yet in one respect I think that Allen was right. His main concern was that he had been wrong to cast himself as Briggs, and, in all honesty, I am compelled to agree with him on this point. To start with, it was a mistake to make Briggs so much older than Betty Ann. (Allen is 28 years older than his leading lady Helen Hunt). Addressed to a man of her own age, Betty Ann's sharp put-downs would be pertinent and to the point; addressed to a man old enough to be her father they seem arrogant, impertinent and evidence of a lack of respect. More importantly, Briggs is totally different from the sort of neurotic, angst-ridden intellectual whom we have come to regard as the typical Woody Allen character. This is a role- a cynical, wisecracking private eye, irresistible to women even if they dislike what he stands for- which seems to demand a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant, and I don't think Woody really fits that particular bill. And yet, despite this miscasting, I cannot agree with Woody that this is his worst movie. "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" may lack the depth and significance of his truly great films like "Crimes and Misdemeanors", "Annie Hall" or "Manhattan", but it has a genuinely witty script, based around the brilliant comic idea of a detective investigating a series of crimes which, unknown to him, he has committed himself. Allen himself may be miscast, but this cannot be said of the rest of the cast, especially Hunt who makes the most of her splendidly bitchy part, the sort of roles which in the thirties or forties would have been played by Russell or Katharine Hepburn. All the great films noirs, and most of the great original screwball comedies ("Nothing Sacred" being a rare exception), were shot in black- and-white. No doubt Allen considered doing the same with this film, as he had done with "Manhattan", but in the end made it in colour, but in colours which Roger Ebert described as "burnished and aged", with a palette dominated (as in some of his other films, such as "Alice") by browns, yellows and oranges. This palette combines with the elaborate period sets to give this film a highly distinctive look, one which recalls the films of the forties without actually copying them. Charlize Theron appears in a role which adds little to the plot but which adds greatly to the mood by recalling the femmes fatales of noir; if Hunt is the new Russell or Hepburn, Theron takes on the role of the new Lizabeth Scott or Gloria Grahame. Is this really your worst movie, Woody? In my view it's nothing of the sort- in fact, it's a positively good one!. You will have to try very hard if you want to come up with something as awful as "September". Even in its reshot version that must count as your worst movie. 7/10

ElMaruecan82 The sepia tone impeccably restores the feeling of the 1940's and the wisecracking exchanges between Woody Allen and Helen Hunt, although a bit overused, don't lack the savor of "It Happened One Night" dialogs, and like some of the best screwball comedies, the romantic undertones never distract from the gags, or make us lose their tracking. "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", released in 2001, is so full of little cinematic delights that it doesn't really matter if the film isn't regarded as the highlight of Woody Allen's career. After more than 30 films, Allen is more than allowed to give himself a break, and although I read he considered the film one of his worst, I wouldn't be surprised if in the years to come, "The Curse" gains more popularity, as I see it, it's got all the ingredients to become a cult-classic.The 2000's were a mixed year for Woody Allen, but the recent successes of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and especially "Midnight for Paris" spoke very eloquently for a revival of Woody Allen's international prestige, for the fan's great satisfaction, the "little neurotic guy with glasses" still got it. But for myself, there's something that attracts me more to a 'little' film like "The Curse of Jade Scorpion" than these last Oscar-material successes, tailor-made to please European film-critics and God knows how they can get pompous or overly enthusiastic when it comes to Woody Allen, and take it from a fan. Of course, we all love to be taken off- guard by an established film-maker but when you get tired of the whole "love letters" to Barcelona, to Paris and this year to Rome, you start looking at the less ambitious comedies as very endearing little gems. After "Small Time Crooks", "The Curse of Jade Scorpion" provides another example of Woody's talent to make great little films, even greater because they remind of his earlier slapstick films before the more artistically oriented 80's.But let's get back to 2001, to "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion". The film's premise is one of these simple yet very creative ideas, like imagining a fictional character getting off-screen and discovering the real life or a man meeting at midnight the writers and artists that made Paris' history. Woody Allen wondered what if someone could get hypnotized in order to commit a crime and not remembering it, what if this guy gets involved in the investigation. From a simple comedic premise based on the idea of a perfect crime, the other elements of the story come up very naturally, what if the hero is an insurance investigator? How to make the curse start? How about a stage hypnotist show? Then what best way to prove that it works by taking two persons strongly hating each other, and then through the magical power of hypnosis, they suddenly falls in love. Bingo, you have your romantic subplot, the perfect crime, and the design to remind of the Golden Age of film-noir.Woody Allen is C.W. Briggs, a talented insurance investigator and Helen Hunt is Betty Ann Fitzgerald, the new efficient expert, she's sometimes too sophisticated or too modern to be believable as a woman of the 40's, even if her performance is meant to remind of Rosalind Russell or Katharine Hepburn, but anyways. Fitz and Briggs hate each other so much that we know that they would end up together, although she's closer to Barbara Stanwyck than he is to Fred MacMurray. The reference to "Double Indemnity" is more than intentional, but would you imagine Edward G. Robinson involved in a romance? Well, I can buy anything a movie would if as a screwball comedy, it provides the right laughs. Although the scenes are unequally funny, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" benefits from great casting, Dan Aykroyd and Wallace Shawn play their part with nuance and a little comedic something I couldn't put my finger in, even Elizabeth Berkeley was believable as the sexy secretary. But it's Charlize Theron that provides the best bits of dialog with Allen, as the obligatory femme-fatale.And then there's the plot, both Briggs and Fitz can be 'programmed' when they hear two magical words, respectively 'Constantinople' and 'Madagascar'. When Briggs hears 'Constantinople', he instantly gets under the hypnotist's control and executes any of his orders, which all of them include stealing and hiding jewels. It works as a great running gag, carried by a catchy guitar music, the little tone that sticks in your mind after the film ends, you may think it's a detail but the enjoyment of a film is made of little details you wouldn't suspect. And that's probably why some reviewers were more severe about the film, while it was good in our book, by Allen's standards, it could have been better. I also think the film would have fit a shorter length or that some parts were redundant while the resolution was a bit too abrupt, well, I can't disagree with these reactions. I also think there was much more to do with the magical words, but again saying a film could have been better doesn't make it bad. Indeed, even a filmmaker like Woody Allen is not committed to perfection, and "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" remains enjoyable from beginning to start. Perhaps, my only regret is that Woody Allen didn't make the film earlier when he was at the top of his game in terms of writing and acting. He had a fabulous chemistry with Helen Hunt, but even for Woody Allen, it's difficult not be distracted by their age difference. Briggs was a bit too old, and I'm sure the film, had it been written in the 70's would have featured smarter jokes, hell, I can even imagine Diane Keaton playing in Helen Hunt's part. Still a good film, with a great casting, great design and great use of music.

ianfaepaisley It's "generally agreed" that this isn't one of his best films, some even say it's one of his "worst" but that implies that Allen makes bad films, which he doesn't. A below par Allen film is still far more fun than the average comedy, and "Curse..." is highly enjoyable. The cast are great, with the acting and characters keeping the dialogue crisp and sharp, classic Allen. With "Curse" he's more in silly mode (in keeping with 1940s comedies) than going for a soul-searching analysis of the human condition. More of the humour is in dialogue than in monologue compared to a lot of his films. In particular there's some hilariously bitchy exchanges between Allen and an excellent Helen Hunt, and the script is witty enough that you can forgive some of the minor laziness and predictability in the plot development. Some of it, but not all, and that's where this film falls down - great ideas + great talent should equal a great film, but this is merely good.

Amy Adler CW Briggs (Woody Allen) is a very talented insurance investigator, having worked for more than 20 years for a company headed by Chris Magruder (Dan Ackroyd). More often than not, he solves difficult cases, like the one of a stolen Picasso. BUT, he is most unhappy that Magruder has brought in a new employee, an efficiency expert, Betty Ann (Helen Hunt). That's because she is turning the place upside down, wrecking CW's unique filing system and giving out tit for tat in any disagreement. What CW doesn't not know, nor does anyone, is that the married Magruder and Betty Ann are having a secret "thing". One night, the entire company goes to celebrate a co-worker's birthday at a restaurant. A magician, Voltan (David Odgen Stiers) hypnotizes the two office enemies, CW and Betty Ann, into, briefly, thinking they are married and on their honeymoon. The key words to set them off are "Constantinople" for CW and "Madagascar" for BA. When Voltan snaps his fingers, the victims both come out, with no memories. Neither believes the story of what just happened to them. However, Holy Toledo! That night, Voltan phones CW and uses his magic word to order the investigator to break into one of their own clients' home and steal valuable jewels. CW is powerless to resist and has no idea of what he is doing, but completes the theft. Next day, the company is aghast and asks Briggs to seek the truth! Ho, ho! Going to the wealthy estate of the gems' owners, CW meets the gorgeous young daughter, Laura (Charlize Theron) and convinces her to step out with him. But, when they end up back at Briggs' place, where he gets another phone call from Voltan, Laura is astounded to be kicked out of bed before any action! Nevertheless, Briggs commits another hypnotic robbery. So, will CW be found out? Will Laura forgive him? Or, could Betty Ann possibly lose interest in Chris and cast her eyes on the man she loathes, Briggs, even as she receives a phone call from Voltan, too? This is no curse of a film at all, being hysterically funny, unless you have broken ribs. It is definitely one of Allen's best recent movies, with an arsenal of memorable lines. Also, Woody does a great acting turn, as does the rest of the very fine cast which includes, besides those mentioned above, Elizabeth Berkley and Wallace Shawn. Then, too, the zany plot is well-imagined and conceived while the film's look, a recreation of the 40's era, has great costumes, sets, and amenities. Kudos to Allen's great comedic direction as well. In short, even the most jaded soul is likely to laugh at this fine flick so grab it soon.