Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I'd rather go out than stay at home and watch a TV screen.

Who wouldn't. My point is that Scoop is not worth seeing.

If you're going to recommend classic Woody Allen, I'd exchew Manhattan Murder Mystery in favor of Annie Hall or Bananas etc., go back to the classic moments -- not to 1992..

What Allen attempts and fails to accomplish with Scoop is very similar in tone and plot to what he achieved in Manhattan Murder Mystery. For starters, the latter is funnier and makes you care more about the characters. Moreover, there's a tension between the sleuthing duo missing from Scoop's Sondra and Sid. And Diane Keaton is simply better at this type of material than Ms. Johansson (who's got a couple of new pictures ready for release, by the way).

Regarding "classic Woody Allen", I'll provide links to two posts from 2003: Woody Allen
Annie Hall remains his best picture. It's also the first of his films in which there was more to the narrative than an excuse to incorporate his comic persona and string admittedly very funny one-liners. The films that preceded Annie Hall (Bananas included) are funny and worth-seeing but not the works of a mature filmmaker and not "classic". And that's one guy's opinion.