MovieChat Forums > The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) Discussion > Woody's ad-libbing - whaddya think?

Woody's ad-libbing - whaddya think?

posted 19 years ago by Dresscircle19
13 replies | jump to latest

I saw "The Curse" just a few weeks after seeing "Mighty Aphrodite" with that masterpiece still suffusing me with delight. My only problem with this movie is Woody's feverish ad-libbing. For a writer-director who crafts his script so precisely for the cast, and surrounds himself with the finest actors in the business, I don't understand why he reserves the right to ad-lib himself. It's only in the scenes where he is agitated and flapping his hands in the Allen manner. At times, Allen likes to embellish a gag with with a lot of extra hand-flapping and his trademark: arch groping for coherence. OK, you can say that this is the Allen style in comic roles and made him famous as a performer. It is as funny as ever, I agree. But I would prefer it if he delivered some of his devastating one-liners without so much of the frantic 'groping for words' technique. I can see that it is designed to disguise the wit to make it 'spontaneous' and unintentional. But for me it can hold up the pace of a scene. I apologise to Mr Allen if I have misunderstood something here.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] pencho_2003 19 years ago

I didnt understand either of you.
What is ad-lib ?

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] cuddlyable 19 years ago

To "ad-lib" means to extemporise, to deliver lines without script or preparation. (It is better to use a site such as www.onelook.com to get this sort of dictionary definition).

I would say that Woody Allen's acting style is to ad-lib his timing shamelessly, if not make up the script. After the pure joy of seeing his Purple Rose of Cairo in which he does not appear, Curse of the Jade Scorpion was a disapointment to me. A silly story and a silly character.

[–] Monkeyguy39 18 years ago

Just to add more describtion, "ad-libbing" is improvisation. Where an actor in a scene adds a bit of dialouge or a movement or makes up something, which is usually on the spot without thinking of doing it before hand. Ad-libbing would be something that is made up that would hopefully improve the scene, or add to the character.

[–] pjyielder 17 years ago

Heh, I was wondering why so many of his lines in this movie were sub-par. Still an enjoyable film, but the dialog flow was pretty weak compared to some of his other movies. Even Scoop had the remark about the woman who looked like Sitting Bull. My friend and I were almost on the floor. Woody can still pull it off when he wants to, but "when he wants to" might not be when his fans are expecting it.

[–] Karl Self 17 years ago

@Dresscircle: to finally answer your question, I had the same impression. Woody Allen is pretty lacklustre in this movie, it felt more like me doing an uninspired Woody Allen impression than the real guy.
I wonder what went wrong here. Couldn't he memorize his script, were they forced to use first takes, insomnia, what?
I saw this after "Small Time Crooks" which has Allen in a similar role but at his best. Check out the scene about the Polish car pool. Which meets at work, by the way.

[–] romancingthegutter 17 years ago

Woody is not great in the role possibly for two reasons - one, he did not plan to cast himself and only decided to put himself in it when they could not secure any other actors and shooting was about to begin. I think someone more gruff and noir-esque like would've made the movie even better and funnier with more of an irony to everything. Woody admits that being his greatest mistake in making this, which he considers to be his worst film. That said, I think Woody does ok though. Some of those lines could only be delivered as Woody can.

Second, if you listen closely, it is pretty obvious Woody had a nasty head cold while filming much of the film. Woody is a touch draggy any time you hear the nasal congestion tone back in his voice - eg listen to him speak when he catches Fitzgerald at the office late one night or when he's confessing to not knowing where the stocking and vodka bottle came from in his apartment the previous night vs the way he sounds in the rest of the movie.

[–] eyelips 17 years ago

If he considers this to be his worst film, he should pick up a few others (Celebrity, Melinda and Melinda, Hollywood Ending). I think this is one of his best. Absolutely hilarious. As far as the ad-libbing is concerned, yes, he does stutter a bit, but I think it adds to the truth of the character. He's a neurotic, bumbling wannabe know-it-all. I think it works and in some cases results in a few good laughs.

[–] aps722 15 years ago

I agree, I also think this is one of his best. To be honest, I'm not a fan of the Allen's where Woody is not the lead. Alot of his nuerotic writing is hard-wired to his nuerotic self. To ask someone else to read those lines always feels like a stretch to me. And to omit those lines altogether because someone else is in the lead always feels like being cheated. It is a WOODY ALLEN movie, after all; that is a genre unto itself. For example I wouldn't want to see a Bogart movie where he doesn't at least know how to use a gun, if not carry one.

And as for the complaints that Woody is the romantic lead when he shouldn't be. ie; Why would this beautiful woman fall for Woody Allen's character?

I think he is very aware of the unbelievability of it. But that is part of the joke. I think it is humor at some level to see the nebbish Briggs with Theron or Helen Hunt. That kind of discrepancy underscores his jittery characters to me; providing them at times with an immediate reason for their nervousness.

Theron: "I usually like more well built, muscular men".
Allen: "Well, maybe I can get in a few pushups before you come over."

I'm sorry, I can't see ANYONE else delivering that line!

I'm on trial for being afraid?
Well first, I don't like the word 'trial'; and secondly, yes.

[–] scott_alwood 14 years ago

I've just recently started watching Woody Allen films and was a little weary upon watching this after reading an article about him thinking it's his worst movie and how he wanted someone else to play his role...that being said I was delighted to see how actually wonderful it actually was and can't for a second see someone else playing his role. It was hilarious...and after just watching small time crooks (a movie that i felt lost the charm it had created in the first half) I was very pleased.

[–] tyrexden 11 years ago

I don't think he was 'ad-libbing'... He's just older, and his performance is not as spot-on.

Not sure you can call excessively wringing one's hands as ad-libbing.

[–] projectcyclops 11 years ago

You're right tyrexden. Allen makes it clear in several interviews that, contrary to what people sometimes think, he doesn't ad-lib in his films. In fact, everyone in the cast sticks to the script as written - only making little changes where they think it necessary to their character, or in terms of specific colloquialisms.

That said, his tendency to only do a few takes for each scene shows here. Hunt seems slightly rattled when delivering some of her lines (the long, complicated insults) and Allen doesn't seem to commit much to his character. I still like the film though, it's a nice little comedy and the sets and costumes all look great. There's a fun 'comic serial' vibe to it, like with the big letters at the beginning saying "1940" and the Wilbur De Paris song.

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He left a note. He left a simple little note that said "I've gone out the window."