Flimsy Plausibility

Scoop does not work as a murder mystery (IMDb lists it as a "Comedy | Mystery").

SPOILERS

* In a murder mystery there needs to be more than one main suspect. In Scoop only the suspected Hugh Jackman character (Peter Lyman) has enough screen time to be considered.
Yes, the handyman (who we never see) confessed to killing some prostitutes. But the movie was not going to end there and the clues kept pointing to Jackman's character. He is the only one who could have killed Betty.
* Bottom line; after about half way through, there was no mystery.

* The Jackman character is the most inept murderer.
By bluekkarma;

"Was he ultimately asking to be caught?"

I don't think he was even that clever.
- As bluekkarma mentioned Jackman's character left the key to Betty's apartment in the place that he knew it would eventually be discovered.
I thought maybe someone would kill Allen's character at the dead prostitute's apartment. But no, Allen's character is allowed to have the evidence but just conveniently dies in an accident for a cheap laugh and to end the movie quicker.
- Jackman's character, Peter Lyman, is at the lake with Scarlett Johansson's character.
He pushed her into the lake thinking she could not swim. But Scarlett's character didn't say previously that she could not swim. She had said she had a cramp.
Watch "The Talented Mr. Ripley" for an example of how a person in a boat can be killed.

* As for the comedy. Sometimes it worked. (And I am a big fan of many of Allen's films.)
But I didn't like the Allen character repeating the line; "You are a credit to your race."
This is something that a comedian might say in the 30s when performers wore black face and when African Americans had few rights and were routinely lynched.
The setting of Scoop is in modern day London. Telling people about their race does not fit.
And I noticed in the last scene when there was a black woman standing in the background, and Allen's character was complimenting people, he then didn't bring up the race line.

* To Sum It Up; for my personal taste, the story of Scoop was at the level of a weak TV mystery series.
- Allen has used the of a magician to get someone to disappear (Oedipus Wreaks).
He has tried the idea of a character who can disappear to learn information (Alice).
Scoop is a variation on this but it is not as well done.

5/10 imo.

BB ;-)

it's just in my opinion - imo -