A young journalist and an elderly magician believe they have stumbled upon a rich aristocrat's murderous alter ego. Sondra Pransky is a young journalism student spending her summer in London. One night, when she is called on stage during a magic show, the magician, The Great Splendini, puts her in a magic booth called the Dematerializer. During her time in the booth, she encounters the ghost of a reporter named Joe. While being transported to the afterlife, he came across a scoop-- a young woman tells him she was killed by Peter Lyman, her rich boss, when she discovered that he was the Tarot Card Killer, a notorious serial killer in London. Sondra is amazed by the chance at such a great story, and The Great Splendini, whose real name is Sid, is amazed that his magic actually worked. Together, they try to covertly become a part of Lyman's aristocratic world. They get Lyman's attention by putting Sondra in a slinky bathing suit and having her pretend to drown in a country club pool in front of him. She introduces herself as the heir to an oil fortune, with Sid pretending to be her oil baron father. Sondra begins dating Lyman and digging around his life, looking for proof that he's a murderer. At first, Sondra believes he's the killer and Sid doubts it, but soon their roles reverse, and Sid becomes sure Lyman's the murderer while Sondra begins to fall for him. When the Tarot Card Killer is captured, Sondra is relieved that the man she's fallen in love with isn't actually a murderer. However, when Sid finds a key to the apartment of one of the victims, he realizes that Lyman killed a woman and staged it to look like the Tarot Card Killer did it. When Lyman tries to kill Sondra, she must find a way to escape and reveal the truth.
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Best part of story, including ending:
This is, like most Woody Allen films, a likable and charming comedy, with plenty of snappy one-liners and a light tone.
Best scene in story:
When Sondra first appears before Lyman as the drowning victim, it's fun to watch her and Sid take on new identities (and Johansson looks great in her bathing suit).
Opinion about the main character:
Sondra is a hard-working student, and she is endearingly awkward. Johansson has rarely been this likable, and she's a wonderful female lead for us to follow.
