Match Point (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Match Point', a half thriller/half dark comedy written & directed by legendary, Woody Allen, aims to show how luck factors into love. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Chris, an ex-tennis pro who finds work at a ritzy London tennis club. Matthew Goode plays Tom Hewett, a man coming from a rich, corporate family (led by his father, played by Brian Cox). He introduces Chris to his available sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer). Meanwhile, Tom is engaged to an American struggling actress, Nola (Scarlett Johansson). Chris fancies Chloe, and after he marries her, he's set-up quite nicely in the firm where his father-in-law works. Suddenly, love & money go hand-in-hand. However, Chris is madly lustful towards Nola. And after Tom and she break-up, Chris becomes obsessed with her.
Something I like very much is the fact that Chris is the one obsessing over Nola. But by the time the movie picks up some much needed steam in the second hour, the tables turn, and we see that Nola, once the steely flirt, becomes the one who is obsessed with Chris. Nola is the one who wants Chris to leave Chloe. But Chris is torturously indecisive as to if he wants to stay with love and money, or lose it all to lust. When will Chris reach his boiling point? How will he act out? And who will suffer a loss? In life, as in tennis, sometimes you don't know which side of the net the 'ball' falls over. Does it fall over the right side for Chris?
'Match Point' is the kind of film that slowly, steadily streams along until ... voila, it gets reallllly good. I do not attribute any fault whatsoever to the cast, they are rather strong. Rhys Meyers is decent as our 'not-so-good' good guy. Matthew Goode is a surprise. Brian Cox is, well, Brian Cox; a backboard of steady, stellar acting. Emily Mortimer, as Chloe, is as realistic and realistically annoying as they come. And Scarlett Johansson has never been better. She is the real star of the film & I see why some folks see her as a potential Academy Award nominee in a supporting role. Her physical acting & methodical voice entrance you.
If I have a problem with the film, it is that Allen's story gets a tad bogged down by a repetitive cycle of 'Chloe can't get pregnant-Chris desires Nola-Nola wants him to leave Chloe' and so on. There are moments of nuance-laden genius. But Woody Allen never completely embraces the apparent analogies between tennis (in the opening scene) and the rest of the plot ... until the fantastic final 10 minutes.
'MP' is 'technically' perfect. Woody Allen lends some truly clever moments to the screen. Allen works his magic of creating pencil sharp dialogue. And it is a welcomed change to see a movie of his set in London ... the other New York City. But overall, the movie is quite linear. There is no real mystery to solve; no surprises. I found myself way, way too conscious of 'everything' while viewing this film. So, I was never able to care one way or another about the outcome. Normally, that's a big deal to me. But 'Match Point' is so technically stellar that you can forgive it. After multiple viewings, the film mysteriously grows on you. It has that magic.
Something I like very much is the fact that Chris is the one obsessing over Nola. But by the time the movie picks up some much needed steam in the second hour, the tables turn, and we see that Nola, once the steely flirt, becomes the one who is obsessed with Chris. Nola is the one who wants Chris to leave Chloe. But Chris is torturously indecisive as to if he wants to stay with love and money, or lose it all to lust. When will Chris reach his boiling point? How will he act out? And who will suffer a loss? In life, as in tennis, sometimes you don't know which side of the net the 'ball' falls over. Does it fall over the right side for Chris?
'Match Point' is the kind of film that slowly, steadily streams along until ... voila, it gets reallllly good. I do not attribute any fault whatsoever to the cast, they are rather strong. Rhys Meyers is decent as our 'not-so-good' good guy. Matthew Goode is a surprise. Brian Cox is, well, Brian Cox; a backboard of steady, stellar acting. Emily Mortimer, as Chloe, is as realistic and realistically annoying as they come. And Scarlett Johansson has never been better. She is the real star of the film & I see why some folks see her as a potential Academy Award nominee in a supporting role. Her physical acting & methodical voice entrance you.
If I have a problem with the film, it is that Allen's story gets a tad bogged down by a repetitive cycle of 'Chloe can't get pregnant-Chris desires Nola-Nola wants him to leave Chloe' and so on. There are moments of nuance-laden genius. But Woody Allen never completely embraces the apparent analogies between tennis (in the opening scene) and the rest of the plot ... until the fantastic final 10 minutes.
'MP' is 'technically' perfect. Woody Allen lends some truly clever moments to the screen. Allen works his magic of creating pencil sharp dialogue. And it is a welcomed change to see a movie of his set in London ... the other New York City. But overall, the movie is quite linear. There is no real mystery to solve; no surprises. I found myself way, way too conscious of 'everything' while viewing this film. So, I was never able to care one way or another about the outcome. Normally, that's a big deal to me. But 'Match Point' is so technically stellar that you can forgive it. After multiple viewings, the film mysteriously grows on you. It has that magic.