Match Point
Added 11/30/2009
Usually I do not like Woody Allen movies, but this is an exception.
The movie basically kept you on the edge of your seat throughout. I didn't
want it to end. The acting was excellent and the storyline was one that you
wouldn't figure out the ending too early.
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'Fatal Attraction' for the new mellennium (sort of)
Added 11/21/2009
Director/Writer: Woody Allen
Release Date: January 20, 2006
Genre: Psychological drama
Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes
Locations: London and the English countryside
THE PLOT: Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is an ex-tennis pro from Ireland and Nola (Scarlett Johansson) a struggling sultry actress from Colorado; both are (unconscious?) social climbers attempting to marry into a rich English family. Chris marries Chloe (Emily Mortimer) even though he passionately lusts for Nola, who ultimately breaks from the family and the UK. When she returns to London Chris reignites their passion, which can only lead to tragedy. And only luck can save him.
"Match Point" is the antithesis of the modern 'blockbuster' and all it's moronic trappings -- there's no quick editting, no CGI, no goofy one-liners, no explosions and no promise of $400 million at the box office. No, "Match Point" is movie-making based simply on good writing and cinematic storytelling. The first hour plays out like a slow, nigh tedious drama but the second builds momentum like a snowball slowly morphing into an avalanche. So, be forewarned, if you don't have the stomach for an hour of soap operatics avoid this movie. For those who do, however, "Match Point" is quite rewarding, unpredictable and original.
Underpinning the drama is the theme of luck. The film starts out with a tennis ball hitting the top of the net; at that point the ball will fall on one side of the net or the other, depending solely on the luck of the player (or so the movie claims). At first, this seems totally unrelated to the story, but wait till the end and you'll see everything connect. It's amazing how good writing & storytelling can create a 'Wow' reaction much more so than the most elaborate overkill action sequence with all its requisite cgi and explosions.
I sensed a somewhat sad emptiness in the characters; most of them are neither likable nor unlikable (although Chloe is super-sweet albeit naive), they're just human beings trying to find meaning and fulfillment, despite their physical riches or lack thereof. Their innate moral compass has been lost with the passing of religious faith and they desperately search for meaning in the secular world of Dostoevsky, Sophocles, the visual arts and Verdi's operas. Only the mother and main protagonist, Chris, come off unappealing; the mother is just annoyingly snobbish, whereas Chris is so blatantly selfish and flat (not to mention unfaithful) I find it hard to believe any of the characters in the story would find him appealing, let alone worthy of marrying into the family and becoming a prominent part of the business.
What's ironic is I strangely found myself rooting for Chris in the final act, which doesn't make sense since I'm completely opposed to his (lack of) character and what he does (I can't say more because I don't want to spoil the film). Or maybe I temporarily rooted for him because, regardless of the outcome, I realize no one ultimately "gets away" with anything in life -- lucky or not.
The love, I mean lust, scenes between Chris and Nola struck me as ultra-steamy and authentic. This is exactly how a man and woman in illicit passion would secretly go at it. Case in point: the 'rain scene' is potent. Needless to say, "Match Point" is a must for Scarlett Johansson fans.
As to the "Fatal Attraction" reference: No, you don't have to worry about psycho slasher cliches. "Match Point" is smarter and more subtle than that; but not all that subtle.
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Woody Allen Outdoes Hitchcock
Added 7/14/2009
Woody Allen in his long sojourn to London found a new genre for him, the suspense lust thriller, when he wrote and directed the superb film "Match Point" (2005) He also developed there the thriller "Cassandra's Dream" with Colin Farrell. With brilliant photography and gorgeous scenes of London he depicts the life of a tennis semi-pro Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a handsome devil with sensual lips, who volleys himself into a life of wealth married to Chloe, the daughter of a moneyed family presided over by father Brian Cox in a thankless role.
Chris is introduced into the family by a young man, Tom, something of a cad and a wastrel, to whom he's giving tennis lessons. The wealthy scion has a stunning girlfriend, Nola, (again with sensuous lips) a would-be actress (Scarlett Johansson). Unfortunately for Chris he falls insanely in love with the money-poor Nola.
His dilemma: Nola gets with child and wants Chris to leave wife Chloe. Danger! Danger! Danger! What is newly rich Chris going to do? Chris is a striver from Ireland who hasn't seen better days yet. At the beginning of the movie Chris is reading "Crime and Punishment." He and Nola are two of a kind, both schemers and opportunists. Nola says, "You'll do very good for yourself unless you blow it." Nola keeps a diary which chronicles her passionate affair with Chris.
Most of the movie is taken up with the smoldering passions of Chris and Nola and his devious tricks to find time with his mistress. Suspense, Hitchcockian, keeps building in the film. Her neighbor, that staple of the West End stage, Margaret Tyzack, gets a quick view of Chris. Chris says, "Faith is the path of least resistance."
The soundtrack has arias from famous operas, often old scratchy ones, that provide a brilliant backdrop to the action and maneuvering of Chris. The ending is full of twists and turns and some really clever bits. Luck plays an important role in Chris's life.
One character at the end quotes Sophocles, "To never having been born may have been the greatest boon of all."
With this movie Woody Allen opened up new territory and gave us a fine motion picture.
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best movie of Woody Allen.
Added 6/12/2009
Probably the best movie of Woody Allen. interesting interpretation of Crime and Punishment from Dostoevskiy
although soundtracks music seems strange choice , may be good for W Allen, not for people who never crave for opera stuff :)))
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A matter of luck
Added 5/15/2009
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a former tennis pro now working at a posh London tennis club. There he meets a wealthy family, befriends the son and romances the daughter. Things are looking good for Chris as he starts climbing the corporate ladder, and then he meets would-be actress Nola (Scarlett Johansson).
I knew nothing of this movie beforehand and assumed it was just a poor-boy-makes-good story; then came the last twenty minutes and I was shocked. The movie changed completely and I loved it. This Woody Allen film has been rightly compared with Hitchcock's work. Indeed, Chris is quite similar to Ray Milland's character in Dial M for Murder; both are charming, retired/washed-up tennis stars-pretty boys who marry well and aren't big on ethics. While both Meyers and Johansson underplay their parts and have little chemistry together, the story is so good that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie is expertly directed and has a strong British supporting cast; heartily recommended.
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