Review: Match Point (2005)

Match Point
2005
125 minutes
rated R

By Scott Mendelson

Match Point is being widely heralded as Woody Allen's best effort in
many years, and that much is probably true. This critic is not the
world's foremost expert on Allen, having seen only a dozen or so of
his films. But, Allen's legacy aside, Match Point is a potent romantic
drama, which eventually evolves into a brutally quiet thriller.
Whether one is an Allen fan or not, Match Point is a terrific film.

The plot, to wit: Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). is a British
tennis pro, formally a major contender, who takes a job teaching at an
exclusive tennis club. He almost immediately hits it off with fellow
Opera-buff Tom Hewitt (Matthew Goode), who provides the gateway to a
better financial and social status. With this new life come the
attentions of Tom's sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer), the paternal
devotion of father Alec Hewitt (the always welcome Brian Cox), and the
temptation of Tom's fiancee, Nola (Scarlett Johansson). Complications
ensue.

That's all the plot one needs, as the film works best with less known
about its outcome. The picture slowly envelops you in the life of Mr.
Wilton just as surely as Wilton is ensnared in the new life of luxury,
privilege and business success. The film ultimately comes down to a
belief in luck versus skill, chance versus fate, and comfort and
security vs. dangerous, unpredictable happiness.

As stated above, the film eventually develops into a terribly tense
thriller of sorts. But it is not a conventional thriller of action,
violence, and jolts, but a tense, low-key armrest grabber in the
Claude Chabrol vein, where sympathetic characters make questionable
decisions and are constantly caught by their own foolishness. Whether
any of this tension is relieved and in what manner will not be
revealed here, but it should be noted that there are more moments of
sympathetic edge-of-seat tension in this film than in any film
released this year. Who would have thought that, between the two major
Brian Cox films released this year, the Woody Allen drama would out-
suspense the top-notch Wes Craven terror show (and who would have
thought that the normally sinister or methodical Brian Cox would play
two completely virtuous and sympathetic fathers in a row)?

It's merit as an unlikely suspense film aside; the picture is a visual
and acting triumph. The London locations are obviously a new venue for
Mr. Allen, and it provides an interesting view into modern British
social privilege. Every actor involved is in peak form, and every
major character gets several shadings to his or her persona. The two
female leads are completely desirable in completely different ways,
allowing viewers to sympathize over Chris's dilemma. Sure, Chloe is a
bit needy and not terribly sensual, but she's sweet, intelligent, and
occasionally playful. Oh, and she's played by Emily Mortimer, which
means she's cute as can be, although the English accent is probably
more of a draw for a Yank like me then for someone living in London in
the first place. As the requisite femme-not so-fatale, Johansson plays
Nola in a manner similar to a Daisy Buchanan. Her highly seductive
opening scene is never matched, and there is a sense that she never
really was that person from that moment, no matter how much others
want her to be.

Of course, at the center of the drama is Chris Wilton, a burned out
tennis pro who seemingly lives only for new challenges. While he is
not a thrill seeker per se, his pursuit of challenge provides constant
difficulty as he quickly loses interest in any goal achieved. For him,
life is a continuous tennis match against a top seed, with only a
little luck deciding the victor.

In this case, the victor is surely Woody Allen. By moving away from
his comfortable New York locations, and trading in his quirky off-the-
cuff comedy for almost Shakespearian black comedy, Mr. Allen has
sacrificed none of his trademark themes and motives, and he has
reaffirmed himself as one of the premiere filmmakers of this
generation, last generation, and the generation to follow. Match Point
is one of the very best films of the year.

Grade: A-