Match Point (2005) November 26, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Woody Allen
One of America’s best loved filmmakers was not having a very good century. Up until 2005 the world famous writer and director of such comedy classics as Annie Hall and Manhattan had released a string of features that lost money at the box office and were promptly swept under the rug. From Small Time Crooks in 2000, to The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Hollywood Ending, Anything Else and maybe the biggest loss-maker: Melinda and Melinda, he just couldn’t seem to catch a break. And then Match Point came along, garnering some semi-positive reviews and pulling in that important elusive accolade: a box office profit. Woody Allen was back.
The tale that turned it all around centres on a former tennis pro named Chris Wilton who, after becoming the tennis instructor for the wealthy Tom Hewett, begins a relationship with Tom’s sister, Chloe. Unfortunately, it is actually Tom’s fiancée Nola Rice that Chris discovers he has the most powerful feelings for. The two start an ill-advised affair, but as Chris becomes accustomed to the lifestyle afforded by Chloe and after taking a managerial position in the Hewett business, he finds it increasingly difficult to leave his new wife. Nola doesn’t take this well though and threatens Chris with revealing their affair, forcing him to question what he really wants.
This is a film that strays far away from Allen’s more recent dialogue-heavy and witty-aside filled output, presenting a film that has its ‘Allen-ness’ so dialled down you’d hardly know it was there at all. As such, there’s none of the comic exchanges, no references to the Jewish nature, and little humour of any sort throughout the script. What is left falls strictly into the dramatic category but makes for a much darker and more emotionally-charged tale than anything we’ve seen from the filmmaker in years.
Central players Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emily Mortimer and Scarlett Johansson all give excellent performances, playing right into the wealthy upper-class stereotypes, but not in such a way that distracts from the main plot. Johansson has no trouble playing a beautiful temptress while Meyers gets to toe the line between his character’s light and dark sides, all while speaking in a voice that has a remarkable similarity to Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator. Supporting the love triangle admirably are Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton and Matthew Goode, all playing members of the affluent Hewett family.
The story is strong for the most part; decidedly slow building but with an interesting third act moment of desperation. The fact that the plot stumbles slightly towards the final conclusion is a bit of a disappointment, although it does allow for an unexpected reassessment of the film’s recurring theme of luck. Allen’s script is good even if there are instances where characters fall out of place (the first time Chris meets Nola he comes off uncharacteristically forceful), and there’s an ill-advised hallucination scene that might have been better suited to a movie less grounded in harsh reality than this. Still, the direction is adequate and while there are few visual highlights in this conversational crime drama, at least it isn’t heavy-handed or jerky.
Many are quick to jump to Allen’s previous film, Crimes and Misdemeanors, as a source of narrative for this feature – I haven’t seen it, but I can see how the plot summary bares a certain similarity. Whether or not Match Point will be your cup of (Earl Grey) tea may have a lot to do with your penchant for slow-burning drama - because it is slow and not always brimming with the bubbling intensity it needs to be. Only towards the end do we get to feel the full heat of the story’s flame, and for some it may just come too late. As for Allen, it might not be his best work but it’s certainly more interesting and more driven than most of his recent output. What if it was just luck? Well, as this film attests, most of life is.
Comments»
I’ve never really been well versed with Allen’s work so I think this is the first film I’ve really sat through of his - really like it! Wonder how typical it is of his work generally?