Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Engrossing and Engaging Film, January 19, 2006
MATCH POINT is considered by some to be a departure for Woody Allen, due largely to its setting and its few oddities that can sometimes be an annoying Allen trademark. Yet it is also a well acted and well developed film that would be reminiscent for some of films such as ANNIE HALL. In order to know for sure, a person has to see it to decide and it's certainly worth seeing.
The film tells the story of Chris Wilton, and Irish born tennis player who realizes there's only so far his game will take him, so he takes a job as a tennis pro hoping to make a connection with London's upper class. His charm and ability ensure this will happen. He meets a client Tom Hewett, the son of a powerful business leader. Wilton marries Tom's sister, endears himself to his in-laws, and has a passionate affair with Nola, Tom's fiancé then later ex-girlfriend. Much of the film focuses on the ways in which Wilton goes to great lengths to cover up his affair.
The actors fit their roles well. Chris Wilton is played masterfully by Irish born Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Rhys Meyers has the look of someone who would fit into British upper class circles, and he comes across less as an imposter and more as a climber. Rhys Meyers, who is familiar to many who saw the film BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, again an Irish lad trying to make it in England, albeit in very different circles, demonstrates he's a believable and versatile actor. Scarlet Johansson plays the American actress Nola, likewise gives a phenomenal performance. The Hewett Family: Brian Cox as father Alec, Penelope Wilton as mother Eleanor, Mathew Goode as Tom and Emily Mortimer as Chris' wife Chloe seem like British aristocrats, oblivious to all that is happening round them, yet believable too. Perhaps one of the films strengths is the fact that the Hewetts are oblivious to Chris' scheming and climbing, and that Chris is not a character whose controlled by ambition as much as his desire not to loose the good life he's created for himself.
My guess is that since MATCH POINT was nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and will likely be nominated for Academy Awards too, people will take notice of this film. One of our local newspapers praised MATCH POINT because it was a Woody Allen film that was not typical Allen fare. Another paper praised it because it is so Woody Allen, but set in London rather than New York. The long and the short of it is, chances are you'll enjoy this film whether you like Woody Allen or not.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Woody Allen's Character Piece Holds Hitchcockian Qualities & A Turning Point You Won't See Coming, January 18, 2006
MOVIE: Do you ever sit and watch a movie and try and guess the ending? Do you ever try and guess what direction a film is going? Well, I dare you to try and guess this film's outcome, go ahead, I dare you. Match Point is Woody Allen's character study as to how luck plays a role in our lives. Match Point opens appropriately enough with a sideline view of a tennis ball going back and forth across the net in slow motion. The narrator is the voice of the main character, Chris, played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. He describes the game of tennis as luck, that once in a while the ball will hit the net. The frame then freezes as the ball hits the net, and he describes that luck determines which side of the net the ball will fall. Chris, who is an all-pro tennis player, decides to step down from playing and takes up teaching for awhile while he decides what he wants to do with his life. His latest student, Tom, shares a passion of opera with him and invites him to his family's balcony seats. There he meets Tom's sister, and he falls in love with her. However, he soon meets Nola, a beautiful woman who lures him in with her eyes. He soon finds out that Nola is Tom's soon to be wife. This is the film as it seems. Chris begins to have an affair with Nola, and after she breaks up with Tom they continue to romance without the knowledge of Tom's family. He gets married to Tom's sister and they are now expecting a child, his father in-law lands him a dream job at one of his corporations. Yet, it is still the lure of the temptress that calls to him. Woddy Allen sets up a dilemma for our main character that raises the question between love and lust, and luck and fate. While you may expect this film to be lustful drama, you have no idea where Allen takes you next. The brilliant aspect of the film, is that there is no score. I hate films without a score, I think music is 50% of a film's emotional effect on the audience, but where there is no original score there is opera. Allen uses opera to structure the scenes, since it is the one thing that ties Chris to the family. The opera changes in tone and emotion as the scene does, so it works to perfection. The film is interesting, you may find yourself debating about what happens in the end, but you realize it all ties in with what this movie is about. The film plot is something that you'd expect from Hitchcock, and it is a savory one at that. The movie is entertaining and thought provoking even if it doesn't seem plausible at times.
ACTING: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers does a superb job even though I think some of his dialogue seems stilted, but he's not to blame for that. He does a fantatsic job with what Woody Allen gives him. Scarlett Johansson is perfectly cast as the temptress, and she even gives her somewhat commercial character a human side as well. Great acting, even though the dialogue is stilted at times.
BOTTOM LINE: The film will lead you one way only to make a sharp left and take you where you wouldn't expect. You have no idea what's coming, and I dare you to guess the ending before it starts to unfold. The film is intelligent and an interesting watch, but it really doesn't boast any technical highlights. Cinematography is nothing to get excited over, but it's one doozy of a screenplay.
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30 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A seductive glimpse into a world of priviledge, passion, and desire, but this DVD release is bare bones , March 20, 2006
In a year where box office failures and special effects ruled the theater, Woody Allen fills a large void with the seductive and stunning film Match Point. It is stylish noir, the tale of an inadvertent social climber falling deep into a passionate affair that threatens to destroy the world of priviledge and money he has fallen into.
Chris Wilton (Johnathan Rhys-Meyers), a young tennis pro from humble Irish backgrounds, takes a job at a posh London tennis club where his fascination with art, literature, and opera quickly leads him into a friendship with wealthy socialite Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode). Quickly he meets Tom's sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) who shares his passions for culture and whose doting attention he enjoys. Chloe is the type of woman you marry, but Tom's fiancee, Nola Rice (Scarlett Johannsen) is the kind of woman you lust after. Sexy, seductive, and passionate, she is the symbol of everything Chris wants but hasn't achieved. Marrying Chloe, Chris moves up the social ladder, gaining wealth, success, and money. The one thing he still desires, however, is Nola. Chris begins a pursuit of Nola with a passion bordering on the obsessive, one that is matched by her own dark intensity. That mutual obsession plunges Chris down the darkest possible path, threatening his new life, forcing him to take an action which could have shattering consequences.
Match Point is a film that surprises. Allen has created a world that while reminiscent of his earlier films, has a unique life and vitality of its own. The acting performances are superb, especially Johannsen and Mortimer. This film is what good moviemaking should be, full of character, tension, passion, and allure. This is what so many of us hope for in the theater, and Woody Allen has delivered it. Sadly this release of the DVD does not do the film justice. This is a bare bones release, so if you loved this film like I did, you are better suited to wait a few more months for a packed special edition. Highly recommened film, not highly recommended DVD version.
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