Match Point   

Chris Wilton: Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Tom Hewett: Matthew Goode

Chloe Hewett: Emily Mortimer

Scarlett Johansson: Nola Rice

Alec Hewett: Brian Cox

Eleanor Hewett: Penelope Wilton

Written & Directed by

Woody Allen

I’ve always recognized Woody Allen’s ability as a writer and a director, but I would have never guessed that he had this in him – a very dark and sobering look at relationships and the consequences of our actions. 

With Match Point, Allen has created a tense, realistic drama that becomes a modern-day and more-cynical version of Crime and Punishment.  It turns out there is a good reason Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is reading Dostoevsky’s classic novel early in the film. 

Chris is a tennis instructor who quickly becomes friends with Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), a member of the club where he was teaching.  Chris is soon introduced to Tom’s sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer), and Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), his fiancée. 

He begins dating Chloe while never forgetting about his initial attraction to Nola and the story becomes centered on these two women he loves in completely different ways.  He is constantly forced to decide what is more important to him, passion or stability, lust or love.  Unfortunately, for him at least, these traits never converge in one woman or the other and he must satisfy his needs and desires in both of them. 

This is the best screenplay I have seen so far this year, and the best one from Allen in years.  The main story that drives the film forward is unbelievably strong, but it is the little moments that make this movie what it is.  And most of what is in this review merely scratches the surface of this complex film. 

There is a great scene early on between Chris and Chloe as they wrestle around the decision of whether to meet Tom and Nola for a movie.  Chris clearly wants to go for a chance to see Nola but doesn’t want to seem too eager in order to avoid revealing his feelings for her.  Chloe wants to stay in, but, really, just wants to do what Chris wants to do.  They go back-and-forth for a while until they finally decide to go.  Of course, the scene pays off when Tom shows up at the theater without Nola, who was too sick to make it. 

These moments allow the audience to delve deeper into the relationship and get an early sense of the issues and feelings that might sabotage it in the future. 

The acting is superb as well, and I remain convinced that Scarlett Johansson can do no wrong (except for choosing to star in a Michael Bay film, though she was the lone bright spot in The Island).  She brings a sexiness and raw vulnerability to her role as adulteress and struggling actress.  It’s just another in a long string of quality performances Woody Allen seems to get from his supporting actresses. 

Chris believes that luck plays the most important role in life.  Hard work is important, but it comes down to what breaks come your way.  This belief is a running theme throughout the movie, bolstered by a visual metaphor of a tennis ball hitting the top of the net and pausing in midair as if to contemplate who should get the benefit of the bounce. 

Perhaps this reliance on luck drives Chris’ actions, and, ultimately, he puts his fate in its hands.  In the end, you begin to wonder if you make your own luck, if it’s a consequence of your previous actions, or if you’re simply subject to its whims.  Can it really be true that no matter what you do, your life comes down to a simple bounce one way or the other?  And despite all that, will you be able to live with the results?