Film Review: Match Point (2005)

Woody Allen had many ups and down in his long and prolific career. At the start of 21st Century the latter seemed to be the norm, making Allen himself to declare that he was “mediocre”, that there were very few films he was truly pleased with and that the favour of the audience, the true measure of film success, usually eluded him. Those who had watched Allen’s films in 1990s and first half of 2000s usually found little reason for disputing such statement. Even the biggest fans found increasingly difficult to enjoy series of films looking increasingly similar to each other and lacking humour and ingenuity that had characterised Allen at his earlier phase.

By strange coincidence, Allen made this statement at the premiere of Match Point, his 2005 drama which is now generally recognised as his triumphant return to top form. It cannot be said that Allen had not attempted to break the monotony of his oeuvre, but all the cosmetic "high concept" ideas (such as the use of a Greek chorus or musical numbers) could not hide the fact that they were watching the same (and increasingly less funny) comedy about neurotic New York intellectuals. This time, Allen made a truly radical move. Match Point is firmly anchored within the genre of drama, with neither Allen nor his alter ego present in the plot. Most importantly, setting was changed from New York City to London.

The protagonist Christopher "Chris" Wilton (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a young Irish man from poor background who chose tennis as his path to wealth and success. However, during his professional career, he learned all too well that luck was far more important than talent. That same luck is much more favourable to him after he gets a job as a tennis instructor at a posh London club. There he receives Tom Hewett (played by Matthew Goode), a young heir of a wealthy family, as a client. The two young men discover that they share fondness for opera, and become friends. Dilligent, measured, and cultured Chris is welcomed even more enthusiastically by Tom's family—sister Chloe (played by Emily Mortimer), who will marry him, and father Alec (played by Brian Cox), who will grant his son-in-law a lucrative managerial position in the family business. The Hewetts, on the other hand, are much colder towards Nola Rice (played by Scarlett Johansson), Tom's American fiancée and a failed actress. Chris feels strongly attracted to her, and over time, Nola yields to his seduction, unaware of the serious consequences their relationship will bring.

Match Point is relatively long, mainly due to the first part where Allen seems to be trying to show that this is not a typical Allen film. Despite a modest budget, great attention has been paid to a whole range of details that describe the luxurious world in which his characters live.

The script is also cleansed of pretentious pseudo-intellectual one-liners; the characters speak simply and understandably. The acting, as is customary in Allen's films, is top-notch. Scarlett Johansson—one of the most acclaimed young actresses of her time —is very good in portraying a rather complex female character, and Meyers has made a considerable effort and generally succeeded in overcoming the stereotype of the androgynous beauty with which he has burdened him since his breakout performance in Velvet Goldmine.

The patience of the viewers pays off significantly in the second part of the film, where Allen showcases rarely seen screenwriting talent. Sudden twists begin to unfold one after the other, leading the story and characters to places where few viewers could have hoped to go.

Towards the end, Allen even allows himself the luxury of "spicing up" the conventional storytelling technique with a "high concept" trick, namely a homage to his cinema and literary influences. Previously, Allen would have tried to utilise such a trick throughout the entire film, usually with disappointing results; here, applied economically, it works very well at the very end.

Some viewers, however, may be disappointed by the coldness more suited to Merchant-Ivory productions and some quotes from school literature that seem to have wandered into the film.

Nevertheless, the London fog has suited the 70-year-old New Yorker well. Allen received praises not only by critics, but also got the elusive success at the box office . After so many misses, it was about time for a hit.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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