Film Review - Match Point

As Woody Allen's latest offering I expected Match Point to be a whimsical, lighthearted affair, with lots of great comic timing. And while it does not disappoint, Woody has crafted a film surprisingly deeper than the norm, one which tackles class, greed, fidelity and chance with a wickedly clever ending.

Set in London, the story centres on Chris (played by Johnathan Rhys Meyers), who is a former tennis pro, now paying the bills by coaching. One day he gives Tom (Matthew Goode) lessons, and during later conversation, Tom invites Chris to social events with his extremely wealthy family. Through these experiences, Chris is seduced by their sheer decadence, and also by Tom's sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer). The pair eventually marry, but Chris' eye is caught by Tom's new fiancee Nola (Scarlett Johansson), a struggling American actress. The scene is set for an affair, with all the associated awkwardness to boot.

The script bubbles along; Woody has lost none of his magic for creating claustrophobic situations that people cannot escape from, in which people desire those they cannot have, get themselves into situations they feel little control over, and end invariably in a tumultuous heap. the last few Acts do not disappoint; apart from an extremely surprising turn of events, circumstances collude horribly, creating an even more claustrophobic environment. The pace of the film is really satisfying too: if there's a failing in the dialogue, it's that while there is plenty of upper-class twittering (Tom even says "yum yum" loudly in a restaurant), some of the directness of speech is quite un-English in nature. It's easy to forgive him for that, since he keeps his foot on the gas to set the scene for the finale.

Scarlett Johansson crackles with sexual energy, as she is both beautiful and alluring. Matthew Goode does a flighty playboy really well, and Emily Mortimer has a fine supporting role as Chris' loyal, unsuspecting and maternal wife. But there is a problem with Johnathan Rhys Meyers. Make no mistake, after one of the lead roles in Bend it Like Beckham, and a supporting role in Vanity Fair, this is the jackpot for him. And there are times in the film, when life is sweet, when he does content and secure really well. The issue lies with him tackling anything else. He clearly subscribes too much to the Ron Weasley (from Harry Potter) school of acting. Every facial expression looks like some kind of pantomime gurn, and his speech timing is often slightly out, making scenes feel a little awkward (the scene with Cold Feet's James Nesbitt and Trainspotting's Ewen Bremner is a prime example). At least he does show more restraint that previous performances, and that definitely can't be a bad thing.

That observation aside, Woody has contrived another tasty casserole of a drama, where all the ingredients are stirred together, and are set on a steady simmer, always threatening to boil over. In Match Point he has made his best movie for some years, and it will almost certainly prove to be one of the best of this year. 8/10