Match Point, the latest effort from Woody Allen, is a story about love, lust, greed, social status, and the depths some will go to to live the good life – sounds like it’d be perfectly set in LA (ha ha) but its actually set in London, and it stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Scarlett Johansson as lovers in this affair-gone-awry story. The theme of the movie is “luck” and that, like tennis, life is largely a game of luck – when the ball hits the net it can bounce your way, or “his” way. So in life, its not about good vs. evil, its about lucky vs. not lucky – and it is this distinction that ultimently defines our existence. Well - this is not a theory I subscribe to personally (please see Quote #1 at the top of this page), but neither that theme – nor the not-so-subtle way Allen peppers it throughout his film – bothered me as much as the film’s lack of an interesting storyline did.
When we meet Chris (Rhys-Meyers) he is new to London, just starting a job as a tennis pro at a posh club and, despite his pitch-perfect manners and seemingly easy charm, he is clearly a man with an agenda – to get ahead, and to do it now. He befriends a wealthy tennis student Tom Hewett and quickly makes his way into the Hewett familys’ hearts, eventually becoming engaged to their daughter Chloe, and taking a cushy job within Papa Hewett’s corporate dynasty. And it’s at the Hewett’s grand estate that he first meets the young, sensual, and somewhat desperate Nola Rice (Johansson) – who is, when we meet her, engaged to Tom. Chris is quickly smitten with Nola and before long an affair beings – first when the two are engaged to the Hewett children, and later again after Nola is newly single and Chris is newly married to Chloe. But as the affair goes on Chris realizes that the relationship with Nola is based on lust more than love, and that despite his robotic marriage to Chloe, it is that marriage that is keeping him in a lifestyle he has”.. become accustomed to…” And when the inevitable gauntlet is thrown by the increasingly impatient and increasingly desperate Nola, Chris must decide between a passion-filled-yet-penniless existence with her vs. his bland marriage to Chloe that is allowing him the lifestyle he worked so hard to create.
Scarlett Johansson is, clearly, a bona fide sex symbol, and this is the film that will solidify that status for her – she is oozing out of her tightly-buttoned tops with sex appeal, and this is perfectly in step with the role - we can see why Chris can’t seem to stop himself from being with her despite all the risks. But the story itself I found pretty unoriginal and not as shocking as intended. To quote my fellow movie-going friend Brady, it is “…a lot like something I would have seen in a Lifetime movie…”
I know people are liking this one, but it just didn’t do it for me. More of a disappointment than anything else.
