A different side of Woody Allen

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 2006)

Here Woody Allen has traded in his self-absorbed neurotics (of either the serious or comic variety) for the simply self-absorbed. Chris, a tennis pro who has just quit the circuit to become a pro at an upper-class London club, strikes up a friendship there with Tom, a club member. Chris has worked his way up and is not discomfited with the idea of entering Tom's world, and in short order he is faced with the dilemma of choosing between lust and greed. Lust for Tom's fiancée and greed to join the ranks of the rich - greed enough to enter into a marriage of convenience (at least for him) with Tom's sister. But of course he wants both and, as this movie (and the world) would have it, this is difficult to finesse.
Chris' emotional conflicts, and the repercussions of his decisions, are not what is really being addressed here. Allen calls it "luck," but I think more accurately the topic is free-will versus determinism. Most people want to believe that, for the most part, where they wind up in life is due to the choices they have made rather than random chance. This movie argues otherwise, implying that major node points in our lives are often decided by nothing more significant than a coin flip. If you had been delayed by five seconds, you would not have had that car crash; if your boss had not eaten that double chili cheeseburger with extra fries and a side of jalapeños before the interview, you would have gotten the big promotion; if you had not met person X, you would have become rich; and so on. In a clever twist, a crucial random event in this movie that looks for all the world like it will spell Chris' demise actually saves him.
Some Woody Allen trademarks are still in evidence. The filming is meticulous and the actors attractive. The usual jazz score has been changed to opera (it's great to hear some of those old Caruso recordings), befitting the upscale clientèle. And there are some comments that are classic Allen, like a comment made by a woman in an art gallery about two friends, "All their neuroses intertwine perfectly and it just works like a charm."
Besides a couple of peripheral characters the people on display are not terribly likable, so it is hard to root for any of them. But perhaps it is one of the strengths of "Match Point" that it keeps your attention in spite of that.
As presented here it does not look like being in the British upper-classes would be much fun.