Match Point

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2006)

Match Point is set in London, England and is about a young man named Chris Wilton who is a tennis pro and now teaches others how to play tennis. Chris's friend Tom introduces him to his sister Chloe and they hit it off and are soon to be married. Chris also meets Tom's girlfriend named Nola who Chris instantly feels attracted to. Tom and Nola break up and Chris gets married to Chloe, but Chris starts to see more and more of Nola until they begin a rather serious affair. Soon, Nola wants Chris to live with her and dump Chloe, but Chris will not do it and Nola threatens to if Chris won't. This complicates matters leaving Chris having to decide between the two women and choose what to do. Winner of The David Award for Best European Film for writer/director Woody Allen at The David di Donatello Awards and The Goya Award for Best European Film at The Goya Awards. Match Point has good direction, a good script, good performances by the entire cast and good cinematography. Even though Match Point is written and directed by Woody Allen it is nothing at all like his other films. This is not a comedy and is instead more of a drama/thriller. Also instead of being filmed in New York like most of his movies are this one was filmed in England. This is one smart and crafty story of love and an affair that goes way out of control. I liked the film's dialog and the characters were all very well played by the actors who played them and I also thought that they were very well written. This is one film were there are many important characters and elements to the script and each are written in here for a purpose and the film plays out very well. I liked the thriller style of the movie that presented itself in a classy kind of way that old thrillers from the 30's or 40's would have and I thought the movie's pace was good and the more the film went on the more curious I became of what would happen next and I was thoroughly enjoying myself at this film and I was not disappointed by the time it was over. This is one classy and smart movie that really stands out for it's writing, direction and acting. I have always been a fan of Woody Allen and his films and I understand that some people just don't care for his usual comedies. This is unlike any Woody Allen movie he has done before and it really stands out from the others and as much as I like his comedies I think that he has done a great job at doing a thriller and you do not have to be a Woody Allen fan to enjoy this movie. One of the most intriguing, smart and classy films of 2005. I heavily recommend it.