'Fatal Attraction' for the new millennium (sort of)

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2011)

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Woody Allen. RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2006. GENRE: Psychological drama. RUNTIME: 2 hours, 5 minutes. LOCATIONS: London and the English countryside.
THE PLOT: Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is an ex-tennis pro from Ireland and Nola (Scarlett Johansson) a struggling sultry actress from Colorado; both are (unconscious?) social climbers attempting to marry into a rich English family. Chris marries Chloe (Emily Mortimer) even though he passionately lusts for Nola, the latter whom ultimately breaks from the family and the UK. When she returns to London Chris reignites their passion, which can only lead to tragedy. And only luck can save him.
"Match Point" is the antithesis of the modern 'blockbuster' and all it's moronic trappings -- there's no quick editing, no CGI, no goofy one-liners, no explosions and no promise of $400 million at the box office. No, "Match Point" is movie-making based simply on good writing and cinematic storytelling. The first hour plays out like a nigh tedious drama but the second builds momentum like a snowball slowly morphing into an avalanche. Be forewarned, if you don't have the stomach for an hour of soap operatics avoid this movie. For those who do, however, "Match Point" is rewarding, unpredictable and original.
Underpinning the drama is the theme of luck. The film starts out with a tennis ball hitting the top of the net; at that point the ball will fall on one side of the net or the other, depending solely on the luck of the player. At first, this seems unrelated to the story, but wait till the end and you'll see everything connect. It's amazing how good writing & storytelling can create a 'Wow' reaction much more so than the most elaborate overkill action sequence with all its requisite cgi and explosions.
I sensed a somewhat sad emptiness in the characters; most of them are neither likable nor unlikable (although Chloe is super-sweet albeit naive), they're just human beings trying to find meaning and fulfillment despite their physical riches or lack thereof. Their innate moral compass has been lost with the passing of religious faith and they search for meaning in the secular world of Dostoevsky, Sophocles, the visual arts and Verdi's operas. Only the mother and main protagonist, Chris, come off unappealing; the mother is just annoyingly snobbish, whereas Chris is so blatantly selfish and flat (not to mention devious) I find it hard to believe any of the characters in the story would find him appealing, let alone worthy of marrying into the family and becoming a prominent part of the business. But this just reveals that they're out of touch with their "spiritual compass."
What's ironic is I strangely found myself rooting for Chris in the final act, which doesn't make sense since I'm completely opposed to his (lack of) character and what he does (I can't say more because I don't want to spoil the film). This testifies to Mr. Allen's greatness as a filmmaker. Or maybe I temporarily rooted for him because, regardless of the outcome, I realize no one ultimately "gets away" with anything in life -- lucky or not.
The love, I mean lust, scenes between Chris and Nola struck me as ultra-steamy and authentic. This is exactly how a man and woman in illicit passion would secretly go at it. Case in point: the 'rain scene' is potent. Needless to say, "Match Point" is a must for Scarlett Johansson fans.
As to the "Fatal Attraction" reference: No, you don't have to worry about psycho slasher clichés. "Match Point" is smarter and more subtle than that.
GRADE: A-
***SPOILER ALERT***
Someone offered this insight about the story: "Tennis is a game designed by a creator with a set of rules. You win the point if the ball goes forward or lose the point if the ball falls back. The ring doesn't bounce forward across the other side and into the water and you immediately think Chris has lost the point and will be found out. But since life itself has no designer, and there are no true rules, it turns out that it was actually good luck for Chris because the ring was found by a bum with a history of petty theft and therefore he, not Chris, was thought to be the murderer."
While this is an intriguing insight and legitimate interpretation, it doesn't rule out a Creator or the fact that there are intrinsic moral laws in the physical universe. For instance, if there are no such laws why does Chris almost have a nervous breakdown after committing the murders? After all, if no such laws exist then it's impossible to break them and meaningless to be upset about it if you do. Why does he see non-literal ghosts of the victims? Obviously he broke an ironclad moral law and was now experiencing the guilt thereof. Yes, luck worked in his favor at the end of the story and this is in line with the insight of one of the wisest persons who ever lived: "I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all" (Ecclesiastes 9:11).
Yet, this doesn't preclude the existence of God or that there will be a judgment day in the Supreme Court of the universe. As Christ said, "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
Simply put, the idea that evil people "get away" with their crimes is an illusion.