Sometimes having everything isn't good enough

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2006)

Match Point (2005), written and directed by Woody Allen, is a movie during which I wanted to shout, "Don't do it" to the protagonist.
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) was a modestly skilled professional tennis player who now has everything: an intelligent, beautiful, loving wife (the exquisite Emily Mortimer), a great job (his boss is his father-in-law), good looks, charm, and what appears to be the best apartment in London.
What Chris doesn't have--but decides he wants--is Nola Rice (played by Scarlett Johansson). Nola--a no-talent aspiring actress from the U.S.--describes herself as sexy, but not beautiful. Well, actually, she's both, but that's about the end of her list of positive attributes.
Chris risks everything to begin an affair with Nola, with predictable results, up to a point. About 90 minutes into this two-hour film, Allen switches course, and the last quarter of the film doesn't really fit the first three quarters. I found this annoying, although I can't deny that the action leading to the film's conclusion is riveting.
The actors are excellent, with the exception of Johansson, who to my mind plays the part with no particular insight or subtlety.
London looks wonderful--clean and brilliant. (Allen's London bears the same resemblance to the real London as Allen's New York does to the real New York.) The soundtrack--mostly classic operatic performances--is wonderful.
This is a film worth seeing, but I suggest you see it at home. That way, when Chris approaches Nola, you can shout, "Don't do it" without disturbing the other people in the theater.