Match Point movie review

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2006)

Woody Allen's new film Match Point has received a lot of praise and accolades. Most of them are deserved. Most assuredly some of them are not.
The movie is the story of the young protagonist, Chris, played by Jonathan Rhys-Myers coming into a world of privilege and circumstance after befriending Tom played by Matthew Goode. Chris begins to date Matthew's sister, Chloe, played by Emily Mortimer and is ushered into the family business. All goes well until he meets Tom's sultry fiancée, Nola, played by Scarlett Johansson. And that's all I'll say in direct respect to the plot.
In general, the acting quality leaves something to be desired, though some of the actors give stellar performances. Emily Mortimer gives an amazing performance as the vulnerable and sympathetic Chloe. Matthew Goode also does a great job as the clueless brother, unaware of the storm brewing below the sanguine exterior of Chris. Unfortunately, the film's two biggest stars Rhys-Myers and Johansson, though emphatically beautiful and pleasing to the eye, give robotic performances. Both are unconvincing, delivering the dialogue which, at times, seems just barely memorized before shooting.
The film is a little slow to start. The dialogue is not immediately engaging, but what the film lacks in performance is more than made up for in the writing of the screenplay and the cinematography. The film is visually striking from the opening shot. The interiors and exteriors and sumptuous and exquisite.
And the screenplay is perhaps one of Allen's best, existentially brooding on the role of luck versus hard work in life. The film is essentially a meditation on which plays the greater role. The drama is heavily influenced by opera with its dramatic themes and plots. The majority of the score is primarily derived from various operas, which helps to enliven the performances when they are a little lacking. The operatic quality also influences the characters and tone of the drama. From the first opening notes, you know that this isn't light fare.
The movie moves along at a steady pace and takes its time to unwind. At points, it seems that the movie is merely going through the necessary motions to move the plot along, but these moments are sporadic and short. The tension builds to the very end and just when you think it is over, it's not. The ultimate conclusion left me breathless and (literally) applauding Allen's cunning in creating a movie that glosses over current fixations and taps into more ancient dramas: infidelity, power, the lengths one will go to secure their position and privilege, and the consequences of our actions.
I highly recommend this film for anyone interested in quality cinema. I hope that Allen receives at least a Golden Globe, if not an actual Oscar. I am aware of his reasons for using two of today's hottest stars who end up giving only mediocre performances--he wants money and recognition. Who doesn't? Hopefully, next time he can convince his actors to give better performances or just hire better actors, who just might not be as famous.