Only a partial success but still interesting and engaging on the whole

Rating: Null/10 (30 March 2008)

Chris Wilton is a former tennis pro, who was a regular on the circuit but never really good enough to get anywhere in the game. He retires into a coaching job at a club and meets the wealthy Tom Hewitt. Through him he meets Tom's sister Chloe and also Tom's American fiancé Nola. The latter he finds sexual exciting and dangerous while the former he finds "nice" but available. With Eleanor by his side Tom finds opportunity and advantage entering his life and it is a matter of time before he marries her, while also starting an ill-judged affair with Nola.
It is fashionable to moan about Woody Allen's output over the last few years and this is perhaps understandable but for me Match Point is a commendable, if not perfect, film from him that doesn't sit with his usual genre. There is no laughs to be had here, no character for Allen or even a character like Allen but it is similar in regards its exploration of love, lust and money. The setting in the English upper classes makes for a cold setting that suits the relationships, which are as much about position and breeding as about genuine love. In this regard the film is engaging as we not only have a love triangle plot but we have questions of what we would do, the power of those at the top, the desire to stay on top and the practicality of relationships. It is longer than his normal work but Allen has no problem filling it with material that I was surprised to find him wholly responsible for writing.
It is not perfect of course and the very cold edge does mean that the fire of passion at the end might leave some viewers disbelieving. Likewise the speed with which it is all sown up might seem all a bit convenient to some, even if I felt it a fitter comment on the nature of power. The cast mostly work well with the material despite the fact that I personally don't care much for either of the leads. Meyers is suitably conflicted between lifestyle and love. I did feel his range was limited though and did think that someone better could easily have been cast. Likewise with Johansson, who is very playful and does pretty well with the later emotion but yet never made me shake the idea that she is here due to her fame not her talent. Mortimer is solid as is Goode, Cox and Wilton; although mentioning the last two leads me to mention that the film also contains minor turns from Kaye, Fortune, Salmon, Bremner and Nesbitt  none of whom are "bad" but their presence was a distraction that the film could have done without and I have no idea why so many famous faces were cast in minor roles; Allen might as well as set off bangers and fireworks at each showing if he wanted to distract the audience that much!
Anyway, despite this and the cold, slow pace, the film is engaging and interesting in its themes. In terms of story it doesn't totally work towards the end but up till then it is questioning and interesting. Not to everyone's taste and only a partial success but good to see Allen expanding himself and doing interesting work.