Very well played....

Rating: 8/10 (11 February 2006)

The film starts out with a former tennis star Chris(Jonathan Rhys-Meyers)being interviewed for job as a tennis instructor for a prestige country club in London, England. Trying to get away from the glamor and drama of the tennis industry that he once committed too, he begins giving lessons to Tom(Matthew Goode) whom the two then become good friends. Tom introduces his sister Chloe(Emily Mortimer) to Chris and he then sees his chance to find a women that is will to settle down to work for a living and start a new family, in addition to the wealthy family that Chloe lives in as of now. Chris then meets Tom's fiancé Nola(Scarlett Johansson) and a immediate physical attraction is developed between the two. Chris then proceeds to marry Chloe and also begins a physical relationship with Nola, after she had been dumped by Tom.
Allen's film revolves around the concept of luck and guilt, showing the effect of the two of the main character. It's hard to relate to the social aristocratic environment that Allen portrays, but the point is made clear. In order to get what you want, you need to sacrifice certain priorities. The main character, as I perceived, is being very self-fish and sleazy at times and unwilling to work for this balance of work and pleasure. The scene that stuck out for me was when Chris and Nola are having a drink in a local pub, discussing their relationship status. Before Chris and Nola begin their relationship and while Nola is still engaged to Tom, Nola states that Chris is going to ruin the Hewett family by making a pass at her. Having some beef with the Hewett family that disapproves of her, nothing more pleasurable to Nola than to seek out revenge towards the family that she loathes. This begins a motive for Chris as he promises that he can balance out both his family and his affair, but also shows what Nola's character wants and how she's going to get it. Chris begins to fall for Nola, but knows if he stays involve with her he'll have to sacrifice his well paid career given by the Chloe's father and his steady and safe relationship with Chloe. He then becomes involved with lie after lie, trying to separate work and play. One thing leads to another and the guilt makes things complicated.
The acting is very well done in this film and it's everything that I would expect out of a good Woody Allen film, neglecting the comical side that he is known for. The film made me analyze what the difference is between luck and fate and how they are two similar yet different occurrences. I was uncomfortable with the film's direction changing pretty abruptly by showing the cause and solution of one's inner guilt and how it can drive someone to the extreme, but I did understand the reasoning behind it. I enjoyed the film based on the drama, suspense and yes, even the romance in the film found a spot in my heart. Allen has definitely redeemed himself with this fresh approach, but not to worry, it still has that same Woody Allen flavor to it.