Worth The Wait

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2006)

I remember sitting in a theater, waiting for the feature presentation to start, and watching the preview for Match Point. It's always a fun experience, because in the trailers, all movies look great. When I saw the trailer for Match Point, I was in a mood where I was sick of Scarlett Johansson and all the attention she was getting. But then I saw the beautiful face of Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and I kinda got excited for this one. When I found out that Woody Allen was directing sealed the deal. Too bad it was rated R. Being only 16 with restrictive parents, this was a bad sign.
When I turned 17 and got a Netflix account, Match Point quickly moved it's way to the top of my queue. I popped it into my DVD player at around 11 o'clock at night and settled in for a night of Woody Allen flavored goodness. It was nothing like I expected, yet still served it's purpose.
Scarlett Johansson plays an almost-but-not-quite stereotypical obsessive, sexy, psycho mistress. Through the first hour, I was pretty sick of her because she looked like she was just showing up for the paycheck, and not really giving it the talent I know she has. Then when the big plot twist comes, everything changes. She turns in one of the best performances of her career thus far. Her and Rhys Meyers have explosive chemistry that lights up the screen from the first time they meet.
This film was definitely worth the wait. It is a rare movie that can keep me awake past 12:30. It's so Un-Woody Allen, but you can see a few elements of his genius. I'd definitely recommend this to a friend.