Woody's best film in 15 years (or more)

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2006)

I was very impressed with "Match Point." The screenplay actually bears resemblance to a tennis game, and I mean the kind that McEnroe and Borg played back in the '70s! I had listened to a portion of the new operatic version of "An American Tragedy," which was the basis for the Elizabeth Taylor-Montgomery Clift film "A Place in the Sun." I did not realize that it was Woody Allen's main source of inspiration for this film until after the fact! This film marks a radical departure from recent film, such as "Anything Else" (which I liked, but few seemed to), and bears very little resemblance to the Allen we have grown to love over the years. The film more closely resembles "Interiors" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors" more so than "Annie Hall" or "The Mighty Aphrodite." There are great performances as well. Brian Cox is really good as a tyrannical father figure. Emily Mortimer is also outstanding as the clueless Chloe. The film also hints at a Hitchcockian influence. You don't have to be a Woody Allen fan to like this one.