Good to the last drop

Rating: Null/10 (27 April 2006)

Can't understand why some critics don't think very much of Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda" (2004), which is a pretty decent piece of work compared with, say, his Narcissistic "Hollywood ending" (2002). It has been generally agreed though that "Match point", sans his characteristic witty comedy and nerdish characters, is Allen's best work in the last little while. And even after the "surgery", this is still very much Woody Allen as you'll feel at home with the familiar social stratum which is simply transported from New York to London.
The plot setup is actually quite simple, structured basically on two deprived people's interaction with a privileged London family, through the siblings Tom and Chloe. Struggling American actress-to-be Nola, from a deprived family with its fair share of alcohol and drug history, met Tom six month ago and the two lost no time in getting engaged. Competent tennis pro Chris from a poor Irish family, through coaching Tom, meets Chloe and they too have their love flame ignited, so to speak.
But here ends the symmetry. While Chris is embraced by the parents and groomed for the family business, Nola is frowned on (particularly by the mother) as she blows audition after audition. As the gripping plot develops, the focus zeroes in on a triangle involving Chloe, Chris and Nola. Through the lucid direction and absorbing script, the audience is taken on an engaging trip towards a dark destination. The ending is deviously clever, a wicked tease that twists and turns, wisely shunning poetic justice for a realistically cynical view that is consistent with the real, sardonic Woody Allen behind the persona of the comical nerd.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays beautifully Chris, a complex character that is never fully explained. That he reads Dostoevsky's "Crime and punishment" and loves the opera hints. That he openly acknowledges that he is not competitive but he wants to "make a contribution" hints. Most revealing, however, is the comparison of his first encounters with the two women, Chloe and Nola. That contrast is most revealing.
Scarlett Johansson playing femme fatale Nola will make you sit up and take note. None of the subtleties of her former roles such as in "Girl with a pearl earring" or "Lost in translation" here, but earthy and fiery, both.
With neither the innocence in "Young Adam" nor the maturity in "Dear Frankie", Emily Mortimer tackles yet a different role here, all-goodness and often simple Chloe, brought up in a fairyland and never exposed to the harsh reality of the ugliness of human nature.
These three key players give Allen the performances he deserves for the brilliant script and direction. A good supporting cast (particularly Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton, one of the "Calendar girls") completes the job of making this movie good to the last drop.