Matchless

Rating: 9/10 (17 June 2014)

There has been a lot written and said about this movie, and I can understand why; I think it is one of the most intriguing movies I've seen.
With a measured pace and style, "Match Point" tells the story of Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who marries for money and position while lusting after another woman with whom he has an affair. But when she becomes too demanding, he solves his problem in a totally unexpected way.
The plot is built around the theme of luck. Meyer's character sets up the premise in his opening narration, "The man who said I would rather be lucky than good, saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control".
Luck also played a part in the making of "Match Point". In an interview Woody Allen told how he was lucky with just about every aspect of the movie. Lucky with the script, lucky that the location changed from The Hamptons in NY to London, lucky with the cast, and lucky when Kate Winslet dropped out and Scarlett Johansson was available.
Would this movie have had the same frisson with Kate Winslet playing Nola Rice? It's subjective of course, but Scarlett just has that powerful, glamorous look and calm sensuality that could cause males of any age to stumble over their words.
The cast praised her acting, although it's the scenes where her relationship with Chris Wilton starts to unravel, replete with yelling and screaming, where she seems a little stretched. As she herself says, "I'm a pretty relaxed person and I don't consider myself a screamer so when you're elevated to that, it brings up all this crazy energy that you didn't realize you were bottling up."
I was actually surprised to find that about half the reviewers on IMDb hated "Match Point", especially UK reviewers. One of the main complaints was that Allen didn't really capture a feeling for modern London life - they felt it was all a bit Oscar Wilde.
However, in all the interviews I've seen or read with the mainly British cast, Emily Mortimer, Brian Cox, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Goode, none of them had anything but praise for the script, and all seemed to enjoy working with Allen. Most of the crew were also British, so up-to-date advice and local knowledge was always close at hand.
Anyway, it's the terrific cast, and the story with its reverse homage to Dostoevsky that drives the movie. Those who hated it overlooked some of Allen's most insightful writing - look at the way Matthew Goode as Tom Hewitt gets over Nola, he and his family move on from her. Then, even Chris Wilton gets over her - passions cool, relationships change, love can turn to hate, or worse, indifference. Allen weaves it all into his story where the security and power of wealth are the strongest driving forces of all.
All I would say is that it's a film that deserves re-evaluation. I've seen it a number of times, and each time I discover some new aspect to enjoy.