MATCH POINT

by Joe Barber on Jan.07, 2006, under Joe Barber's Movie Reviews

JOE’S REVIEW: “MATCH POINT”

It has been a while since a educated movie consumer could recomend a film made by Woody Allen to a friend with little or no reservation, Despite the hopes that were raised in the hearts of movie lovers when Allen delivered a witty and sparkling introduction to a collection of clips celebrating New York City at the 2002 Oscars, the Allen efforts that followed that event have fallen frustratingly short of the mark.

Now Allen is back with new movie. Or, to be more to the point, it’s an old movie of sorts, wrapped in new cllothing. “Match Point”, set in London and starring British actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Scarlett Johansson, borrows heavily from Allen’s 1989 masterpiece “Crimes and Misdemeanors”. Despite the familiarity, Allen strikes a intriguing tone in this newer film that gives it a fresh feel and helps it to deliver on the promise of being the “comeback” film Allen’s fans and admirers have been waiting and longing for.

Chris (Rhys-Meyers ) is a mid-level professional tennis player whose reached
is early thirties and the end of his professional career. He hasn’t
prepared to do much elese, so he sets his sights on trying to attract the interest of a young woman whose family has plenty of cash. To that end, he takes a job as a tennis pro at an exclusive club. By night, he studies books on art, literature and other topics to give him topics for casual conversations.

He becomes friends with the son of a powerful businessman (Brian Cox) and begins wooing the plain, sweet natured daughter of the family. Things seem to be working perfectly well until Chris meets the woman his soon-to-be brother-in-law intends to marry. Nola (Johansson) is a stunningly beautiful, emotionally volitile young woman who’s looking to further her acting career in England. Chris finds himself growing more attrctred to Nola, but wary of endangering his relationship with his finacee.

Once he’s married, Chris resloves to forget Nola. But a chance meeting after her break up with her intended sends the duo into a wildly passionate affair that spirals out of control. When Nola says she’s pregnant and demands that Chris leave his wife and marry her, he begins to look to a dramatic way to resolve the situation. That resolution leaves him with more questions than answers, including an ultimate question: Will I be found out on every level ?

Depite the similarities to “Crimes”, Allen finds small, key ways to bring a different feel to “Match Point”. While the earlier film featured a mix of broad humor and familiar romantic entanglements, Allen plays for higher stakes here. Whatever humorous turns are on display here have a sharp, dry twist to them. Passions that enflame actions are deep and desperate, not fumbling and endearing. The transfer of the action to a new, previously unused locale adds vigor to Allen’s direction, as does the work of his talented cast, Johansson in particular. While the film’s finale doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch of “Crimes”, it fits this film.

All in all, “Match Point” delivers rich and satisfying entertainment that engages hearts and minds while examining the soul as well. It is the best work Woody Allen’s done in many years and is worth enjoying and celebrating.

MPAA RATING:R for profanity, sexual situations and vioilence JOE’S RATING: THREE AND A HALF STARS.