Day 187: Match Point

4102J5QS38LMatch Point is a brilliant, brilliant movie. And my eighth favorite Woody Allen film.

It is not a comedy.

And it was not filmed in New York.

It’s a drama, or perhaps a “thriller” (as it’s billed), and it was filmed in London, England.

The story is about relationships, infidelity, death – all the traditional Woody Allen themes.

Only this time they’re told differently, with more skill.

And with greater impact.

And with the uber-sexy actress Scarlett Johannson as the femme fatale.

The opening voice-over narration sets the tone for the movie:

The man who said “I’d 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. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn’t, and you lose.

And it only gets better from there.

Match Point is story is a former tennis pro (Rhys Meyers) who becomes a tennis instructor at an exclusive club. He gets serious with the sister (Mortimer) of his soon-to-be best friend and club manager (Goode), likely so that he can ambitiously climb the social ladder…but the tennis instructor falls for his friend’s American fiance (Johansson). The two begin a torrid affair until the tennis pro decides he has to make a choice.

This is a serious movie, well written and directed. It’s my eighth favorite Woody Allen film. But not one I watch often because it’s so serious.

Still, Match Point – released when Woody Allen was 70, nearly a half century after his career began – proves just how good a Woody Allen movie can be when Woody is firing on all cylinders.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *