Match Point

Star Review

Woody Allen swaps his beloved Manhattan for London in his latest film, delineating the efforts of Chris (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), a young tennis coach, to enter high society by romancing the loving daughter of a hugely wealthy businessman. Matters are complicated when he falls in love with her brother's American fiancée (Scarlett Johansson), an infatuation which gradually brings out the darker side to Chris's character.
This is undoubtedly Allen's best film since Husbands And Wives, and marks a return to his serious dramas such as Interiors and Crimes And Misdemeanors. Although there are moments of dry wit in the film (including a classic moment of irony towards the film's close), this is very much a serious drama, examining the lengths a man may go to in the pursuit of prosperity, and debating whether it is better to be good or to be lucky. Rhys-Meyers is suitably serpentine as the anti-hero, but Johansson steals all her scenes, radiating sensuality and masked vulnerability, and Matthew Goode excels as her foppish lover. Some critics have carped that Allen's British-English dialogue sometimes rings slightly false, yet his eye for human behaviour is as acute as ever.

Alex Davidson on 1st April 2006

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Film Description

One of Allen's best recent efforts sees a return to his darker dramas, starring Rhys-Myers as an aspirational tennis coach who worms his way into the an upper-class family after wooing the daughter. However, he falls in love with the fiancee (Johansson) of his girlfriend's brother, which threatens to scupper his plans. Johansson in particular excels as the charismatic "other woman".

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Film Details

Cast

Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Technical Details