Review of Match Point (2005) by Doctor S — 03 Mar 2012
If ever a man deserved to have his world come crashing down around him, it's Chris the Irish tennis instructor of modest means who is befriended by an extraordinarily rich gentleman Tom, gets hired by Tom's father to a cushy job, marries Tom's sister Chloe, and proceeds to have an affair with Tom's fiancee Nola.
This is a slow, slow, slooow burn of a movie, methodically told inch by inch. Woody opts for strict realism so regrettably there is no philosophizing about love versus lust, which leaves a rather cold & distant atmosphere.
The entire film hinges on one brilliantly realized analogy between luck and tennis in one beautiful shot and the resulting outcome is not the one I expected. This single moment makes Match Point worthwhile, which otherwise is not distinctively different from other Postman Always Rings Twice entanglements.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers echoes a young Ewan MacGregor as Chris, Matthew Goode fits Tom like a glove, but I felt self-consciousness from Scarlett Johansson as Nola - Woody's loose directing style with his actors does not suit everyone.
This review of Match Point (2005) was written by Doctor S on 03 Mar 2012.
Match Point has generally received very positive reviews.
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