Match Point (2005)

Synopsis: Do you have to be good to be lucky? Or lucky to be good? That's the question this movie asks as it takes us on the journey of an ex tennis pro, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who falls in love with a beautiful girl then in favour with her extremely rich family. Things are going great for him until he meets Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), whom at the time was dating Chris's eventual brother in law, Tom. There is instant attraction between Chris and Nola and although Chris is a stand up guy and knows exactly what everything is worth, he can't resist as he falls into a viscious relationship with Nola which can and does only lead to bad things. The story uses a tennis game as an analogy to the different situations in life where the wealthy prosper by being lucky and the poo suffer byr being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chris is engaged in the "tennis" match of his life as he tries to juggle his family, his great job, as well as his affair all at the same time trying to do the right thing, ifthere is such a thing in the world.

Why You Should Watch It: Other than the fact that Scarlett Johansson gets half naked three times in the film which should be enough to encourage anyone! But for the girls who read these reviews, which I don't think there are many, Jonathan Rhys Meyers can do quite a lot of persuading as well. You might remember him from such movies like Bend it Like Beckham, and well...that's all I can remember. He puts up a good performance and so does his counterpart. The characters are deliciously interwoven and interact beautifully with each other. I have no personal experience with having an affair or being married but to me, it seemed like the writer, director, and actors were really engaged in their character and this movie is strongly character driven which is always a good sign.

Things to Watch Out For: Other than the tennis analogy this movie is set up like an opera which is obvious with the characters attending the opera quite frequently. There are many twists and turns and it all makes sense in the end. There are very few holes in the film and the movie does well in introducing items and motifs that come back in the end. So as you are watching this film, pay attention to camera shots that focus longer on a certain object or if you're ever wondering "what does this scene have to do with anything?" just remember it because it will pay off in the end.

Things You Don't Expect:Music in movies is important and most movies now settle for some generic orchestral score that gets composed by John Williams. This movie, however, takes a different approach as it runs with the opera structure and uses classic arias during the turning points in the film, much like in opera. This was handled very nicely and the director, Woody Allen, should be applauded for his different take on what music means for a movie.

Final Score: 7.6