Match Point-Theater

Match Point (2005), Dir. Woody Allen

Ahh, Woody Allen. Can't say I'm a huge fan of his films, but I do feel obligated to watch them since I claim to be a movie devotee. I just have a hard time with the whiny nervousness he injects into every scene, every character, every word of dialogue. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed films such as Annie Hall and Manhattan (I haven't seen every film, so there may be others I have yet to enjoy). Having said that, I enjoyed Match Point. Or rather, maybe didn't enjoy, but marveled at Allen's skill in setting the tone and the stage, then sustaining it through the entirety of the next two hours.

I've never thought of Allen as a guy who is interested in suspense, but this film will keep you guessing up through the last minutes. It doesn't seem possible, and just when you think you've got it under control and know what's going to happen, things change and you don't. Kind of reminds me of my own life, which may be the whole point.

As for the plot, it seems simple enough; a married man having an affair, wondering if he should leave his wife or stay, mixed in with money, family, passion, and love. Through this setting, Allen explores a myriad of relationships, both healthy and toxic, approving and disapproving. It also raises the question of who a person can trust, but that's more of my own issues probably.

The actors turned in superb performances, with Scarlett Johanssen affecting the most Allen-esque mannerisms of nervousness and tics. Even so, her anguish and confusion is delivered in such a genuine way, without any hint of her holding back. The love interest, played by Jonathon Rhys-Meyers, also does an impeccable job of sustaining Allen's mood of suspense, never giving away what he's going to do next, or betraying what his character is actually thinking.

As a disclaimer and small side note, part of the reason this film was so resonant with me is because it seems to present my life; albeit in a much more dramatic and tragic way. The disappointment of unrequited love, betrayal of love, and a web of secrets and lies one cannot even begin to decode are themes that are so ingrained in my personal experiences, it felt as though Allen took a page from my life, added a bit of hyperbole and some English accents, and threw it up on the screen. In fact, this film will always coincide with a day of personal anguish that left me feeling like Scarlett's Nola Rice from Boulder, Colorado. Art imitating life. Go figure.