Game, Set and Match - Woody Allen. Review on Matchpoint Movie

Directed by the acclaimed writer/actor Woody Allen, who is one of the most talented and prolific filmmakers ever with a sense of magic that he is able to summon out of thin air be it in creating characters, story, plot and most of all his comic genius, which is acclaimed worldwide.

In fact, he is a person personified by cinema. And here he is back to his class act of a tale of passion, temptation and obsession. When many felt Woody’s master-class has completely faded, this film proved to be jolt from the blue and marked his majestic return. The story is about ‘luck’ and the role it plays in determining everyone’s destiny, which is narrated in Woody Allen’s trademark approach. Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a poor ex-tennis player from Ireland who joins an elite tennis academy in London as its trainer. There, he meets Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), a tennis enthusiasts belonging to a rich family who happens to share his interests in operas and books. Chris soon finds his way into the posh lifestyles of the Hewett’s, and Tom’s sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer) falls for his charm.

Friendship turns into romance between Chris and Chloe, but he merely finds her sweet and adorable sans passion. However, he is immediately struck with burning passion when he meets Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) Tom’s lover. An aspiring actress, Nola strikes a flirtatious rapport with Chris and they get involved in romantic escapades. But when she walks away from Tom’s life citing the relationship would put them in danger and cause a lot of predicaments, Chris marries Chloe and gets a job in one of her father’s firms. Sticking on to a routine life and a passionless marriage, Chris is nothing but a pickle inside a jar that looks ravishingly colourful from the outside. Months pass by when suddenly Nola crosses Chris’s life, and this time he is firm of striking a lasting relationship with her. All goes well until Nola begins to get obsessed about Chris and jealous of Chloe, and demands him to walk away from his marriage…

Wood Allen generously sprinkles a number of twists and turns into the gripping screenplay that is ingenious and difficult to anticipate. This isn’t a thriller about good versus evil, but about various species of evil engaged in a struggle for survival of the fittest or, as the movie makes clear, the luckiest. So there aren’t any contenders for honesty awards in the film. His first film to be entirely shot outside America, Woody Allen confessed it to be arguably the best film he has ever made. A dark comedy in the backdrop of an engaging thriller, this film will keep you engaged all the way.