Title · no scrobbles indexed yet

Match Point

The first scrobble for this title is still propagating, but a community review is already indexed below.

Reviews

Longform community posts about this title

Film Review: Match Point (2005)@drax700d

(source: tmdb.org)

Woody Allen had many ups and down in his long and prolific career. At the start of 21st Century the latter seemed to be the norm, making Allen himself to declare that he was “mediocre”, that there were very few films he was truly pleased with and that the favour of the audience, the true measure of film success, usually eluded him. Those who had watched Allen’s films in 1990s and first half of 2000s usually found little reason for disputing such statement. Even the biggest fans found increasingly difficult to enjoy series of films looking increasingly similar to each other and lacking humour and ingenuity that had characterised Allen at his earlier phase.

By strange coincidence, Allen made this statement at the premiere of Match Point, his 2005 drama which is now generally recognised as his triumphant return to top form. It cannot be said that Allen had not attempted to break the monotony of his oeuvre, but all the cosmetic "high concept" ideas (such as the use of a Greek chorus or musical numbers) could not hide the fact that they were watching the same (and increasingly less funny) comedy about neurotic New York intellectuals. This time, Allen made a truly radical move. Match Point is firmly anchored within the genre of drama, with neither Allen nor his alter ego present in the plot. Most importantly, setting was changed from New York City to London.

The protagonist Christopher "Chris" Wilton (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a young Irish man from poor background who chose tennis as his path to wealth and success. However, during his professional career, he learned all too well that luck was far more important than talent. That same luck is much more favourable to him after he gets a job as a tennis instructor at a posh London club. There he receives Tom Hewett (played by Matthew Goode), a young heir of a wealthy family, as a client. The two young men discover that they share fondness for opera, and become friends. Dilligent, measured, and cultured Chris is welcomed even more enthusiastically by Tom's family—sister Chloe (played by Emily Mortimer), who will marry him, and father Alec (played by Brian Cox), who will grant his son-in-law a lucrative managerial position in the family business. The Hewetts, on the other hand, are much colder towards Nola Rice (played by Scarlett Johansson), Tom's American fiancée and a failed actress. Chris feels strongly attracted to her, and over time, Nola yields to his seduction, unaware of the serious consequences their relationship will bring.

Match Point is relatively long, mainly due to the first part where Allen seems to be trying to show that this is not a typical Allen film. Despite a modest budget, great attention has been paid to a whole range of details that describe the luxurious world in which his characters live.

The script is also cleansed of pretentious pseudo-intellectual one-liners; the characters speak simply and understandably. The acting, as is customary in Allen's films, is top-notch. Scarlett Johansson—one of the most acclaimed young actresses of her time —is very good in portraying a rather complex female character, and Meyers has made a considerable effort and generally succeeded in overcoming the stereotype of the androgynous beauty with which he has burdened him since his breakout performance in Velvet Goldmine.

The patience of the viewers pays off significantly in the second part of the film, where Allen showcases rarely seen screenwriting talent. Sudden twists begin to unfold one after the other, leading the story and characters to places where few viewers could have hoped to go.

Towards the end, Allen even allows himself the luxury of "spicing up" the conventional storytelling technique with a "high concept" trick, namely a homage to his cinema and literary influences. Previously, Allen would have tried to utilise such a trick throughout the entire film, usually with disappointing results; here, applied economically, it works very well at the very end.

Some viewers, however, may be disappointed by the coldness more suited to Merchant-Ivory productions and some quotes from school literature that seem to have wandered into the film.

Nevertheless, the London fog has suited the 70-year-old New Yorker well. Allen received praises not only by critics, but also got the elusive success at the box office . After so many misses, it was about time for a hit.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo

Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e

BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7 BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

Comments

No comments yet — be the first.

5 more reviews

›Match Point, a neo-noir thriller@ismaca789d
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=695647)

Woody Allen created one of the most profound and unflinching examinations of desire, ethics and moral chance with Match Point.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was captivating in the role of an ambitious sports professional driven to ruin by the lust of opulent living played by Scarlett Johansson.

Their scintillating chemistry and the lure of climbing the social ladder at any cost made Tennant's dangerous magnetism chillingly believable despite his atrocious actions.
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=695647)

With elegant suspense, Allen pulled back the veil of high society to reveal that primitive lust knows no bounds, nor does fortune favour the righteous. Chance marks all destinies.

Allen's expert command of tone conjures Hitchcockian menace and moral claustrophobia amid elegant London sets, amplified by the extraordinary work of cinematographer Camilla Bendix.

Match Point struck a chord long afterwards for its searing examination of one man's Faustian bargains and how the random chaos of life can reduce ethical systems to meaninglessness.
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=695647)

While Match Point found immense critical praise, its awards recognition fell tragically short of its true masterful achievement.

Commercially, Match Point connected with worldwide audiences, grossing $88 million against a budget in the $15 million range. Clearly it struck a chord far beyond art houses.
Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post
›Match Point (flim): too long, but nicely cast with great twists@netflixr1228d
I have been abandoning streaming services for a minute while I watch films that were recommended from friends recently. We all know that you can get almost any film you want using torrents and as much as I like Netflix I find that most of what they have on offer is garbage and the number of older films that they have in their library diminishes as the days go by. I knew this was going to happen to Netflix because they got lazy and arrogant in their number one spot and it was always going to get bad especially when they started to have a standpoint of "we will do whatever we want." Yeah, and so will your customers apparently.

So my friend that has been recommending movies to me has been correct about whether I would like the 3 times in a row now so I am hoping that he can come up with other recommendations in the future.

Match Point was yet another movie that I had never heard of and I can only guess that this might have been because this is a Woody Allen film and I tend to ignore all of those.

src

This is a tragic love story disguised as being about sports. If you don't like tennis movies - I personally quite like them - then you don't have to worry because aside from the first 20 minutes or so where we are introduced to the main characters and how they came to know one-another, the film doesn't really have much to do with tennis, or any other sport, at all.

Instead it has more to do with chance encounters in life and how they may not seem significant at the time and how these encounters can have dramatic effects on how the rest of our life plays out. If you think about a failed or successful romantic relationship you have ever had in your own life it is pretty crazy when you determine all of the very specific and mostly based on luck factors that were involved in you ever meeting that person to begin with.

Match Point explains all of this is a very succinct way after a brief monologue and comparison to tennis about how there are times when the ball strikes the top of the net and there is a brief moment where luck is all that determines the outcome: Will you get a lucky point, or will the ball bounce back on your own side of the net?

src

The main character Chris Wilton we are introduced to right away. He is an ex tennis star of sorts that lost interest in the tours and the stress of travel that comes along with them who decides to become a tennis pro teacher at a club in London and of course is hired right away. Through chance assignment of students he ends up partnered with a man who just happens to share the same interests as he does and they become friends. As it turns out this friend named "Tom" is part of an extremely wealthy family with connections to everything. Chris ends up getting involved with the family and becomes an important part of it when he starts dating Tom's sister "Chloe."

Things twist and turn and you can see it coming from a mile away when he takes an immediate interest in Tom's fiancé Nola who is brilliantly played by Scarlett Johansson.

src

Despite being in a relationship with Chloe and being best friends with Tom, Chris still pursues her even though he knows that if they were ever found out that it would completely destroy this new, successful life that Chloe's family has basically engineered 100% of. A great tension is built in the movie as they start becoming more and more daring in their meeting with one another.

I'm not going to spoil the big parts of the film but just know that this movie is very very good. I do think that it is too long and I ended up skipping probably at least 20 minutes of the dialogue and I was no worse for wear having done so. I still knew all that was going on in the movie despite having done this.

One thing I would say that Woody Allen did extremely well in this movie is the creation of tension. Chris and Nola seem to be just a few seconds from getting figured out almost any time they are around one another and this just builds and builds all the way to the film's ending that even if you could see it coming to a certain degree, will shock most viewers.

src _{will it go over or fall back... it's all dumb luck}

I really enjoyed this film because once it is over you have a sense of being able to relate it to your own life and how chance encounters define who we are. It might not be a marriage into a wealthy family and then a meeting of your perfect partner shortly thereafter as is depicted in the film but back before Tinder and other things like that I believe that most if not all of our friends and lovers were determined almost entirely by blind luck - which is the entire point of the film.

I love a film that makes you think about it after you have finished watching it and then can reflect on how it applies to your and probably everyone else's life.

Should I watch it?
This is one of the better films I have seen this year even though this movie was released in 2005. I think that most people will appreciate all of what is in this film even though I think it is somewhere around 20-30 minutes longer than it needed to be. This is forgivable though because the overall message of the film is very profound. I believe that despite the movie's shortcomings that it has a very powerful message that extends well beyond the duration of the runtime. Highly recommended.

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post
›Match Point || To cut a heart in half and divide it between two women@cute-cactus1404d
How can the factor of luck in human life be related to the number of matches in a tennis match? In a match point game, if the ball hit with the racket hits the net and goes forward, it is considered lucky and the match is won, but if it comes back, it is considered unlucky and the match is lost. The film Match Point, in which the luck factor is explained with such a thin line, was a good choice in terms of showing how the life of someone who has luck on his side can change.
[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/1HEdbjJ20vXn8nW1LwPMc5lY63U.jpg)
In the 2005 film, Chris Wilton (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) cuts his heart in half and gives one half to his wife Chloe Hewett Wilton (played by Emily Mortimer) and the other half to his forbidden love Nola Rice (played by Scarlett Johansson).

Using all the opportunities of his wife and family and taking the luck factor behind him, Chris's life suddenly reaches a height he could not even dream of, and as seen in most people, the difficulties brought by arrogance and power cause him to leave the right path and turn into a lie machine.

While watching the reflections of the relationships revolving in the triangle of Chris, his wife Chloe and his mistress Nola on their lives, it was the most important plus of the film that they reflected to the audience with simple and calm dialogues how the chain of events that started with a simple lie prepared the ground for other lies.
[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/3aESPG07hAUBfAk15NXwRtR0JC8.jpg)
When you have a partner who opens all doors wide open for you with her possibilities and who is also beautiful, you realise for 2 hours how dangerous it is for human life to be a prisoner of passion and desire. Feeling the pain of suddenly finding yourself as the designer and executioner of a murder when you have no idea of what will happen and what can be done when you lose control in events that are in our control up to a certain point was the drama aspect of Match Point.

So far, I have seen many films with infidelity and forbidden love in them and all of them had similar endings. In most of them, those who are later involved in the relationship are either killed or ostracised in order to save the marriage union. The feature that distinguished Match Point from the others was primarily the dialogues, the chosen locations, the luck factor that was included too much in the film and the sad ending of the forbidden apple.
[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/ifuOytKQPKe5GQwu9m3Hai2wr8R.jpg)
The sentence in the dialogue in the scene that I liked and deserved the most during the viewing was impressive. It was the dialogue between Chris and Nola as a result of Chris impregnating Nola, with whom he had unprotected intercourse only once, while Chris was trying to have a child with his wife Chloe and getting support from doctors. "Why can't I get my wife pregnant even though I've been trying for so long, while you get pregnant in one go?" to the question "Because you don't love her. You are not passionate with her, you love and desire me" seemed to explain the reason for forbidden loves. To pursue only passion and desire is to destroy more than one life. This includes children born or yet to be born.

I liked the film more than many other films with the same subject matter because it reflects infidelity and forbidden love in a very good narrative. The excitement of swimming in dangerous waters is high, you reach what most people cannot reach, but the risk is also high. Being farsighted and keeping everything in line with a plan does not work when control is lost and plans b, c, d do not come into play.
[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/yUJf20GQ5vifhk9QDxUGotAEaLz.jpg)
Everything is just luck. Like a ball hitting the net, you either go forward and win or fall back and lose. If you like drama, romance, thriller genres with a calm narration, I definitely recommend you to watch the film. There are good conversations on relationships and I think each of them were the kind of dialogues that could gain experience and of course the most important teaching was to know how to be content with what you have.
[source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0WaX80XY5w)

See you in my next article, all content belongs to me. @cute-cactus

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post
›Match Point| Cuando la suerte echa una mano | When luck lends a hand |Reseña- Review [ESP/ENG]@irvinc1713d

Woody Allen es uno de mis directores preferidos. Recuerdo en mi juventud el impacto que causó “Dos extraños amantes”. Una película de la que todos hablaban por lo novedoso de su enfoque.

A mis amigos y a mí nos resultaban geniales cosas tan sencillas como poner a los personajes a hablar directamente a la cámara, tal como si estuvieran conversando con el espectador, esa forma de involucrar al que está del otro lado de la pantalla nunca la habíamos visto y nos parecía de lo más original. Desde entonces he tratado de ver las películas de este excelente director, escritor, músico y actor.

Buscando en mi filmoteca me encontré con esta película de 2005, “Match Point”, tenía unos vagos recuerdos de ella y me decidí a verla otra vez.

Chris Wilton, interpretado por Jonathan Rhys Meyers, es un ex jugador de Tenis irlandes. Aún cuando tiene grandes condiciones para el juego y ha logrado estar en el top mundial, siente que le falta algo para derrotar a los mejores, así que decide retirarse y busca trabajo como entrenador de tenis.

Con sus credenciales no le resulta difícil conseguir empleo en uno de los clubes más prestigiosos de Londres, allí traba amistad con uno de sus alumnos Tom Hewett, interpretado por, Matthew Goode, un joven rico proveniente de una familia de empresarios.

Tom invita a Chris a su casa donde le presenta a su hermana Chloe, interpretada por Emily Mortimer. Chris ve en Chloe su gran oportunidad para cambiar su destino. Con sus dotes de Galán pronto logra conquistar el corazón de la chica.

Pero allí, en esa misma casa, donde va a encontrar la oportunidad de colearse en la clase alta londinense, también va a encontrar el motivo de su perdición. La linda, Nola, interpretada por Scarlett Johansson, novia de Tom, va a captar desde el principio la atención de Chris, realmente lo deja deslumbrado. Desata en él una pasión incontrolable.

Entre Nola y Chris se va a desarrollar un tórrido romance, los dos quebrantan todas las reglas morales con tal de estar juntos, aún cuando están conscientes de que esa relación puede dar al traste con sus sueños de vivir dándose la gran vida.

Chris logra casarse con Chloe, pero Tom rompe su relación con Nola, la que literalmente se queda en el aire. Para colmo Nola queda embarazada y se siente frustrada al ver que Chris no tiene intenciones de terminar su relación con Chloe.

Nola se niega a aceptar seguir siendo la segunda, la amante, y comienza a presionar fuertemente a Chris, al punto de amenazarlo con decírselo a Chloe.

Completamente desesperado Chris va a usar toda su inteligencia para tomar una medida radical que termine su problema con Nola…

Son varios los temas que se tocan en esta excelente película. Por un lado está el conflicto entre amor y pasión. Se puede estar con alguien amándolo sin sentir pasión, y también se puede sentir pasión por alguien sin que haya amor.

Chris siente amor por Chloe, pero no pasión, es capaz de vivir con ella siendo amable, tratándola decentemente, dándole las atenciones justas, pero sin realmente sentir el fuego que siente por Nola. Claro, no hay que perder de vista que de alguna manera Chris vio en Chloe el gran chance para cambiar de vida.

Pero Chris no es que ame a Nola, no. Ella es un gran motivo de gratificación sexual, sencillamente con ella se deja arrebatar por el deseo. En presencia de Nola, Chris deja de lado la racionalidad y se entrega a las pasiones.

Otro tema que está presente en toda la película es la importancia de la suerte en la vida de las personas.

Dos escenas sirven como metáforas para resaltar la importancia de la suerte. La primera abre la película. Una pelota de tenis se desplaza en cámara lenta a través de la cancha, choca con el borde de la net, en ese preciso momento la suerte interviene para decidir el tanto del partido. Allí, en ese momento, no interviene para nada la habilidad de los jugadores, es un mero asunto de suerte.

La otra gran escena está casi al final, tiene un planteamiento similar. Chris lanza unas joyas al río, pero una de ellas choca con la baranda y en vez de caer al agua cae en la tierra. En ese preciso momento se decide el destino de Chris, sin que él lo sepa y sin que lo haya calculado.

Una frase demoledora, salida de la pluma de Allen, reafirma esta apología de la suerte: «Aquel que dijo más vale tener suerte que talento, conocía la esencia de la vida. La gente tiene miedo a reconocer que gran parte de la vida depende de la suerte. Asusta pensar cuantas cosas se escapan a nuestro control.»

Es la suerte la que llevó a Chris al encuentro con Cloe y es la suerte la que le da la salvación final.

Son muchas las cosas que me gustan de este film. Una de ellas su banda sonora compuesta por extractos de operas famosas. Allen como buen músico que es escoge con precisión aquellas partes de las operas que mejor se ajustan para resaltar el tono dramático de las escenas.

También es de destacar las excelentes actuaciones. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, muy joven para ese tiempo, desarrolla un personaje creíble, un galán frío, calculador, pero a la vez víctima de las pasiones humanas. Este joven actor tiene a mi juicio una actuación memorable, quizá por eso su trabajo en esta película fue reconocido en el festival de Cannes.

Impecable la actuación de Scarlett Johansson, también muy joven. En una primera parte de la película encarna una especie de Femme fatale, una mujer irresistible que se ufana de que los hombres siempre quieren saber cómo es estar con ella. Acá nos muestra un gran repertorio de recursos actorales para dejar en claro su sensualidad. Luego encarna a una mujer desquiciada por la incertidumbre y los celos, capaz de expresar las emociones más viscerales.

Matthew Goode, también cumplen a cabalidad en su papel como el muchacho rico que no tiene rollos, que se limita a darse la gran vida y que cumple sin problemas los deseos de su padre. Emily Mortimer nos deja ver a una muchacha dócil, confiada, sin mayores conflictos y que es capaz de encontrar la felicidad en las cosas más tradicionales.

Otro asunto que me gustó es la fotografía, imágenes sencillas, bien iluminadas y definidas, y con muchas tomas exteriores que muestran un Londres perfectamente adaptado a la atmósfera de vida aristocrática presente en la película.

En síntesis Match Point me parece una gran film. A los que les gusta este tipo de cine donde se profundiza en los conflictos humanos, con grandes actuaciones y donde es posible crear tensión y dramatismo sin echar mano a recursos efectistas, esta puede ser su película. Con un poco de esfuerzo seguro que la pueden encontrar en la WEB. Si tienen la oportunidad pónganse con ella.

Gracias por tu tiempo.

Fuente de imágenes. I II III IV

Woody Allen is one of my favorite directors. I remember in my youth the impact caused by "Two strange lovers". A film that everyone talked about because of the novelty of its approach.

My friends and I found great things as simple as putting the characters to talk directly to the camera, as if they were talking to the viewer, that way of involving the one on the other side of the screen we had never seen and it seemed to us the most original. Since then I have tried to watch the films of this excellent director, writer, musician and actor.

Searching through my film library I came across this 2005 film, "Match Point", I had some vague memories of it and decided to watch it again.

Chris Wilton, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is a former Irish Tennis player. Even though he has great conditions for the game and has made it to the top of the world, he feels that he lacks something to beat the best, so he decides to retire and looks for a job as a tennis coach.

With his credentials it is not difficult for him to get a job in one of the most prestigious clubs in London, where he befriends one of his students Tom Hewett, played by Matthew Goode, a rich young man from a family of businessmen.

Tom invites Chris to his home where he introduces him to his sister Chloe, played by Emily Mortimer. Chris sees in Chloe his big chance to change his destiny. With his gallant skills he soon manages to conquer the girl's heart.

But there, in that same house, where he will find the opportunity to cole colearse in the London upper class, he will also find the reason for his downfall. The pretty Nola, played by Scarlett Johansson, Tom's girlfriend, captures Chris's attention from the very beginning, really dazzles him. She unleashes in him an uncontrollable passion.

A torrid romance develops between Nola and Chris, the two break all the moral rules in order to be together, even though they are aware that this relationship could ruin their dreams of living the high life.

Chris manages to marry Chloe, but Tom breaks off his relationship with Nola, which is literally up in the air. To make matters worse, Nola becomes pregnant and is frustrated that Chris has no intention of ending his relationship with Chloe.

Nola refuses to accept to continue being the second, the lover, and begins to put strong pressure on Chris, to the point of threatening to tell Chloe.

Completely desperate Chris is going to use all his intelligence to take a radical measure to end his problem with Nola...

Several themes are touched upon in this excellent film. On the one hand there is the conflict between love and passion. You can be with someone by loving them without feeling passion, and you can also feel passion for someone without love.

Chris feels love for Chloe, but not passion, he is able to live with her being kind, treating her decently, giving her the right attentions, but without really feeling the fire he feels for Nola. Of course, we must not lose sight of the fact that somehow Chris saw in Chloe the great chance to change his life.

But it's not that Chris loves Nola, no. She is a great source of sexual gratification, he simply allows himself to be overcome by desire for her. In the presence of Nola, Chris leaves rationality aside and surrenders to his passions.

Another theme that runs throughout the film is the importance of luck in people's lives.

Two scenes serve as metaphors to highlight the importance of luck. The first opens the film. A tennis ball moves in slow motion across the court, collides with the edge of the net, at that precise moment luck intervenes to decide the score of the match. There, at that moment, the skill of the players does not intervene at all, it is a mere matter of luck.

The other great scene is almost at the end, it has a similar approach. Chris throws some jewels into the river, but one of them hits the railing and instead of falling into the water it lands on the ground. At that precise moment Chris fate is decided, unbeknownst to him and uncalculated.

A devastating phrase from Allen's pen reaffirms this apology for luck: "He who said it is better to be lucky than talented knew the essence of life. People are afraid to acknowledge that much of life depends on luck. It's scary to think how many things are beyond our control."

It is luck that led Chris to the meeting with Chloe and it is luck that gives him the ultimate salvation.

There are many things I like about this film. One of them is its soundtrack composed of excerpts from famous operas. Allen as a good musician that he is, chooses with precision those parts of the operas that best fit to highlight the dramatic tone of the scenes.

Also noteworthy are the excellent performances. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, very young for that time, develops a believable character, a cold, calculating gallant, but at the same time a victim of human passions. This young actor has in my opinion a memorable performance, perhaps that is why his work in this film was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival.

Scarlett Johansson's performance, also very young, is impeccable. In the first part of the film she embodies a kind of Femme fatale, an irresistible woman who boasts that men always want to know what it's like to be with her. Here she shows us a great repertoire of acting resources to make her sensuality clear. Then she plays a woman unhinged by uncertainty and jealousy, capable of expressing the most visceral emotions.

Matthew Goode, also fulfills his role as the rich boy who has no rolls, who limits himself to living the high life and who complies without problems with his father's wishes. Emily Mortimer lets us see a docile, confident girl, without major conflicts and who is able to find happiness in the most traditional things.

Another thing I liked is the photography, simple images, well lit and well defined, and with many exterior shots that show a London perfectly adapted to the atmosphere of aristocratic life present in the film.

In short, Match Point seems to me a great film. For those who like this kind of cinema where human conflicts are deepened, with great performances and where it is possible to create tension and drama without resorting to gimmicky resources, this may be the film for you. With a little effort you can surely find it on the WEB. If you have the chance, get it.

Thanks for your time.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Todos tus comentarios son bienvenidos en este sitio. Los leeré con gusto y dedicación.

Hasta una próxima entrega. Gracias.

Las fotos, la edición digital y los Gifs son de mi autoría.

No te olvides de votar @cervantes como witness en esta página:

https:/wallet.hive.blog/~witnesses

Te invito a apoyar este proyecto como witness y a formar parte de esta gran comunidad uniéndote a su Discord en el siguiente enlace:

[Discord de la comunidad Cervantes](https://discord.gg/hqpERg)

You can vote for @ocd-witness, with HiveSigner or on Hive Witnesses.

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post
›Match Point - Movie Review@coldsteem3103d

I am not normally a fan of Woody Allen. In fact, I generally avoid his films. However, my wife was interested in Match Point, which features a couple of actors (Matthew Goode, Emily Moritmer and Scarlett Johansson) that I like. So I took the opportunity to reassess my appreciation for Woody Allen films and found this film to be a gem that was worth my two hour investment.

Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a tennis player turned instructor. He wants to do bigger things with his life than touring with tennis or teaching. That opportunity begins to evolve when he begins instructing Tom Hewett (Goode). The two men hit it off due to their shared interests. Wilton is invited to attend the opera with the Hewett family, where he catches the eye of Tom's sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer). A courtship ensues immediately.

Wilton's personal success takes an immediate upward turn, thanks in large part to the generosity of Chloe's father, Alec (Brian Cox). However, Wilton appears ready to compromise his entire career and relationship with Chloe to pursue Tom's girlfriend, Nola (Johansson). The relationship between Wilton and Nola progresses while Wilton attempts to balance his career and his relationship with Chloe. His ability to lie and manipulate appear to be boxing Wilton into a corner with no way out. When Nola becomes pregnant and refuses to "sort it" Wilton risks everything on his "match point." His entire future is going to depend on a what type of bounce he gets.

Woody Allen has a tendency to bore me to tears. However, his carefully constructed drama in Match Point won me over. While I was aggravated at the lead character, I couldn't help but continue watching his descent deeper and deeper into his world constructed of lies. The film builds the drama nicely, creating a bit of suspense, while not necessarily a nail-biter. The ending was deep, purposeful and annoying. While it was unique and creative, it also left me dissatisfied. Rather than hitting on spoilers, suffice it to say that this film doesn't package everything neatly with a bow. Not that that type of film is best, but sometimes it is preferable.

The cast was exceptional. I have liked Mortimer ever since I saw her in Lars and the Real Girl. She is a great actress that uses her modest beauty to her fullest advantage. Johansson matches elegant beauty with crisp performances that are enjoyable to watch. Goode has a smaller role, but was excellent as usual. Meyers was exceptional in the lead role. Wilton's ability to manipulate was softened by Meyers performance. His interpretation of the character gave it a mild likability. An exceptional cast made a difficult movie that occasionally had sluggish pacing manage to hold my attention.

I am not sure why the MPAA gave Match Point an R Rating, but it probably had to do with sexuality along with violence. There is never any nudity, but there are a couple of brief sex scenes. Tame stuff, really. The violence involves two murders that are not actually depicted. We only witness the shooter pulling the trigger. The film had some language elements, plenty of drinking and some adult situations. Overall, it was not heavy stuff, but enough to keep to a teenage audience or above.

I enjoyed Match Point. I am glad I gave Woody Allen another go. I generally don't care for his films, in spite of the brilliance that is often attributed to his work. Personally, I find most of his films tedious. At least the few that I have seen. This film is interesting, with some nice suspense thrown in. The characters are intricate, the performances flawless and the dialogue fresh. While it bogged down at times (it could have been trimmed from a 2 hour 4 minute run time), it wasn't excessively sluggish. Just slow at times. 8/10.

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

Comments

5 more reviews

Should I watch it?

See you in my next article, all content belongs to me. @cute-cactus

[Discord de la comunidad Cervantes](https://discord.gg/hqpERg)