“Match Point” is written and directed by Woody Allen. It was nominated for the Oscars last year. One of the few films where in, he himself is not a part of the cast. Parts of it remind the audience of’Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’ - Particularly the visit to the Opera scene. The story line however is quite different.
The movie starts off in a very stylish manner. The scene - A tennis court - A tennis ball, which for a moment
hits the net in slow motion and bumps on it a couple of times. At this point, the ball could go either way. In the background you have voice over narrating to the audience that which way the ball goes determines the player who wins or loses - which really depends upon how lucky a player is. This is true almost for every situation in life.
Now the story - Chris(Jonathan Rhys Meyers) a decent tennis player is hired to teach a millionaire’s son Tom(Matthew Goode) tennis lessons. They are both about the same age and become friendly over the course of a few lessons. They share a common interest - They both enjoy Opera very much. One day Tom invites Chris to watch Opera and introduces him to the family. Tom’s sister Chloe(Emily Mortimier) takes a liking to Chris and the two hit it off. One day at one of the family gatherings, Chris runs into Tom’s fiancée Nola Rice(Scarlett Johansson) and is mesmerized by one look at her. She is a struggling actress from Colorado, who came to London to try her luck in the field of acting. She had bumped into Tom at a party and had been going out with him since then. Tom’s mother however does not approve of the match.
Often times Chris and Tom double date with their respective girlfriends and every time Chris is attracted to his friend’s fiancée. One day, Tom’s mother insults Nola yet again and she leaves their house in the rain. Chris follows her and tells his feeling toward her. She however tells him that they were soon to be “brother and sister in-law” and such a relationship would lead nowhere. Chris soon gets married to Chloe, and with her comes luxury and tons of money. However, he does not feel passionate toward her and is bored. Add to it, she drives him crazy with her continuous insistence on having a baby. He finds out in the mean time that Tom had broken up with his fiancée Nola and was soon to get married to another woman, whom he had fallen in love with and his mom approved of. After a few days Chris runs into Nola at an art gallery and the two rekindle their relationship on Chris’s insistence. He is torn between the luxurious lifestyle that he has gotten used to with his wife and his passion for Nola.
In the mean time Nola winds up pregnant, and she insists that he leave his wife. In spite of trying to tell his wife several times, he fails to do so and ultimately takes a decision. A decision to eliminate one of the two women. The last 20-25 minutes revolves round how he goes about his plan. Its well-written and interesting to watch. Whether he gets caught or not is the “Match Point”.
Over all, this film is well written, certain scenes are highly memorable, well directed and enacted. The movie is certainly not a classic but definitely worth a watch.