Monday, January 09, 2006

Match Point (2005)
Director : Woody Allen
Cast : Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johnansson.

During the course of the movie, as the screen fills up with luscious images of the beautiful British country side filled with meadows and mansions, atleast momentarily we think "Such a life wouldn't be bad". Well, that is the central theme of the movie.

Humans by nature, have aspirations to lift themselves and their lifestyles above what they grew up in. Some do it through hardwork while others seek easier means. In a more family oriented society, marrying into a higher strata of society (while not always acceptable) is a means of doing that.

More often than not we learn from our mistakes but for that we need that element of luck which will let our mistakes slide. That forms a core element in this movie.

This is not a movie where the Woody Allen style is splashed across the pages. His style is content being the subtext to the story.

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers steals the show with his beautifully understated performance. The zealousness to rise in life couples with a deep sense of vulnerabilty to make the character of Chris Wilton truly memorable.

Same is true for Scarlett Johnansson. The seductiveness is just a cloak over the inner struggles of a girl trying to build a career and find love. Nola Rice like many young women clings to blind hope that maybe her married lover would be hers someday. Very few actresses these days are as talented as Miss Johansson.

All in all a movie not to be missed both for its cinematic value as well as for the beautiful shots of the British countryside.

My Rating : 4/5

1 comment:

Whinger said...

SO glad you reviewed this as I've been quite curious, but wary of the typical Woody Allen movie-style.

Excellent.