A modern crime thriller set in England, Woody
Allen’s Match Point focuses on two outsiders who get a peek at the sort of
upper-crust lifestyle they can never hope to possess and the effect it has
on them. Chris Walton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is a former tennis player who
never made the big time but has rubbed shoulders with some of the
sport’s greats. Having hung up his racket professionally, he now
spends his time giving lessons at one of London’s posh country clubs.
There he meets Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), who takes an immediate liking to
him and introduces him to his sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer). Though
attracted to her, Chris has no great passion for the innocent young woman.
He reserves that for Tom’s girlfriend, Nola (Scarlett Johansson), a
troubled American who’s obviously in over her head, not only with the
gentry she finds herself among but in life as well. Although Chris has no problem ingratiating himself into
the Hewetts’ inner circle — he marries Chloe and soon has a
cushy job with his father-in-law (Brian Cox) — Nola is cast out and
left wandering. Months pass, Chris stumbles upon her, and soon they are
involved in a passionate affair that can only end badly. Allen is a student
of film, and he follows the classic film noir conventions to a tee. Though Meyers and Johansson are a
bit too young to snapping off the sort of hard-edged dialogue Allen gives
them, they perfectly capture the desperation of their characters, people
who will do anything to rise from the dreariness of their lives to attain
something better. As with almost all of his movies, Allen has fashioned a
taut, intelligent script that is an insightful examination of human
behavior. The sort of justifications each of these characters use to excuse
their actions ring true because they are based on the intention to survive
at any cost. It is a nihilistic view; Allen seems to be saying that
selfishness is sort of evil we all must contend with each day and that we
are too flawed to conquer it consistently. Justice does not prevail here,
and Allen goes to great lengths to point out that luck plays a key role in
our lives, bringing some of us to a sort of ironic justice at times even as
others get away with the worst of deeds. How this line of thinking applies
to Allen’s own life, I’ll leave for you to decide. Also in theaters this week. . . Best of Youth (Part 1) [R]
An epic that chronicles the life and times of two Italian brothers and the
colorful characters they encounter during 40 years of their lives. Italian with English subtitles White Oaks
Curious George [PG] That
mischievous little monkey instigates havoc wherever he goes, but the man
with the yellow hat tries to keep his loveable pet from making a huge mess.
ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
Final Destination 3 [R] A
group of ordinary teenagers try to cheat death, again. Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace East
Firewall [PG-13] Caught
between a rock and a hard place, a security executive for a bank has to
make the choice between robbing the vault he’s supposed to be
protecting and saving his kidnapped family by paying the hefty ransom. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
The Pink Panther [PG] This
prequel to the original film finds Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve
Martin) trying his best to solve the case of the missing Pink Panther
diamond, but not having much luck. ShowPlace
West, ShowPlace East
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2006.
