Match Point

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Acclaimed writer and director Woody Allen ends his hiatus with his latest film, Match Point. Allen takes the initiative to venture beyond the Bronx, New Jersey and Cosmopolitan New York to London.

A synopsis: Abruptly after the credits role off the screen, emphasis is immediately placed on the virtue of luck. A tennis ball just falls short of the line, which would have ultimately won the match. Former tennis pro, Chris manages to secure a job as an instructor in a posh tennis club where he befriends aristocrat, Adam, who later introduces him to his sister. His sister takes a liking to him, as does her father, who admires Chris's tenacity which allowed him to emerge unscathed from the depths of poverty in rural Ireland.

Allen tactfully uses the classic tale of opportunistic-boy-impresses-upper-class-family as a smoke screen. The plot shifts once Adam's fiance, Nola, emerges. Chris, unaware that Nola is Adam's fiance, is overtly forward in his flirtations. In true form, Allen presents a drastic swerve within the plot by falsely foreshadowing who ends up together.

The movie's ultimate climax is never imminent. Allen throws a very swift curve ball near the end that no one anticipates, but manages to come full circle towards the theme that is explicitly proclaimed after the opening credits. Depending on one's mind set, the movie either presents qualms with the realism of some characters or causes others to introspectively question what lengths one is willing to go to in order to preserve their prosperity and wealth.

Allen's approach is admirable in that his sex scenes are not explicit. The audience is not even diverted from the emerging plots due to the partial nudity in the film. Yet, the consistency or rather the frequency of how certain characters evolve and change is questionable. Can greed totally obliterate one's values?

Match Point is playing at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard St, Vancouver. Call 604-734-7469 for more information.

 

  • Posted on: 11 March 2016
  • By: Administrator