Match Point (2005)
**This is contribution to The Best Hitchcock Films Hitchcock Never Made Blogathon. Head over to Tales of the Easily Distracted by clicking the link to see the rest of the contributions!**
I remember going to see Match Point junior year of high school (I was diverse in my film tastes…one of the few at my school) and writing a raving review of it for the school newspaper…that only the teachers seemed to read. It was my first taste of Woody Allen and in watching with the expansive classic film background I have now, it seems Allen “borrowed” extensively from the acclaimed Master of Suspense. Match Point is a modern-day film noir with shades of Hitchcock films including Strangers on a Train with Suspicion, and those are just two films off the top of my head. Hitchcock could have easily made this had he been able to push the Production Code to its limits. On its own Match Point is a dark, sexual thriller, with my favorite Scarlett Johansson performance (of her career in my opinion). **Considering the nature of this film I think it best to mention there are spoilers in this article**
Tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) lives his life with a belief in luck. Through a series of lucky encounters he becomes enmeshed in the life of the wealthy Hewett family and catches the eye of the shy daughter Chloe (Emily Mortimer). Chris believes he’s set for life until he meets Nola (Scarlett Johansson), a struggling actress who happens to be dating Chloe’s brother Tom (Matthew Goode). When Nola and Chris engage in a torrid affair, that Nola wants to turn into a commitment, Chris must make some harsh decisions on how to handle her.
Match Point has several tropes of a Hitchcockian story ingrained throughout. Obviously, the “cool blonde” of Hitchcock’s films applies here in the character of Nola Rice. Critics cite this as the film where Johansson was labeled as a “sex symbol” and I’d have to agree in the looks category. Johansson has a halo effect around her in certain scenes and looks airbrushed to create an angelic look, especially in the opening moments of meeting Chris. I will say Johansson is stunning and acts superbly as Nola. She’s not the idiot you’d expect but is highly aware of her sexual nature and what it causes men to do. There’s a terrific scene between her and Chris in a bar. It’s the opening moment of their burgeoning relationship and the sexual chemistry is ramped up to 100. In the moment Nola outlines what men see her as, “something very special.” She’s constantly vaulted on a pedestal because of her looks and her sexy quality (there’s a sharp line about Nola being sexy, but not beautiful). The scene tells you what you need to know about her character right off and how she envisions the rest of the film playing out. The scene belong also has some amazing noir dialogue on par with Double Indemnity.
Allen gives the theme of the film in the opening lines, detailing the idea of luck playing a crucial role in the events of the film and to me, that’s almost the MacGuffin of the film. The various encounters that happen from Chris meeting Nola to narrowly avoiding detection by the cops after he completes the act of killing Nola can either be seen as luck/coincidence/or just smart manipulation on Chris’ part. Chris is a master manipulator, and while we’re not discussing William Wyler there’s shades of Montgomery Clift in The Heiress at play here, so it’d be easy for him to rig events in his favor. In the end its left up to the audience on how big a role luck played throughout the film. I will say that Rhys Meyers is the weak link of the cast. I’ve never found him particularly engaging and he almost takes on a Snidely Whiplash-esque demeanor towards the climax of the film. I understand his rationalizations make sense to him but I was still taken aback at how characters didn’t call him out.
I mentioned connections to Suspicion and that’s a smaller element of Match Point exemplified in the relationship between Chris and Chloe. Emily Mortimer is a darling in this film as the shy little sister (although her refrains of having a baby start to make ME want to get out of the marriage) and the way Chris manipulates her as a means of marrying her for her wealth has shades of Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine in it. You also have the distrustful/insular nature of the Hewett family. In certain regards Mrs. Hewett (Penelope Wilton) controls her children down to who they date, shades of Psycho maybe?
Moving away from Hitchcock the film is suspenseful leaving you to guess what happens next. As the relationship between Chris and Nola turns sexual, and he starts to feel constrained by it, you’re left to wonder how far he’s willing to go to (only now he’s trying to get out instead of getting what he wants). The way Allen ramps up the tension mixing sex and violence expertly and the script is filled with dialogue exchanges that would make Quentin Tarantino gasp.
Match Point is one of the best films in the Woody Allen slate of films that’s been released in the latter years. It boasts exemplary performances by Scarlett Johansson and while I didn’t find Jonathan Rhys Meyers worthy of being the lead, he works well with the material. Said material is what makes this soar with an amazing script and story. I mentioned above that Hitchcock could have filmed this and that’s true. The story never goes where expected, and by the end it goes to dark places, and boasts numerous tropes you’d see in one of his films.
Grade: A-
Kristen Lopez View All
A freelance film critic whose work fuels the Rotten Tomatoes meter. I've been published on The Hollywood Reporter, Remezcla, and The Daily Beast. I've been featured in the L.A. Times. I currently run two podcasts, Citizen Dame and Ticklish Business.
Ticklish Business 
Having just watched THE HEIRESS for the first time yesterday, I had the same thoughts about the similarities to Montgomery Clift’s character in the Wyler film. As you mention, there are shades of Hitch’s “Suspicion” too. Unlike anything Woody had done before and it seemed to reinvigorate him artistically. The film is an elegant, cool tale of lust, greed, sex and murder. Hmm, sounds like a Hitchcock film. Truly enjoyed you look at this film.
Thanks, glad to know my comparisons connected!
Match Point is without a doubt my favorite Allen film. It certainly has many points of comparison with Allen’s own Crimes and Misdemeanors but seems the much more assured work.
I’ve seen snippets of Crimes and Misdemeanors but haven’t gotten through it all. I must admit my knowledge of early Woody Allen is limited. Currently Match Point and Midnight in Paris are my faves.
I liked your review and your comparisons with classic noir. (Also, I agree with you about Jonathan RM…)
Thanks!
Liked your review. It is one of my fave WA films. I confess that I have a soft spot for JRM. He exudes the right amount of slimy charm in this one.
I do enjoy JRM as Henry VIII and when I first saw this I found him adorably sleazy but in rewatching it now, and seeing charm done better, I felt he was lacking but not enough to ruin my enjoyment. Thanks for reading!
I absolutely love this film! It’s one of the few titles I own that I watch every now and then. It just never gets dull!
-A. Tell
Too true! Thanks for reading!
Kristen, MATCH POINT is one of those films I keep meaning to catch up with, but as of yet I simply haven’t found the time yet. However, after reading your blog post, I intend to make a greater effort to catch up with it, because you’ve really got me intrigued! You definitely make it sound as if luck is indeed the MacGuffin, a clever concept. Woody Allen has proven he’s quite capable of drama, but if it’s as film noir-like as you make it sound, I’m intrigued! Your “Snidley Whiplash” quip cracked me up! I do have to chuckle at the idea of anyone in any film accusing Scarlett Johansson of not being sexy — maybe not in her early kid roles, anyway, or maybe he was just trying to take her down a peg! 🙂 Great post, Kristen!
It’s definitely worth the watch! It seems my comparisons are hitting on all cylinders, usually they don’t (or at least they don’t in my opinion) lol. Thanks for reading!
Really enjoyed your review – it made me want to watch this film again. I saw it several years ago, and I remember that I enjoyed it, but I don’t recall much else.
That’s how I felt when I rewatched it for the blogathon! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the film in rewatch!
Very excellent post and great choice. This is by far one of Woody’s darker works. I remember thinking “this does not feel like Woody Allen. It feels like someone else” when watching the movie. Now I know that someone else is Hitchcock.
It’s definitely dark, glad you used that word! Especially in comparison to his recent output that is very light-hearted. Thanks for reading!!
I liked this film a lot and am interested in your Hitchcock comparisons, which hadn’t struck me when I saw it at the cinema, but do ring true. Having just recently seen ‘The Heiress’, I can definitely see the similarities with Clift’s character in that. Must say I thought Jonathan Rhys Meyers was fine in the lead role. Tthe portrayal of Britain in general in this film is rather dated, with impossibly upper-crust characters who seem to have wandered in out of an older film, but I still found it hugely entertaining and was impressed by the plot twists which pile up at the end.
That’s another element I thought could connect back to Hitchcock: the use of popular iconic locations. It seemed almost obvious how some of the English locations were used, complete with characters naming them in regular conversation. I agree that their view of England, particularly in the prejudice against America and the extreme class distinctions did feel a tad dated. Thanks for reading!
Kristen,
I’m glad I read this post and that, by way of this fabulous blogathon, ran into your site!
I am a Woody Allen fan so am glad to see someone chose this film. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but was very impressed by the film overall and by the fact it was an Allen-directed movie. Not his usual fare but I think it’s great. Really enjoyed reading this, a great choice.
Aurora
We seem to both be in luck as I love your site (and if you’re possibly interested I’m hosting my own blogathon)! I mentioned to a few other commenters that this film is incredibly dark in comparison to Allen’s recent work. Thanks for reading!!
Pleasure! And…YES! Point me to your blogathon! Thanks so much for asking.
Aurora
MATCH POINT was the first Woody Allen movie I liked in a long time, and I say that as someone who’s been a big fan since I was a kid. It also seemed like the first film he did since maybe EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU that was visually exciting to watch. I’m not always a fan of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, but I thought he worked here, and for me, this is still the best performance Scarlett Johansson has given in one of Allen’s films. And I enjoyed reading your write-up.
Easily one of Scarlett Johansson’s best films in her career in my opinion! I definitely need to expand my Woody Allen filmography it seems. Thanks for reading!
Woody Allen certainly knows how to pay tributes to Old Hollywood. I remember an interview with him in a Truffaut documentary. Truffaut was a huge admirer of Hitchcock’s movies and even made his own tributes, like the movie I wrote about, Confidentially Yours.
Scarlett Johansson was put in spotlight through Allen, but I think her finest work is Girl witha Pearl Earring.
Greetings,
Le
Seems Allen is in good company, I don’t know much about Truffaut but good to know I wasn’t pulling comparisons out of nowhere. I’ve heard good things about Girl with a Pearl Earring, might have to add that to my Netflix. Thanks for reading!!
In my opinion, this was one of the silliest films I’ve ever seen and the worst of Woody Allen, but I agree that the performances were good and I really enjoyed reading your review.
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