Match Point came as a complete surprise to me. Not only was I expecting a tennis-related love story (that’s apparently another movie), I didn’t know it was a Woody Allen movie until the credits rolled. When it arrived all I knew about it was that my Netflix friend had just watched it and rated it one star: she hated it.
So I watched it with curiousity and I’m pleased to say that it had me completely baffled from beginning to end. I never knew what was going to happen next. I came away incredulous–which made me think–which made me rate it four stars–not because I liked it but because I liked that it made me think.
When I had lunch with my Netflix friend I had to ask why she hated it. She couldn’t connect with any of the characters and so ended up watching the scenery–a sure sign that she’s bored with a movie.
While it’s true that absolutely none of the characters is sympathetic, I find that doesn’t disqualify me from being interested in them. Sometimes quite the opposite. I became so interested in the gorgeous Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Jude Law, watch out!) that I was chiding him to focus on his ambition to marry for wealth and not get distracted by a tawdry lust.
Now isn’t that a strange movie?…how does Woody Allen make us want the cheaters to get away with cheating? Although it’s the most fantastic of the three, I think I ended up liking Match Point better than Closer or Carnal Knowledge. And I’ve learned that a movie doesn’t need to have sympathetic characters in order for me to like it. Obviously, I was trending toward this when I named The Proposition my favorite movie of the year so far.
I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t seen Crimes and Misdemeanors, as the two movies had virtually the same plot. Seems Woody just went with younger, sexier actors for this one.
I’ve put Crimes and Misdemeanors in my Netflix queue. Hey do you Netflix? Sign up to be my Netflix friend.
Hello, M. When my daughter & her husband came here last spring the four of us went to see Match Point at the Alamo, and all enjoyed it a great deal. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a major reason for choosing this movie. He seems to have a remarkable range for such a young actor. Besides Match Point we’ve seen him in Ride with the Devil, Elvis, Velvet Goldmine, Bend it like Beckham, and Vanity Fair.
The plot did seem familiar while watching it, but it was that old movie with Montgomery Clift, Shelly Winters and Elizabeth Taylor called “A Place in the Sun” that came to mind.
Annie
PS
I found a copy of “Brideshead Revisited” at a secondhand store, and also found “Mansfield Park”, which is my current read.