MATCH POINT (2005), A BIZZEE PICK

Hello, WORLD!!! "Isn't it amazing how much of life turns on whether the ball goes over the net or comes right back at you?" That's the tennis-a-lot-like-life parable that struggling tennis pro turned tennis instructor Chris Wilton muses over more than once during MATCH POINT, Woody Allen's 2005 romantic thriller. In that case, it's just like love too. Or is it? Who really knows what love is? Ask any 10 people to describe love & you'll get 10 different answers, 5 of which could likely describe a few of the emotions commonly confused with love, like lust. Or obsession. Back to the review you tuned in for. Chris, played by a cool as ice Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is the ambitious instructor who just might have happened into the best match of his life & I'm not talking a tennis match. He has struck up a friendship with one of the wealthier pupils where he teaches tennis at over a mutual love for opera. That pupil Tom (Matthew Greene) invites him to the opera one night where he meets Tom's somewhat plain jane sister Chloe. Chloe takes an instant liking to him so Chris is almost instantly on the path to an easier life. If Chloe, played by nowhere near plain Emily Mortimer, is that path, then Tom's finance Nola is a wrong turn. Staying with Chloe comes with a benefits including a great position in her family's business. Nola, played by the stunning Scarlet Johansson, has nothing going for her except for the fact that she's as stunning as Scarlet Johansson. She's an actress that never seems to land the part & appartently she's on the borderline between social drinker & totally lush as well.

Chris is smart. He quickly establishes a relationship with Chloe but wiuth Nola around, how can he not be smitten by her? Is he smitten though or does he just want a bite of some forbidden fruit? And waht about Nola? She already is on the outs with Tom's family, especially her future mother in law Eleanor, not to mention that the sparks between Nola & Chris is evident from their first meeting. Will she give in to his constant flirting? I'm playing with your emotions now. The movie starts off as an affair waiting to happen but halfway through this movie it totally switches gears. It's a poignant look life, love, & opportunity. At first. The second half of the movie, the thriller part, focuses on the biggest obstacle of a lot of life's relationships: What happens when feelings change? No love (or lust or obsession) stays the same forever. Life would be more than boring if it did, albeit probably less stressful if you think about it. Back to this movie. Woody wisely doesn't use a full soundtrack for this movie, which makes some of the scenes in it uncomfortable to watch as if you're right there in the scene with them. The British setting is merely a Chloe compared to Nola-esque beauty of the dialogue, especially between Nola & Chris. As the dynamic of their relationship changes, so does the tone of this movie. From light & playful to terribly dark. This definitely isn't MANHATTAN OR BULLETS OVER BROADWAY. I cna't remember one time watching this that I even laughed. Please don't come into this movie looking for a feel good experience. This isn't that. This is one of Woody's darkest movies, not because of the mayhem that ensues but because deep down, we might all agree with Chris's motives, passion, & actions. And that's scary. That's it for now, WORLD. Happy 2012, everybody. I'm gonna do my best to give you guys a BIZZEE pick every week next year, if not everyday.