Match Point

2005 • 124 minutes
4.3
279 reviews
77%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

A clandestine love affair sends one man's charmed life into a tailspin in this dark, disturbing drama written and directed by Woody Allen, his first film set and shot in Great Britain and one his few films sans any humor. Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is an Irish tennis player with an impoverished background. Just accomplished enough to make his way onto the professional circuit, but not skilled enough to be a consistent winner, he now works as an instructor at a London tennis club. The wealthy Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), who is as impressed by Chris's charm and good looks as he is by his game, takes a tennis lesson from the young man. Chris's intelligence and wit also make a strong impression on Tom's pretty sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), who soon falls for him. It isn't long before Chris and Chloe are engaged to be married, a match that pleases both Tom and his father, Alec (Brian Cox), a successful businessman who believes Chris has a bright future in his firm. However, Chris also feels an overwhelming attraction to Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), a sexy blonde from the United States who is dating Tom. Though Nola initially puts up some resistance, Chris gently nudges her in the direction of an affair. Passion soon ignites between the two, and they have a one-time sexual encounter, even as Chris and Chloe plan their wedding. Nola resists, however, when Chris makes additional attempts to wheedle her into bed. Nola drops out of Chris's life shortly before his wedding, but a chance meeting a few months later resurrects the relationship as Chris and Chloe try to start a family. Match Point received its world premiere in an enthusiastically received presentation at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

4.3
279 reviews
Cliff Williams
March 2, 2021
This is just Allen’s “Crimes & Misdemeanors” rehashed in London instead of NYC. Watch “Crimes” instead. The ideas are better laid out: what kind of conscience must you have to commit a murder just to simplify your life?
2 people found this review helpful
Susan Florence
March 20, 2015
See "A Place in the Sun." This is a limp rip-off of that movie which won six Oscars. I love opera, but even Caruso couldn't save this movie from being more melodramatic than a soap opera. Allen is no George Stevens. And the cast is no Montgomery Clift or Elizabeth Taylor or even Shelley Winters. And Allen, as writer, is NOT Theodore Dreiser.
12 people found this review helpful
Kelley Napier
September 10, 2014
I absolutely adore Woody Allen. I do love this movie but it put me through it. I had nightmares and I woke up screaming and crying several times. I think I have ptsd bc of it. Thank you Scarlett Johansson for being the actor that you are. What an Amazing talent from Lost In Translation to Lucy.
13 people found this review helpful