Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, Paul Kaye, Anthony O'Donnell, John Fortune, Rupert Penry-Jones, Margaret Tyzack, Scott Handy, Selina Cadell, Colin Salmon, Steve Pemberton, Ewen Bremner, James Nesbitt

Director: Woody Allen

Summary: For the first time in his long career, writer-director Woody Allen takes his cast and crew to London, and the European location breathes new life into the normally Manhattan-centric auteur. Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as Chris Wilton, a former pro on the world tennis circuit, with eyes set on a very different kind of prize. After meeting Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) at an exclusive club, he becomes friendly with Tom's extremely wealthy family, including his powerful businessman father, Alec (Brian Cox) and his attractive sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), who is desperate to get married and have children. The only problem is that Chris has fallen hard and fast for Tom's fiancee, the steaming-hot Nola (Scarlett Johansson), an unsuccessful American actress from Colorado who just might share Chris's lustful feelings, a romantic entanglement that could get in the way of his master plan. As he does with his New York-set films, Allen includes many London landmarks, including the Tate Modern, the Royal Opera House, the Queen's Club, St. James Park, the Millennium Bridge, the Palace Theatre, and the so-called Gherkin building, with its marvellous views of the city. He gets splendid performances from his actors, especially Rhys Meyers, who plays Chris with an intense glower, and Johansson, who is brilliant as the sexy, confident femme fatale. Allen is also inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, with several references and homages to the work of the great British director. The soundtrack features songs from LA TRAVIATA, RIGOLETTO, OTELLO, MACBETH, SALVATOR ROSA, IL TROVATORE, and other operas, primarily sung by Enrico Caruso.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

And so Woody Allen picks up his camera and moves the location of his latest film across the channel to London. In the process? Match Pointbecomes one of his finer efforts of recent times.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers leads the cast as Chris Wilton, a former professional tennis player, who quickly lands himself a job as a coach. As he goes about his business, he meets Chloe (Emily Mortimer), and a relationship soon ensues, much to the delight of her family.

With some speed, he quickly finds himself working for her father (Brian Cox), and wedding bells aren't too far away. Yet there's a fly in the ointment, in the shapely form of Chloe's brother's girlfriend, played by Scarlet Johansson. Johansson's powers of attraction--and bluntly, she looks terrific here--aren't lost on him, setting the stage for an intriguing mix of thriller and drama that comes very much alive in the final act.

Allen wisely utilises London not just to give his film a different feel to usual, but also to embellish it with a strong cast of primarily British actors. And while Match Pointdoesn't deliver the clever humour and wry laughs you find in the majority of the prolific writer-director's work, this is still very much an engaging film.

Ironically, those likely to warm to the film the least are Allen's most loyal fanbase. Save for the minimalist credits and the jazz soundtrack, it's hard to tell he's behind the camera with Match Point, and that has the trade off of making it accessible to those not usually won over by Woody Allen's talents. And yet still, there's something for everyone here, and while Match Pointis far from the peak of Allen's work, it's still a fine addition to an exemplary body of work.--Simon Brew

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2005
Release Date:	May 8, 2006
Runtime:	124 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 087694
Keywords:	Match, Point, General, Drama, Matchpoint
Genre:	Drama