Despite the bevy of recent Woody Allen movies that have hit the net, his upcoming film "Match Point" puts some integrity back in his game.
Based in the classier locale of London, the film focuses on the personal affairs of Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, "Bend It Like Beckham"), an outsider who is welcomed into British aristocracy but can never fully embrace it.
Wilton gets his first taste of the upper class while pursuing a career in tennis. The well-to-do Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode, "Chasing Liberty") immediately recognizes Wilton's deft skill on the court, and the entire Hewett family decides to adopt him as a pet project. Soon Wilton settles down with Tom's sister Chloe, who spoon-feeds Wilton the caviar lifestyle and offers him a job in her father's business.
Trouble arises when Wilton develops an obsession for femme fatale Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson, "The Island"). The adulterers seek one another long after Wilton has been wed and Rice has separated herself from the Hewett circle. The plot becomes increasingly frustrating as Wilton attempts to juggle his two lives, but his indecision leads to violent tragedy.
The story is developed through small talk rather than action, and Meyers flawlessly pulls off the role of the displaced, ill-contended Wilton.
During a conference call with The Spectrum, Meyers professed his desire to work on independent movies. Despite Meyers' portrayal of a discontented man onscreen, he spoke with increasing enthusiasm about the part.
"I like doing smaller, more intimate films because it's a more democratic way of working," he said. "There is a lot of ego on big films, and it can be really destructive."
He gave an explanation for Chris Wilton's inability to truly identify with the British upper class.
"I think America has its caste system, but (it) is defined by wealth," he said. "In England, it's defined by heritage."
"It's a very stereotypical side of society," Goode said, in another interview. "They're bored because they don't have problems with money."
Filming overseas is a change for director Woody Allen, who mainly explores American lifestyle, usually New York City, but the transition puts a fresh perspective on his classic tactics.
Meyers also discussed Allen's casting process.
"You wake up being 80 percent of your character," Meyers said. "(Allen) is lazy like that. He picks people who know what they're doing."
"He writes films for himself," Goode said. "He's one of the few (directors) who has total control over the cut."
In line with that notion is Goode's incredible ability to pull off the charismatic, well-mannered Tom Hewett. Though his time on screen is limited, he is a paragon for his social class.
What's less-than-believable is the love affair between Wilton and Rice. Though Scarlett Johansson is as beautiful as ever, her role as a femme fatale is not always convincing. Despite heated love scenes in the rain and close-up shots of her taking long drags on a cigarette, she acts more like a needy adolescent than a fiery lust object that keeps men crawling back to her.
The reason for Wilton's attraction is never fully explored either. In fact, the only reason Wilton gives at all is that he is "bored" with the aristocratic life. And while both Wilton and Rice might be drawn to one another as outsiders to the British culture, the pair lacks a chemistry that is required to make the story compelling.
"Match Point" could also be considered a condensed, modernized version of "Crime and Punishment," as Meyers compares his character's final reconciliation to "standing at the pearly gates."
"I think he is very much lost in his own world at that point, he knows what he's done," Meyers said. "He has to live with himself. How can you be paroled from yourself?"
"He's a slightly deplorable character, but you can understand what he's going through," Goode said of Wilton.
Unlike the Dostoyevsky novel, however, the climax in "Match Point" comes a bit too late, condensing an hour's worth of material into a 15-minute conclusion. The short wrap-up seems like a cop-out for a film that is filled with intriguing characters but is slow to rise to action.
