Adultery never gets old. Well, that is what Hollywood thinks and, I guess, I have to agree with them. No matter the movie, I seem to find the movies knee-deep in secrets and betrayal the most engaging. Match Point was no exception. If you are a long time reader of The Midwestern Position, you might remember my amateur review of Closer which was smothered in adultery that it was difficult to dig deeper to see a theme of truth, but with Match Point, Woody Allen lays it out from the minute the movie starts. This movie is about luck and the part luck plays in each of our lives. Now, I am such a novice that I am going to take Woody's advice and say that this movie is about luck and not some underlying theme that I am far to lazy to explore...it makes it easier for everyone.
Match Point was able to do what Closer was not able to do...I felt bad for the sleazy, cheating husband. I am such a sucker. This guy made his bed and he sure didn't sleep in it, but I felt sympathy for this character who wore his mediocrity on his sleeve and expected people around him to commend him for it.
I guess, without giving away too much, this movie was also about sacrifice. With all the luck in the world, no matter how good things have turned out, a person can still be left feeling like they gave something up...let something slip through their hands...let someone get away.
5 comments:
I'm sorry, Sara, I have to disagree. I was bored out of my mind by Match Point. At the 50 minute mark, I was fairly impressed and I was like, oh wow, that is the end of the 2nd Act already. It must be a nice short hour and a half movie. NOPE. It trudged on, much to my dismay for another hour and ten minutes. I can't believe how many times Allen repeated the exact same scene between Johannson and the lead guy with her screaming at him about the same thing and him shrugging and saying it's just a matter of time. Ugh...just get on with it already.
I felt that Closer was a far superior film in nearly every way including story and performances. I never expected to see Johannson in such a terrible performance, but I've been surprised by a lot of things lately.
Oh well...this was, of course, just my view of the film. I wanted desperately to love the movie, because I so enjoy Woody Allen movies, but it just was not meant to be. :(
Leif
It's okay to disagree. Some people like Roadhouse, but I don't. I will agree with you on one thing...they did do a lot of arguing...Scarlett and the sleazy man. And for Closer, the movie was good, the characters were so pathetic. So, I guess that meant they were acted well.
Hi Sara,
I loved Match Point! I thought it was well-acted and suspenseful. Glad you liked it,
Jen
Match Point is one of those movies that makes me think. Is it really a matter of luck? Everything? Are there exceptions? The fighting between Johannson and the lead man is understandable, too; if you think about a passion-charged affair such as theirs that started immediately, there will be lots of passionate arguing to go along with it. If this weren't the case, it would be too far from believable.
My favorite part of Woody Allen's movie was his interpretation of how time moves life along, and how one's identity is not a set mode of being, it's instead in constant flux. Seemingly small decisions create a huge new web of complexities. Chris begins dating not knowing that that one choice will soon determine the foundation of his entire life. Then Nola comes into his life, and again the consequences far exceed what he could have even begun to imagine.
So, I think that Allen's movie was a great success because I couldn't stop trying to guess to the very end how each action by the characters could create a new, deeply complex and occasionally disturbing situation.
This blog post is several weeks old, and I don't know whether this comment will ever be seen by Sara, yet anyone else...
I loved Match Point. Closer was pretty good, but I did not get involved with the characters like I did here. Coincidentially, I also had a discussion with a friend a week ago about how we couldn't figure out how we could get to the point of sympathizing with the sleazy, cheating husband. Cheers, -Kirk
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