Match Point

Match Point is a 2005 psychological thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, and Penelope Wilton. In the film, Rhys Meyers' character marries into a wealthy family, but his social position is threatened by his affair with his brother-in-law's girlfriend, played by Scarlett Johansson. The film deals with themes of morality and greed, and explores the roles of lust, money, and luck in life, leading many to compare it to Allen's earlier film Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). It was produced and filmed in London after Allen had difficulty finding financial support for the film in New York. The agreement obliged him to make it there using a cast and crew mostly from the United Kingdom. Allen quickly re-wrote the script, which was originally set in New York, for a British setting. Critics in the United States praised the film and its British setting, and welcomed it as a return to form for Allen. In contrast, reviewers from the United Kingdom treated Match Point less favorably, finding fault with the locations and especially the British idiom in the dialogues. Allen was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Plot Chris Wilton, a recently retired Irish tennis professional, is taken on as an instructor at an upmarket club in London. He strikes up a friendship with wealthy pupil Tom Hewett, after discovering their common affinity for opera. Tom's older sister Chloe is smitten with Chris, and they begin dating. During a family gathering, Chris meets Tom's American fiancée Nola Rice, and they are instantly attracted to each other. Tom's mother, Eleanor, does not approve of Nola, who is a struggling actress. This is a source of tension in the family.