Movies from the Heart—Match Point

How goes your summer? Sweltering from the heat? Dodging rainstorms? Vacationing with family and friends? Or taking vacations from family and friends? Relaxing in the back yard? Heading to the pool? Hiking in the woods?

Whatever you’re doing this summer, it’s fun to both see and talk about summer movies. And today’s focus is all about a sport that screams summer: tennis.

Or maybe tennis is just the metaphor?

Take a look at the trailer for the film Match Point [2005] by Woody Allen.

That tells you a little bit about the story—guy marries a woman and is catapulted by her money into a class he’d never have gotten into on his own. Then falls for another woman who ends up threatening everything he wanted when he married the rich girl.

In this case, take a look at another trailer for the film—it’s just a minute long—as it sets up a different picture of the overall story.

I love the way the tennis ball is suspended in mid-air at the end of that clip. It’s such a visual representation of the choices we make in life, the choices the characters make in the film. And, in fact, that’s echoed pretty precisely in some voiceover in the film:

The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose.

Woody Allen has famously said this is his personal favorite of all his films. And you can see why—it’s a pretty flawless screenplay and it tackles some tough subjects, and it does it all seamlessly.

When this film came out, it was hailed as a comeback for Woody Allen. Here’s what the critic Owen Gleiberman said in his review for Entertainment Weekly, where he gave it the rare 100% score: “To call Match Point Woody Allen’s comeback would be an understatement—it’s the most vital return to form for any director since Robert Altman made The Player.”

For me, what this film does is make us look at the luck in all our lives and the desire to get what we want when it looks like the luck could go against us. How far would you go to preserve your life—even if you got that life through deceit?

It’s a rare film that can entertain plus be really thought-provoking, and Match Point is one of those rare films. If you want to incorporate deeper content into what you’re writing, this film is definitely one you should study.

Next week we’re back to look at a more light-hearted romantic film—In Her Shoes.

Copyright © Diane Lake

28Jul24

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com