Is "Match Point" Woody Allen's Comeback?

Sandra Kraisirideja
Woody Allen’s films are not for everyone and he would be the first to admit he doesn’t have fans (a fact he stated in a recent Premiere magazine interview), but for those who admire his work, the 70-year-old director is a master storyteller.

After 47 films it would stand to reason that Allen would have a few missteps in his career. In the last few years, some of his most devoted followers (like me) probably wondered if he had lost his touch.

Allen’s latest movie, “Match Point,” is a return to darker subject matter for the director and offers his audience some reassurance that he’s still got it.

“Match Point” tackles infidelity and morality, two of Allen’s most-written about subjects. The film opened Dec. 28 and is being distributed by DreamWorks.

A former tennis pro, Chris Wilton, (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) marries the daughter (Emily Mortimer) of a wealthy London businessman (Brian Cox) and shortly afterward begins an affair with a struggling American actress (Scarlett Johansson), who happens to be the former fiancé of his new brother-in-law (Matthew Goode).

Much has been written about the almost entirely British cast and the fact that Allen shot the movie in London instead of New York. What’s interesting is how well Allen’s style works in a London setting. If there is a city that could rival New York in terms of art, culture, music and the importance of social status, it’s London.

Another big change Allen fans may notice is his use of opera arias rather than jazz numbers in the soundtrack.

The setting and culture may be different, but the feel of the movie is similar to the director’s other films.

The people in Allen’s films are always fabulous socialites or intellectuals, but they suffer from the same foibles as ordinary people. That is what makes his films so entertaining.

Watching his movies is a voyeuristic experience, but it goes deeper than that because he shows the weaknesses of his characters and demonstrates that with all their wealth and influence they can be as clueless and helpless as someone without wealth.

Allen doesn’t write characters in strictly black-and-white terms. There is never one completely evil or completely pure person in his films. What is terrific about “Match Point” is that it doesn’t tell the audience how to think about the decisions the characters make.

Allen’s movies are always driven by dialogue and “Match Point” is no exception. I suspect it’s what attracts actors to work with him.

Allen did an excellent job casting the film and the actors nail their parts. Allen was so impressed by Johansson that he cast her in his next project, “Scoop,” which was also filmed in London.

At his best, Allen produces work that is thought-provoking and instant conversation starters after the lights come up in the theater. It’s a rare thing these days when a film provokes discussion beyond judging whether it was good or bad.

Working with Woody Allen

Sandra Kraisirideja
Sitting in an over-stuffed couch and leaning toward each other in a conspiratorial manner, it’s easy to see why Woody Allen cast Emily Mortimer and Matthew Goode as brother and sister in “Match Point.”

The up-and-coming British actors have the distinction of being cast in Allen’s first movie to be filmed in England.

“People are pretty bloody impressed at home,” said Mortimer, who recalled her husband was the first person she told after finding out she got the part. “You never imagine in your wildest dreams that you would ever, ever turn up in a Woody Allen film. It’s a big deal, definitely and a fantastic one.”

“Match Point” also stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton. The movie opens in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 28 and nationwide Jan. 20.

Mortimer’s previous films include “The Ghost and the Darkness” and “The 51st State” where she played “the toughest woman in the universe,” and by her own admission was “thoroughly miscast.”

“I had to ride a motor bike and wear leather and wield an enormous gun,” Mortimer said, laughing at the memory. “My arms were buckling [under the weight of the gun] because at the same time I was doing ‘Lovely and Amazing’ where I had to play this very untoned, neurotic frail actress who would never have muscles in a million years.”

Working with Allen for the first time. Mortimer found herself having to ignore certain tenets of acting on camera, such as always saying your lines in frame, because the director is known for filming actors off camera even if they are speaking.

“I think of all the directors I’ve worked with he uses the camera best; more originally [and] more organically as far as it totally married in with the world he’s creating and the vision he has,” Mortimer said.

Goode also found Allen’s camera style refreshing. “There are so few close ups and you really don’t know when you’re on camera it’s the most relaxed I’ve ever actually been in front of the camera. One of the first times the camera is so your friend,” he said.

Working on character development without any input from Allen proved challenging, but both Goode and Mortimer came to appreciate the director’s reticence to talk about their characters.

“Sometimes when you have a really hands-on director who shouts a lot it’s just so not good for your confidence and what’s great about the way [Allen] works is you don’t block your instincts,” Goode said. “You have total faith in him. You start to trust yourself as an actor and you come away from it incredibly fulfilled and you totally trust him an that really doesn’t happen that much. You come away thinking, ‘I’m alright at this.’”

Added Mortimer: “That’s what nice about working with someone who is a tried and tested brilliant person at their job. You know you’re in safe hands. I’m sure the same must be true if you work with Robert Altman or any of those guys. You can’t really fail,” she said.