Extremely disappointing.
Match Point (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:203
Fresh:155
Rotten:48
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Woody Allen’s sharpest film in years, Match Point is a taut, philosophical thriller about class and infidelity.
Theatrical Release:06-01-2006
Synopsis: "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.... "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." A one-time tennis pro, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) was used to falling just short in his life. But when he befriends Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) and marries his sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), the doors are opened to the kind of money and success that Chris had once only dreamed of having. Chris should have settled for happiness, but he is torn by his attraction to Tom's impossibly beautiful and alluring fiancée, Nola (Scarlett Johansson). The attraction turns to an obsession that forces Chris to make a critical choice. Now everything in his life hinges on whether or not Chris falls short again…and if his luck runs out. "Match Point" is a drama about ambition and obsession, the seduction of wealth, and the often irreconcilable relationship between love and sexual passion. Perhaps most importantly, however, the story reveals the huge part luck plays in the events of our lives, refuting the comforting misconception that more of life is under our control than really is. Written and directed by Academy Award® winner Woody Allen ("Annie Hall," "Hannah and Her Sisters"), "Match Point" represents a departure for the native New Yorker, the majority of whose films lovingly depict New York and—not always so lovingly—New Yorkers. Crossing the Atlantic for the first time in his film career, Allen set "Match Point" in London, where it was also filmed. The film stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Bend It Like Beckham," TV's "Elvis"), Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring"), Emily Mortimer ("Lovely and Amazing," "Dear Frankie"), Matthew Goode ("Chasing Liberty"), Brian Cox ("The Bourne Identity," "Red Eye") and Penelope Wilton ("Iris," "Pride & Prejudice"). Premiering to rave reviews at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, "Match Point" was produced by Letty Aronson, Gareth Wiley and Lucy Darwin. Stephen Tenenbaum served as the executive producer, with Helen Robin and Nicky Kentish Barnes co-producing, and Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe co-executive producing. "Match Point" will be distributed domestically by DreamWorks. --© DreamWorks [More]
Starring: Jonathan Rhys-Myers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode
Starring: Jonathan Rhys-Myers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, Paul Kaye, Anthony O'Donnell, John Fortune, Rupert Penry-Jones, Margaret Tyzack, Scott Handy, Selina Cadell, Colin Salmon, Steve Pemberton, Ewen Bremner, James Nesbitt
Director: Woody Allen
Director: Woody Allen
Screenwriter: Woody Allen
Producer: Lucy Darwin, Helen Robin, Gareth Wiley
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
Reviews for Match Point
The plotting lacks a necessary sense of tragic propulsion; it feels dutifully schematic, its ironies polite and tidy when they should be bitter and merciless.
Woody’s best for ages. Even for non-Allen fans this has all the appeal of a good story well told and capped with a deliciously vicious little twist.
There's a pleasing sense of social claustrophobia - but it's not enough to make Allen's film work.
There's more than a touch of The Talented Mr Ripley about Match Point and Allen keeps the atmosphere extremely tense throughout.
As Allen's next movie is reportedly also going to be set in the UK, he really is going to have to learn to speak British at something better than tourist level.
Oh, Woody. Oh Woody, Woody, Woody. What were you thinking? Or, being brutal, were you thinking at all?
Allen fans would be well advised to stay away lest their idea of Allen's genius become ever so slightly dented.
The film is a dramatic thriller but it's a good deal more playful and witty than many of his recent comedies.
If you can get past the film's few potholes, it has the power to really make you squirm.
Allen merely regurgitates his shrunken vision in veddy-British padding
Just when you were about to give up on Woody Allen, he reinvents himself with a taut tour de force of a film that is unquestionably the best thing he's done in decades.
... retools the resolution of Crimes and Misdemeanors so its hero, instead of losing his grasp on morality, never even had a hold on morality in the first place.
Proves to be an intriguing enough adventure, provided you haven't seen Crimes and Misdemeanors and don't mind rooting for a despicable, amoral philanderer.
Match Point proves that Allen, at 70 years old, is very much still in the game.
The acting is as impeccable as Remi Adefarasin's lensing is gorgeous.
Latest News for Match Point
August 14, 2008:
Woody Allen Looks Back With EW ![]()
As he prepares to launch his latest feature, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen has taken a few minutes to revisit a dozen of his career highlights with Entertainment Weekly. More...
July 27, 2006:
Box Office Preview: Miami Vice Turns Up B.O. Heat
With cops, drug dealers, and lots of bullets flying, the action film Miami Vice hits theaters across North America this weekend with its aim squarely on the number one spot.... More...
July 27, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Vice," "Ant Bully" Are OK; "Tucker," "Scoop" Lack Laughs; "Little Miss" Shines
This week at the movies, Crockett and Tubbs are back on the beat ("Miami Vice," starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx); an ant bully gets cut down to size ("The... More...
January 31, 2006:
2005 Oscar Nominations Are In!
Like most pathetic movie geeks, I was up at the crack of dawn (ok, 8:30am eastern time) to see how my nomination prediction ballot would measure up. (I was perfect on all 20... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 67% 67% | Bruno |
| 47% 47% | My Sister's Keeper |
| 66% 66% | Is Anybody There? |
| 82% 82% | Thirst |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Match Point at Rotten Tomatoes
- Match Point at IGN
- Match Point at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

