Match Point is an Academy Award-nominated 2005 film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton. Rhys Meyers plays Chris Wilton, a tennis pro seeking a new direction for his life, who seems to find it all (friendship, a new career, love) when he meets the members of a wealthy British family. Mortimer and Goode play siblings in the family, and Johansson plays a struggling actress who is engaged to Goode's character. Image File history File links Match_point_ver4. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Konigsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Letty Aronson (born 1943) is a Hollywood film producer and sister of Woody Allen. ... Gareth Wiley is a movie producer whose credits include Match Point, Scoop, and Till Human Voices Wake Us. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Konigsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers,[1] often credited as Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, (born Jonathan Michael Francis OKeeffe on 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Matthew Goode (born April 3, 1978) is a British actor. ... Emily Mortimer in The 51st State Emily Mortimer (born 1 December 1971 in London, England) is a British actress. ... Remi Adefarasin (born, London) is a noted British movie cinematographer. ... Alisa Lepselter is a movie editor. ... DreamWorks, LLC (also known as DreamWorks Pictures or DreamWorks SKG) is one of the major American film studios which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games, and television programming. ... Icon Productions LLC is an American independent production company founded in August 1989 by legendary Hollywood actor and director, Mel Gibson. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1981. ... Cannes Film Festival logo. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Konigsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers,[1] often credited as Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, (born Jonathan Michael Francis OKeeffe on 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Emily Mortimer in The 51st State Emily Mortimer (born 1 December 1971 in London, England) is a British actress. ... Matthew Goode (born April 3, 1978) is a British actor. ... Brian Denis Cox, CBE (born June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, notable for being the first actor to play Hannibal Lecter, a role he took in the Michael Mann film Manhunter (in which the characters surname was spelled Lecktor). Image:Http://www. ... Penelope Wilton (born June 3, 1946 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK) is a British actress. ...

The film is the first of Allen's films to be shot in England, and his first film since Love and Death to be entirely shot outside of the United States. Filmography Movies in which Woody Allen has either starred, directed or produced include: (Allen wrote, directed and starred in each unless otherwise noted) External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: List of Woody Allen films Woody Allen at the Internet Movie Database Senses of Cinema: Great... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Love and Death is a 1975 comedy by Woody Allen. ...

The film enjoyed financial and critical success and some critics even considered it a comeback for Allen after a series of flops like Hollywood Ending and Anything Else. Allen was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay, his first Oscar nomination since his 1997 film Deconstructing Harry. The film was also nominated for four Golden Globe Awards for the film, Allen's writing and directing, and Johansson's performance. Allen's Golden Globe nominations were his first since his 1986 movie Hannah and Her Sisters. A comeback may mean: A retort, often intended as an insult. ... For the song Hollywood Ending by Sleater-Kinney, see One Beat . ... Anything Else is a 2003 motion picture that tells a story of a young writer who met a dysfunctional young woman in New York City. ... The 78th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 2005, were held on March 5, 2006 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. ... // The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ... A film by Woody Allen released in 1997. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... For the main article see Golden Globe Awards. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year. ... Hannah and Her Sisters is a 1986 romantic comedy film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family, told mostly during a year that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. ...

The story is a fable about the role that luck plays in determining everyone's destiny. As protagonist Chris Wilton notes in an opening voice-over: For a comparison of fable with other kinds of stories, see Myth, legend, fairy tale, and fable. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... A voice-over is a narration that is played on top of a video segment, usually with the audio for that segment muted or lowered. ...

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.

This is accompanied by a shot of a tennis ball repeatedly crossing the net on a tennis court until it finally hits the top of the net and bounces vertically upwards. The image of the ball in the air is kept in a freeze frame shot and the side of the court that the ball will land in remains unclear. A freeze frame shot is used when one shot is printed in a single frame several times, in order to make an interesting illusion of a still photograph. ...

Inspiration/Adaptation

Structural and thematic similarities exist between the movie and two novels, Dreiser's An American Tragedy and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (which Chris was reading in one of the beginning shots). The movie also bears notable similarities in plot and theme to a previous movie of Allen's, Crimes and Misdemeanors. Perhaps the most influence stems from the 1964 Truffaut film The Soft Skin, in which a married man also has an affair that ends up in shotgun-related murder, not to mention the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train, where the estranged wife of a tennis pro is murdered enabling him to have a successful marriage and career by following in the foot-steps of his fiancé's father, a Senator. Theodore Dreiser, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1933 Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (August 17, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American naturalist author known for dealing with the gritty reality of life. ... An American Tragedy is a famous American novel, by Theodore Dreiser. ... Fyodor Dostoevsky. ... Crime and Punishment (Russian: Преступление и наказание) is a novel written by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. ... Crimes and Misdemeanors is a film written and directed by Woody Allen. ... François Truffaut. ... La Peau Douce (The Soft Skin) (1964) is a French film directed by François Truffaut. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was a highly influential film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Strangers on a Train is a thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith, who also wrote The Talented Mr. ...

Production

The film's backdrop includes well-known London locations such as Tate Modern, Norman Foster's "Gherkin", Richard Rogers' Lloyds building, the Royal Opera House, the Palace of Westminster, Blackfriars Bridge and Cambridge Circus. UK-based graffiti artist Banksy's "girl with balloon" appears briefly in the film. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Tate Modern from the Millennium Bridge Tate Modern from St Pauls Cathedral. ... The restored Reichstag in Berlin, housing the German parliament. ... Looking south down Bishopsgate, one of the main roads leading through Londons financial district. ... It has been suggested that Richard Rogers Partnership be merged into this article or section. ... Categories: Stub | Tall buildings in London ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... “Houses of Parliament” redirects here. ... Blackfriars Bridge with St Pauls Cathedral behind Blackfriars Bridge viewed from upstream, looking south Blackfriars Bridge, seen from Waterloo Bridge. ... Cambridge Circus may be a reference to: Cambridge Circus, the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road in London. ... Robert Banks (born 1974[1]), better known as Banksy, is a well-known yet pseudo-anonymous[2] English graffiti artist from Yate near Bristol. ...

Plot

Jonathan Rhys Meyers as tennis coach and player Chris Wilton.

After realizing that he does not have what it takes to become a successful professional tennis player, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) takes a job as a tennis coach at Queen's Tennis Club. He befriends Tom (Matthew Goode), a rich young playboy, and he begins a tender yet somewhat passionless relationship with Tom's sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), whom he describes as "sweet." They are both members of the wealthy Hewett family, headed by father Alec (played by Brian Cox) and mother Eleanor (Penelope Wilton). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers,[1] often credited as Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, (born Jonathan Michael Francis OKeeffe on 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. ... Entrance to Queens Club during preparations for the 2005 Queens Club Championships. ... Matthew Goode (born April 3, 1978) is a British actor. ... Emily Mortimer in The 51st State Emily Mortimer (born 1 December 1971 in London, England) is a British actress. ... Brian Denis Cox, CBE (born June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, notable for being the first actor to play Hannibal Lecter, a role he took in the Michael Mann film Manhunter (in which the characters surname was spelled Lecktor). Image:Http://www. ... Penelope Wilton (born June 3, 1946 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK) is a British actress. ...

Wilton is as immediately drawn to Tom's fiancée, actress Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), as she is to him. The two act on this mutual attraction, though Nola later tells him nothing can come of it. Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ...

Some time later, Chris has married Chloe, with a promising career as a businessman in her father's firm. After discovering that Tom and Nola have broken up, he attempts to locate her and finally bumps into her at Tate Modern. He begins an affair with her; one that soon leads to Nola's news that she is pregnant. This accidental pregnancy is in stark contrast with the situation between Chloe and Chris, where Chloe cannot get pregnant despite all attempts to conceive a child. While Chris' passion for Nola remains strong, his whole life is so dependent upon the wealthy family that has taken him under their wing, that for a while he tries to have it all – a situation that Nola is increasingly unable to tolerate. Nola demands that he talk to Chloe about the situation and tells Chris that if he doesn't talk to Chloe, she will. Tate Modern from the Millennium Bridge Tate Modern from St Pauls Cathedral. ... A pregnant woman Pregnancy is the process by which a mammalian female carries a live offspring from conception until it develops to the point where the offspring is capable of living outside the womb. ...

Chris begins to ensnare himself in the web of lies he is spinning. As a series of events threaten to reveal the affair, Chris feels cornered into a desperate situation. After discussing the matter with a trusted friend and former tennis partner, he decides that he wishes to maintain his comfortable life with Chloe, even though, for that purpose, he feels compelled to kill Nola.

At this point, a film that was mostly a drama about Chris and his relationships with and dependencies on the Hewett family becomes a thriller. Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ...

His plan is to make Nola's death look like a drug-related crime – which leads him to also target Nola's neighbor (played by Margaret Tyzack). Surreptitiously, he takes a hunting gun from his father-in-law's household. He leaves work, pretending to be going out to play tennis, but actually taking the disassembled hunting gun in a large sports bag. After gaining entry to the elderly landlady's apartment, he assembles the hunting gun while she is in another room, kills her in cold blood, and takes her medication and jewelry—among other possessions—putting them all in his bag. Then, he waits for Nola to arrive from work and kills her on the landing just outside her apartment – making it appear that she has disturbed the murderer's getaway. Margaret Tyzack (born 19 September 1931 in London, England) is a British actress. ... Premeditation, in law, is when you think about and plan out a crime before you commit it. ...

As planned, he strengthens his alibi by meeting his wife at the theater to attend an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical (The Woman in White) right after the murders. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre and the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ... Original logo for the musical The Woman in White. ...

Wilton deposits his bag with the disassembled hunting gun and the stolen goods at the cloakroom of the theater where he joins his wife. After the musical, he brings the bag home. Later, when they visit his in-laws, he returns the hunting gun. He stuffs the stolen goods into his pockets and rejoins the family gathering. Later, he hurls the stolen goods into the Thames. The last item he throws, though — a gold ring — falls first against the railing, and then onto the pavement below, rather than into the river as intended. The movie shows this dramatically as an analogy of the tennis ball hitting the top of the net at the very beginning. Storage is the at least semi-permanent holding of an amount of something. ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames...

As Wilton had hoped, the police (Steve Pemberton, Ewen Bremner, James Nesbitt) take it as primarily a drug murder of the neighbor, with the additional murder of Nola the result of her happening to pass by. During and after the crimes several risky situations occur, which could have revealed Chris' involvement. Miraculously, each time Chris gets lucky. Steve Pemberton Steve Pemberton (b. ... Ewen Bremner (b. ... James Nesbitt (born January 15, 1965) is a Northern Ireland-born British actor who is best known for his roles in ITVs Cold Feet and the BBCs Murphys Law as well as a series of television advertisements for the UK Yellow Pages. ...

Nola's diary repeatedly references Chris' affair with her – which makes him an obvious suspect, so the police ask him to come to the station for questioning. Unaware of the diary, he first lies that he has not seen Nola much lately, but he is able to talk his way out of any initial suspicions by quickly admitting to the affair and begging them to keep his wife (and her family) out of it, especially now that his wife has gotten pregnant. His story is plausible enough for them to give him the benefit of the doubt. Although one police officer's theory corresponds to what actually happened, his colleague discards it as too unlikely.

The gold ring that Chris left on the riverside pavement, with an engraving tying it to his crime, is fortuitously discovered by a drug addict who has it in his possession when he is found dead in the same neighborhood, making the ring the piece of evidence that saves Chris, rather than condemning him, as the audience was led to believe earlier. The film ends with the Hewett family celebrating the arrival of Chris and Chloe's newborn son.

The film's plot mirrors the novel An American Tragedy and the film A Place in the Sun, which also involve a poor man who, through the possibility of marriage to a wealthy woman, resorts to murdering a poor pregnant girlfriend in order to preserve his chances at a new life of wealth and privilege. Also, in Allen's film Crimes and Misdemeanors, Martin Landau plays a philandering husband who has his mistress killed when she threatens to expose the affair to his wife. An American Tragedy is a famous American novel, by Theodore Dreiser. ... A Place in the Sun is a 1951 film which tells the story of a working class young man who is entangled with two women, one who works in his wealthy uncles factory and the other the daughter of the same uncle. ... Crimes and Misdemeanors is a film written and directed by Woody Allen. ... Martin Landau in North by Northwest. ...

Soundtrack

The film has a remarkable soundtrack consisting almost entirely of pre-World War I 78 rpm recordings of opera arias sung by Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. “The Great War” redirects here. ... Manufacturers put records inside protective and decorative cardboard jackets and an inner paper sleeve to protect the grooves from dust and scratches. ... The New Opera in Oslo, Norway The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice. ... Enrico Caruso (February 25, 1873 – August 2, 1921) was an Italian opera singer and one of the most famous tenors in history. ...

Opera connoisseurs have noted that the arias and opera extracts make an ironic commentary on the actions of the characters and sometimes foreshadow developments in the movie's narrative. The Caruso arias are intercut with extracts from contemporary performances which the characters attend over the course of the film. There are scenes at the Royal Opera House and elsewhere performed by opera singers, accompanied by a piano and not, as is usual, by an orchestra. The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... In music accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner as well as the music thus played. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Arias and extracts include work by Verdi (in particular Otello, Macbeth, La Traviata, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto), Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles, Carlos Gomes' Salvatore Rosa and Gioachino Rossini's Guillaume Tell. Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (either October 9 or 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901) was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. ... For the Rossini opera, see Otello (Rossini) or for the eurobeat artist see Gianni Coraini. ... For other uses, see Macbeth (disambiguation). ... La traviata, an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, takes as its basis the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. ... Il trovatore (The Troubadour) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare and Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play El Trobador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome) Rigoletto is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. ... Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was a famous Italian opera composer. ... Lelisir damore (The Elixir of Love) is a comic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on Eugène Scribes Le Philtre. ... Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 – June 3, 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the romantic era. ... Antônio Carlos Gomes (July 11, 1836 - September 16, 1896) is one of the most distinguished nineteenth century classical composers, being the first New World composer whose work was accepted by Europe. ... Salvator Rosa (1615 - March 15, 1673) was an Italian painter and poet of the Neapolitan school. ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868)[1] was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... William Tell is an opera by Gioacchino Rossini. ...

A portion of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White was used while Emily Mortimer was waiting for Jonathan Rhys Meyers at Palace Theatre. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre and the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ... Original logo for the musical The Woman in White. ... The Palace Theatre, London, is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus, and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. ...

The following arias and songs from the soundtrack are available as MP3 downloads from the Internet Archive: The logo of Internet Archive Internet Archive headquarters The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and archive of Web and multimedia resources. ...

• "Una furtiva lagrima" by Enrico Caruso
• "Mal reggendo all'aspro assalto" by Enrico Caruso
• "Mi par d'udir ancora" by Enrico Caruso
• "Mia piccirella" by Enrico Caruso

Cast

Rhys-Meyers, Goode, and Johansson in a scene from Match Point.

• Brian Cox as Alec Hewett
• Matthew Goode as Tom Hewett
• Scarlett Johansson as Nola Rice
• Emily Mortimer as Chloe Hewett Wilton
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton
• Penelope Wilton as Eleanor Hewett

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis OKeeffe on 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. ... Matthew Goode (born April 3, 1978) is a British actor. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Brian Denis Cox, CBE (born June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, notable for being the first actor to play Hannibal Lecter, a role he took in the Michael Mann film Manhunter (in which the characters surname was spelled Lecktor). Image:Http://www. ... Matthew Goode (born April 3, 1978) is a British actor. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Emily Mortimer in The 51st State Emily Mortimer (born 1 December 1971 in London, England) is a British actress. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers,[1] often credited as Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, (born Jonathan Michael Francis OKeeffe on 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. ... Penelope Wilton (born June 3, 1946 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK) is a British actress. ...

Reception

Known for not being content with his work, Allen has claimed that Match Point is "arguably may be the best film that I've made. This is strictly accidental, it just happened to come out right. You know, I try to make them all good, but some come out and some don't. With this one everything seemed to come out right. The actors fell in, the photography fell in and the story clicked. I caught a lot of breaks."^[1]

Critical response

Match Point received generally strong reviews, with a 79% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes ^[2]. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Film critic Roger Ebert awarded Match Point with a four star rating, declaring it as one of Allen's five greatest films.

Box office

Match Point broke a long streak of box office flops for Allen, with a worldwide gross of $85,298,271 to 5th October, 2006 comprising $23,151,529 in its domestic run and $62,146,742 abroad, according to Box Office Mojo.^[3] Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ...

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Match Point

• Official site
• Match Point at the Internet Movie Database
• Slant Magazine Film Review