90. Match Point (2005) - Woody Allen

Match Point (2005) - Woody AllenAt a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for a femme-fatal type who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law. Match Point follows Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton, an ex tennis pro who after some bad luck on the court gives up the game for an easier life. He gets a job as a tennis coach and manages to get himself involved with Emily Mortimer's Chloe, the daughter of a rich aristocrat family. The problem is he's not attracted to her and is instead drooling over the femme fatale Nola Rice, a struggling actress played bv Scarlett Johansson. They are far more attracted to each other than the people they are with, so a lustful and passionate affair begins. Match Point is full of many twists and turns which are well placed from Woody Allen, in a movie quite unlike anything he has done before. A great performance too from Scarlett Johansson who at the beginning of the movie you feel is dangerous and someone to stay away from but by the end of the movie you can feel her desperation as the "other woman" and her need for commitment. You begin to sympathise more with her character than you even do with Chloe who you should really feel sorry for as her husband is playing away. The twist at the beginning of the third act, I really didn't see coming and probably adds to my likening of the movie so much. The only thing I don't like about the movie is everything after the introduction of James Nesbit's character but I won't spoil anything for anybody that hasn't seen it but I just believe that whole ending was REALLY drawn out from there and unnecessary. Still though it's great and fully deserves it's place on the list. A movie full of mostly unlikeable characters, who because of the great acting and directing you begin to feel sympathy for unlike the terrible movie Closer, who tried this and badly failed.

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Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.