Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Match Point

So, I finally went and saw 'Match Point' the other night. Scarlett Johansson in a Woody Allen return to art film, of course it was on the list of movies to see. Great reviews just added to the desire. I've been wanting to see it since before it came out, but it ran on so few screens that I never got the chance.

Anyway, I watched and found myself disappointed.

"This is a great movie?" I thought. "This is the triumphant return of Woody Allen to top form? This is Scarlett pushing the bounderies of art?"

Needless to say, the answers in my mind weren't affirmative.

But then I stopped for a drink on the way home. And as I sat there, sipping a vodka and cranberry, I thought about the movie. The weaving of Dostoyevsky into the plot. The framework of tragic opera. Crime and punishment, melodrama, rich and poor, love and lust...basically, the human condition.

The thoughts continued to churn long after the first drink, past the second, past the ride home and well into sleep.

So, maybe it really was a great movie...

8 comments:

tshsmom said...

You were right the first time; there's no such thing as a good Woody Allen movie. However, my husband and daughter would totally disagree with me. :(

Anonymous said...

I never really got into the Woody Allen scene, but I do like movies that make me think for a long time afterward. I haven't seen it.

Shawn said...

Woody Allen is a bit like Perrier for me. Every once in a while I feel like I should really like the stuff. So I grab a bottle, take a swig and gag. You would think that maybe I would just catch on, but no.

Anyway, I'm not a big Woody fan, although he's had some good films, but I always feel like I should be liking his movies.

thephoenixnyc said...

I thought it was AMAZING. The story, the acting, the twists, the look and feel. Brilliant.

Shawn said...

Phoenix - Yeah, when it's said and done, I really liked it too. I wasn't sure at first, but it percolated a bit. I would only recommend it to a few people though...sort of like a challenging wine.

Eileen said...

I watched Annie Hall for the first time a couple weeks ago and felt the same way. If you'd asked me, I probably would have said I didn't like it, but it's been popping up in my head a lot lately. Damn you Woody Allen!

143 said...

I never quite got past the affair with the stepdaughter thing. Genuis? Maybe. Creepy? Definitely.

Anonymous said...

That is similar to my experience with the Canadian film 'Water'. There has been a lot of hype surrounding it so I rented it the other day, not expecting it to live up to the hype...they rarely do.

It was a movie that I appreciated much more a day or two after I had seen it and after I had some time to reflect on it. In fact I am still thinking about it.

I will have to check out Match Point.