Synopsis
Rock singer Louis (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and cellist Lyla (Keri Russell) separate, and are forced to give up their son, Evan (Freddie Highmore). He grows up alone on the streets of New York, with an otherworldly musical ability and a wish to reunite his estranged family.
Match Point is the Woody Allen film I’ve waited years for. Not his best since Annie Hall, but since Crimes and Misdemeanors his films were largely screwball romantic comedies and crime capers (Mighty Aphrodite, Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Manhattan Murder Mystery) that while decent on their own, are ultimately replaceable and muddled with one another, peopled by interchangeable characters, situations, and dialogue. Allen’s career has been a long struggle between comedy and tragedy — he’s fascinated by both many of his films alternate between the two (Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Melinda and Melinda), almost self-consciously afraid that a too-somber film will scare people away, and a too-funny one will bring the wrong people back for more. So with Match Point, it’s refreshing to see Allen do away with much of the comedic meandering and give drama to us straight.