Dir.
Woody Allen, UK, 2005, 124 mins
Cast:
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johannson, Emily Mortimer
If you're expecting the more usual Woody Allen tight 90 mins comedy of neurosis, you're in for a shock. "Annie Hall" this ain't. This film is closer to "Interiors", "Crimes and Misdemeanours" or indeed the drama strand of his recent tragi-comedy "Melinda and Melinda". And although Allen has frequently used British actors in his previous movies - Michael Caine, Hugh Grant, Kenneth Branagh, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Charlotte Rampling, Claire Bloom, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jonny Lee Miller and Samantha Morton to name but a few - this is the first time he's made a film in London with a cast, which is entirely British apart from Scarlett Johansson, who appears to be the latest Allen muse. His upcoming film "Scoop", also made in London, also stars Ms Johannson.
The title refers to the profession of its protagonist, Chris (Rhys-Meyers), a former tennis pro turned coach at a posh tennis club. On the surface diffident, Chris soon reveals himself to us as an ambitious social climber, as he is befriended by the amiable and well heeled Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode). Tom's invitation to join his wealthy businessman father (Brian Cox) and mother (Penelope Wilton) in their box at the opera soon leads to Chris's liaison and then marriage to Tom's sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) and acceptance into the upper echelons of British society. His Achilles' heel however is his lust for Nola (Johannson), an American would be actress from a similar humble background to his own, who is Tom's fiancée and therefore forbidden fruit. But when Tom dumps Nola some time after Chris's marriage, the way lies open for Chris to get himself into a whole heap of trouble, which leads the film from cynical observation of self seeking human behaviour into a much darker area, which generates an impressive dramatic tension.
Rhys-Meyers in the lead looks a bit like Jude Law and plays the role as one might have expected Law to had he been cast as the talented Mr Ripley - a morally reprehensible character with enough charm to make you almost want him to get away with his double dealing. Johannson radiates more sexuality than a woman of her age should know how to, but also wins our sympathy for her unenviable "other woman" status. The sexual tension between them is strong, so long as they're kept apart, though the actual sex scenes between them seem somewhat contrived and awkward. Allen's obvious infatuation with his London locations may make Londoners feel they're being taken on a conducted tour of the city's top tourist spots - Tate Modern, Royal Opera House, the London Eye et al - and his fascination with how he sees the English wealthy set as living - Thames side penthouse, palatial country house, grouse shooting etc. - comes over as a bit naïve to a native Brit. He also doesn't seem to have much understanding of how the British police force behave. But the strong cast, their handling of the good if somewhat wordy dialogue and the story's comically depressing premise that life is largely determined by luck rather than human endeavour and moral choice, with everything turning on which side of the net the tennis ball drops, as it were, holds it all together and despite the film's length, my attention never wavered from the screen.
Carol Allen |
