40-Love

Match Point, the new Woody Allen movie, opens a little bit wider today (after playing exclusively in New York and L.A.). It's Allen's best movie in a long, long time, but that shouldn't be confused with being one of Allen's best ever.

The man has essentially made a movie a year for every year since Annie Hall in 1977. Which is both remarkable and ridiculous. He's been responsible for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Interiors, Husbands and Wives, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Bullets Over Broadway and Everyone Says I Love You, among others.

Match Point is not on their level. It's closer to, say, Manhattan Murder Mystery. But given his output lately that's pretty impressive (with the exceptions of Anything Else and Shadows & Fog, I've seen every Allen feature released since 1989 and the last three—Melinda & Melinda, Hollywood Ending and Curse of the Jade Scorpion—have been especially painful).

Part of the problem is that although elements of this are "original" coming from Allen—it's a straight-forward drama with thriller elements but virtually no humor; it was filmed in London with a primarily British cast; there are sex scenes! (at times ridiculous, and always very brief, but they're still there)—they can't disguise the overly familiar themes and plotting. Adrian Lyne could've made this movie and no one except the few crazy people who liked Unfaithful would care. It's too long and a little dull but I can't reveal my main complaints without spoiling the plot twists.

I'd still recommend it, based on some mildly clever writing and a truly fantastic lead performance by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, but don't believe the hype that this is one of the best of Woody's career, or of the year.