Chris Wilton should have been a contender on the professional tennis circuits, but despite his efforts he has never achieved any of his goals. Disaster always thwarts him and stands in his way. Chris dreams of being successful, maybe even a millionaire. However, instead of enjoying that ideal life, he must resort to teaching tennis to snobby, rich country club clients in Match Point.

It doesn't seem like Chris’s (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) situation will get any better. But then he meets Tom (Matthew Goode), another rich client in need of a lesson. While Goode is  hopeless at tennis, he enjoys talking with Chris and does something not even Chris would expect. He invites him to the opera with his sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) and fiancée Nola (Scarlett Johansson).

Feisty and tough, Johansson's character has a strong sense of what she wants. She needs security on an emotional and financial level but has no means of employment other than following a pipedream to become a successful actress. Unfortunately, Nola doesn't have a shred of talent -- and if she knows this, she won't admit it. She latches onto people like Tom because he has success and maybe it will rub off. It's no wonder their engagement is short-lived. 

Mortimer's Chloe is a strong character but introverted and withdrawn. One gets the impression she has been hurt by many people. Instantly drawn toward Chris, Chloe establishes a connection with him that eventually leads to their marriage. 

Chris now has the life, woman, financial freedom and job he always wanted. Chloe’s father Alec (Brian Cox) has given him a plumb position in his company. Then why doesn't Chris  finally feel secure, assured, and happy? Although he loves Chloe, he finds her naive, sullen and insecure. Everything about their relationship becomes a boring routine for him, and he's tired of going through the motions. He also doesn't appreciate the amount of pressure Chloe is putting on him to have a baby.

Adding more complications, Chris has experienced lust for Nola since the evening he met her. She is no longer engaged to Tom, and what would seem to be innocent and nothing more than physical attraction turns into a torrid affair between Chris and Nola. Now Nola wants commitment. She demands that Chris leave Chloe. How will he handle this dilemma? 

Rhys-Meyers portrays Chris as a smarmy opportunist with no feeling for anyone including his wife. That helps us understand why he cannot admit to her what he has done. We see how cunning he is -- and that Chris is like a chameleon. Rhys-Meyers delivers an effective performance as this multi-dimensional character.

Johansson turns in polished work as Nola, and Goode is solid in a supporting role, but Mortimer’s Chloe is an underdeveloped character. Aside from being too trusting, naive, shy, insecure, she simply acts as a device to keep the plot going. Still, Mortimer does the best she can with what's written for her.   

Allen’s direction is methodical. He fails to pace the movie well, and it begins to drag considerably once the main characters are introduced. Having said that, despite heavy-handedness at times from Allen, a clever ending and solid performances save Match Point.

(Released by DreamWorks and rated "R" for some sexuality.)