Match Point

"The man who said 'I'd rather be lucky than good' saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward and you win. . .or maybe it doesn't, and you lose."

A one-time tennis pro, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) was used to falling just short in his life. But when he befriends Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) and marries his sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), the doors are opened to the kind of money and success that Chris had once only dreamed of having. Chris should have settled for happiness, but he is torn by his attraction to Tom's impossibly beautiful and alluring fiancee, Nola (Scarlett Johansson). The attraction turns to an obsession that forces Chris to make a critical choice. Now everything in his life hinges on whether or not Chris falls short again...and if his luck runs out.

MATCH POINT is a drama about ambition and obsession, the seduction of wealth, and the often irreconcilable relationship between love and sexual passion. Perhaps most importantly, however, the story reveals the huge part luck plays in the events of our lives, refuting the comforting misconception that more of life is under our control than really is.

Written and directed by Academy Award ® winner Woody Allen (ANNIE HALL, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS), MATCH POINT represents a departure for the native New Yorker, the majority of whose films lovingly depict New York and--not always so lovingly--New Yorkers. Crossing the Atlantic for the first time in his film career, Allen set MATCH POINT in London, where it was also filmed.

The film stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers (BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, TV's ELVIS), Scarlett Johansson (LOST IN TRANSLATION, GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING), Emily Mortimer (LOVELY AND AMAZING, DEAR FRANKIE), Matthew Goode (CHASING LIBERTY), Brian Cox (THE BOURNE IDENTITY, RED EYE) and Penelope Wilton (IRIS, PRIDE & PREJUDICE). Premiering to rave reviews at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, MATCH POINT was produced by Letty Aronson, Gareth Wiley and Lucy Darwin. Stephen Tenenbaum served as the executive producer with Helen Robin and Nicky Kentish Barnes co-producing, and Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe co-executive producing. MATCH POINT will be distributed domestically by DreamWorks.