Match Point
Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    One reason for the fascination of Woody Allen's Match Point is that each and every character is rotten.
  2. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    100
    Whether it's simply the change of locale, or a change in Allen's psyche, something is up in Match Point. With a dark view of humankind, and of the vagaries of chance - bad luck, good luck, dumb luck - the filmmaker has crafted a wicked, winning gem.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    100
    Allen's most satisfying film since "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994) and his most compelling since "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989).
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    100
    To call Match Point Woody Allen's comeback would be an understatement - it's the most vital return to form for any director since Robert Altman made "The Player."
  5. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    It's a sexy thriller, tautly constructed, deeply acted and heartfelt, despite a cool and knowing tone.
  6. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    91
    An unpredictable, unusual, consistently engrossing drama of a kind that has almost disappeared from Hollywood.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    90
    The gloom of random, meaningless existence has rarely been so much fun, and Mr. Allen's bite has never been so sharp, or so deep. A movie this good is no laughing matter.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    Woody Allen's best movie in years means to trip us up: Sexual sizzle. London instead of Manhattan. Brit actors. Dark humor with a sting that leaves welts. You bet it's a change. And it looks good on the Woodman.
  9. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    88
    Match Point begins to recall Hitchcock as it unfolds, although it wouldn't be right to call it a thriller. This is still very much a Woody Allen movie, populated by upper-class characters who chatter about literature and fine art, frequent museums and designer boutiques and accidentally run into each other on the street with uncanny regularity.
  10. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    88
    What fans want are good movies. This one isn't particularly funny or romantic, but it's gripping and tragic. It asks some nasty, yet profound, questions about human desire and behavior.
  11. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    88
    Its many pleasures derive from the way this drama unfolds unexpectedly from the characters rather than imposing itself on them.
  12. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    Not only could one argue that this is the best "serious" work the director has ever attempted, but it's presented in a way that even the most seasoned Allen fan will have difficulty recognizing the iconic filmmaker's fingerprints.
  13. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    88
    Woody's a master wordsmith, and here he's crafted a bit of audience-friendly fare that's smart without feeling exclusionary. It's a portrait of elite society--and the hangers-on who wish to penetrate it--made in an surprisingly accessible way.
  14. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    88
    Allen, rejuvenated by foreign settings, makes us appreciate posh parts of England as he always did Manhattan. (Credit cinematographer Remi Adefarasin for showing us how seductive upper-crust London can be.)
  15. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    83
    Rhys-Meyers and Johansson work well together - they both know how to project glossiness and guile.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 253 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 129
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 129
  3. Negative: 41 out of 129
  1. TonyB.
    5
    Dark and atmospheric, "Match Point" is also, especially with those operatic insertions, just too pretentious for its own good. I found hard to believe what the Jonathan Rhys-Meyers character does to get out of his predicament. A different Allen movie doesn't necessarily translate into a very good one..… Full Review »
  2. Stephen
    5
    Woody Allen's huge return to form (not). Well crafted but predictable, almost totally lacking in the sharp humour that distinguishes the best Allen scripts. Johannson looks uncomfortable throughout with her daggy and dreary role, and the final Sophoclean cameo doesn't mend things. Time to prefer younger directors, evidently Allen is no Bunuel or Huston who is going to hold his nerve and pull off that very late masterpiece.… Full Review »
  3. KeithH.
    5
    The movie was full of great ideas only half-baked. I thought I would love it shortly into it, but I barely made it to the end. Woody Allen needs someone on his team to take care of the details. I was aggravated by the waste of the potential this movie had.… Full Review »
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