The passion of mad love and the cold calculations of social climbing collide in Woody Allen's "Match Point". Former tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, "Velvet Goldmine") stumbles into good fortune when Chloe Hewett (Emily Mortimer, "Lovely & Amazing"), the daughter of a wealthy businessman, falls in love with him. But when Chris meets Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson, "Lost in Translation"), a much deeper passion is stirred--and his desire isn't deterred when he discovers that Nola is already dating Chloe's brother. But when their affair threatens Chris's increasingly cozy lifestyle, Chris begins to consider a drastic solution. "Match Point" starts deftly and ends with cunning; though the middle bogs down in banal plot mechanics, Woody Allen fans have justly hailed it as a comeback after Allen's last few cinematic stumbles. Despite weaknesses (Allen still seems to have lost touch with the mundane realities of life; his characters operate in a strange, weightless world of wealth and privilege), the strong performances and clean direction carry the movie through. Also featuring Brian Cox ("X-Men 2", "Adaptation"). "--Bret Fetzer"