Woody Allen wrote and directed this movie; however, unlike most of his movies, he doesn’t actually appear in it.  This also happens to be his first movie that was filmed entirely in England.  He was able to pull together a wonderful cast; each actor really suits their part.

The story centers around Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers).  He is a young man from Ireland that has recently relocated to London.  He grew up very poor and is trying to change his fortune.  Chris was a professional tennis player, however, that wasn’t providing him with the lifestyle he wanted.  So he gives that up and becomes a tennis instructor at an exclusive country club, hoping that it will provide more opportunity for him to move up in the world.

Chris is quite the charmer, plus he spends his free time studying things like Dostoyevsky and listening to opera.  He is setting himself up so that he can successfully integrate himself into the world of the wealthy.  It doesn’t take long before he is befriended by Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode).  Tom is from a very wealthy family and definitely lives the good life.

Tom’s family has private box seats to the opera, so after learning that Chris loves opera he invites him to attend with his family.  In addition to Tom’s parents being in attendance, his sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) is also there.  Of course, she is immediately taken with Chris and it doesn’t take long for them to become involved.

Chloe’s parents are equally as impressed with Chris.  So when Chloe tells her father that Chris is looking for a new line of work, he quickly finds a position for him at one of his companies.  A well paying one, I might add.  Chris finds himself living the type of life that he has dreamed of.

Things are going well for Chris until he is invited to attend a weekend gathering at the Hewett family home in the country.  There he meets a beautiful, sensual woman named Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson).  There is an immediate spark between them.  Come to find out Nola is Tom’s fiancée.  Chris finds he just can’t stop thinking about her.

As you can imagine things get even more complicated as time goes on.  Chris finds himself in Nola’s company quite often since their fiancée’s are brother and sister.  The sexual tension between them keeps building, until the inevitable happens.

This is an interesting, well paced film that starts out as a story about people’s wants, needs and relationships; which ends up turning into a thriller.  I really enjoyed this movie.  It’s an interesting look at human nature and how far they will go to get what they want.

Both Jonathan and Scarlett are amazing in this.  They are both wonderful actors in their own right, but when you put them together they really burn up the screen.  Not to mention, they are both absolutely gorgeous and just ooze sensuality; which is just what is needed for the characters they are portraying.

Some of my favorite quotes:

Tom – “It’s just that it’s 5:00 somewhere, darling, and I’ve some serious cocktails to start making.”

Nola – “I was doing just fine until you showed up.”

Chris – “Ah, the story of my life.”

Chris – “I’m naturally competitive.  Is it off-putting?”

Nola – “I’ll have to think about that for a while.”

Chloe – “Papa says he’s heard great things.  You’re a very clever boy.”

Chris – “Where are you going?”

Nola – “Oh, I’m just having a nervous breakdown.”

Chris – “Why?”

Nola – “Well, I have an audition in ten minutes and, uh.  As usual, my confidence level, which started off at a ten, is now at a zero.”

Chris – “I’m sure she’s not more beautiful than you are.”

Nola – “He saw me across the room and he honed in on me, like a guided missile.”

Nola – “You’re gonna do very well for yourself, unless you blow it.”

Chris – “And how am I going to blow it.”

Nola – “By making a pass at me.”

Chris – “Where was all this confidence when you needed it in the audition?”

Chloe – “His shooting’s not really up to his tennis, poor thing.”

Alec – “He’s right, Eleanor.  I think you’ve had one too many G and T’s.”

Chris – “I like it when you drink.  You get flirtatious.”

Jan

P.S.  Comments are welcomed.  Scroll towards the bottom of the page (below the spoiler section) to where it says “Click Here to Make a Comment”.  Or on entries from previous days there is a comment box.

Following is additional information about the show that contains spoilers.  If you don’t want to be spoiled don’t read any further.

Wow, what an amazing performance by Jonathan during the scenes when Chris kills Nola and the elderly lady next door.  I love the range of emotions he goes through; it makes the scenes feel so realistic.  Starting off so shaky that he can barely put the shotgun together, to calmly and cold bloodedly pulling the trigger and then having a bit of a meltdown over what he has done.

The scene when Chris tosses the wedding ring is great.  I love the slo-mo visual as it goes towards the water, but then it hits the railing and bounces back (unbeknownst to Chris).  Only in this case instead of losing the match as you would in tennis, it’s actually the thing that makes him come out on top.

 This movie is set in North East England, the year is 1984. Durham Coalfield is a major employer in the area. A strike has just been called. This is a tight knit community, which is being greatly affected by it. There is also a lot of strife between the workers honoring the strike and the ones that aren’t (aka “scabs”).

Billy (Jamie Bell) is an 11 year-old boy who lives with his father, older brother and grandmother. His mother died the previous year. The family is poor and facing even tougher times due to the strike, both his father and brother worked for the mines.

He is expected to follow in the older male’s footsteps. Which includes learning to box. At his boxing lessons he is even wearing the boxing gloves that both his father and grandfather wore. It is also predictable that he would end up working at the mine when he gets older.

As it turns out, Billy is very bad at boxing. However, there is a ballet school located in the same building. He becomes intrigued when watching the ballet class practice. The teacher goads him into practicing along with the girls and he finds that he likes it. Billy ends up secretly attending dance classes instead of his boxing lessons.

When Billy’s father discovers what he has been up to, all hell breaks loose. He tells him no more dancing or boxing lessons. His ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters – yes, it’s Mrs. Weasley from Harry Potter) thinks Billy has real talent so she offers to continue secretly teaching him for free.

She thinks he is good enough to audition for The Royal Ballet School in London. They work together to create a dance routine for his audition. There is a wonderful scene of the two of them dancing together; it’s such fun to watch.

The music they picked for the movie fit well. There are numerous songs by T Rex. However, my favorite song in the movie is “London Calling” by The Clash. It plays during a confrontation between the strikers and the police, with particular focus on Billy’s brother (Tony). It’s an incredibly intense scene, which the song fits perfectly. Besides, it’s just an awesome song.

Jamie is amazing in this movie. He had been dancing since he was six (he was 13 when the movie was being filmed). However, this is his first acting job, but you would never know it. He is so expressive and absolutely carries the movie. Jamie has this incredible sweetness and honesty about him, which comes through in his performance.

Although, this may be Jamie’s movie, the other actors are great too. There are so many incredible scenes; many that will bring tears to your eyes. It’s just a wonderful and uplifting movie.

Some of my favorite quotes:

George – “This is man-to-man-combat, not a bloody tea dance.”

Mrs. Wilkinson – “So, do we get the pleasure of your company next week?”

Billy – “It’s just … I feel like a right sissy.”

Mrs. Wilkinson – “Well, don’t act like one.”

Michael – “You won’t ask for a tutu?”

Billy – “What for?”

Michael – “To dance in.”

Billy – “I’d look a right dickhead.”

Michael – “I think you’d look wicked.”

Mrs. Wilkinson – “I’ve been thinkin’ of The Royal Ballet School.”

Billy – “Aren’t you a bit old Miss?”

Mrs. Wilkinson – “Ooh, not me, you!”

Billy – “Don’t pick on me ’cause you f*cked up your own life!”

Billy – “I don’t want a childhood. I want to be a ballet dancer.”

Billy’s Dad – “It that absolutely necessary? Walk normal, will ya?”

Side note: Jamie Bell stars alongside Evan Rachel Wood in Green Day’s music video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. It’s an interesting/well done video, basically it’s like a mini movie.

Jan

P.S. Comments are welcomed. Scroll towards the bottom of the page (below the spoiler section) to where it says “Click Here to Make a Comment”. Or on entries from previous days there is a comment box.

Following is additional information about the movie that contains spoilers. If you don’t want to be spoiled don’t read any further.

What an incredible scene, when Billy’s dad catches him dancing after he told him not to anymore. Billy decides to stand up to him and continues his dance. This is when you can really see what a great dancer he is. His father finally realizes what talent his son has and that this may be Billy’s way to a better life.

The ending is fantastic, Billy all grown up and performing the lead role in “Swan Lake”. His father, brother and childhood friend, Michael are all there to see it. His father is so proud of him. It’s very touching.