Chris Whilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) a retired tennis pro, works at a high class London sports club as a tennis teacher, where he befriends one of his students. This student, named Tom Hewett, takes Chris to see his family who happens to greatly enjoys his company and absorb him into the family as one of their own. This bond is made even stronger when Chris falls in love and eventually marries Tom's sister Chloe (played beautifully by Emily Mortimer).
Chris however, will not settle for a loving relationship,a lot of money and his new high end job. He falls in love with Tom's girlfriend and after the couples break-up starts an affair with her. Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) as she is called eventually gets pregnant and threathens to reveal the affair to Chris' wife. Chris now is faced between the impossible choice of choosing between his loving and rich life or the passion of the relationship with Nola.
Drawn between the two decisions he eventually starts a plan to escape from the trouble he has created for himself.
In this movie by Woody Allen he strings out a beautifully simple yet intricate storyline which in the end has some nice twists and turns to it. The setting of London might be uneasy for regular Allen-fans, as they might be used to every of Allen's stories taking place in and around NYC. The setting of the old and stately England however is just right for the rich upper class world the main character gets himself in to. This also brings in some stiff upper lip acting but at the same time leaves some opening for explosions of true passion when they are needed.
The movie is a must for Allen fans and also for people out there who enjoy a great movie with a strong story centered on the subtle intiricacies of personal relationships and the trouble people can get themselves into while balancing on that thin line.
