Match (review)

Review by Marla Singer

Written and directed by Stephen Belber, Match offers plenty of surprises in both plot and performance.

The 89 minute drama is centered on Patrick Stewart’s high-spirited Tobias (Tobi), a master dance teacher at Juilliard with a lifetime of memories, having traveled the world as a renowned dance choreographer.

But when he is interviewed by a young couple, Lisa (Carla Gugino) and Mike (Matthew Lillard), for what was meant to be a dissertation about his days with dance, Tobi is unexpectedly forced to confront painful decisions he thought he had left in the past.

The film feels like it’s stage-inspired with long, wordy rants and desperate, high-stakes emotion, more like a play á la God of Carnage or Seminar, but in a compelling way, not a boring one. 

It is clear from the start that Lisa and Mike are not quite what they seem and eventually, it may feel like the inevitable plot twist is predictable and yet it was just twisty enough to still surprise me. 

Surprises also awaited in the performances themselves as Stewart portrayed Tobi as complex, highly eccentric and endearing. Lillard’s performance was a new, intense turn for him while Cugino, as his wife comes across as poised, barely-contained and heartfelt.

With their fate in the balance, Tobi, Lisa and Mike struggle to find a truthful common ground, uncertain if their brief, but intensely intimate, connection will result in disaster and regret – or healing and liberation. The viewer will find themselves rooting for them all as good guys and for a happy ending, and even one more surprise at the end that might disappoint won’t ruin the fact hat this is a charming indy film.