Match Point came as a complete surprise to me. Not only was I expecting a tennis-related love story (that's apparently another movie), I didn't know it was a Woody Allen movie until the credits rolled. When it arrived all I knew about it was that my Netflix friend had just watched it and rated it one star: she hated it.

So I watched it with curiousity and I'm pleased to say that it had me completely baffled from beginning to end. I never knew what was going to happen next. I came away incredulous--which made me think--which made me rate it four stars--not because I liked it but because I liked that it made me think.

When I had lunch with my Netflix friend I had to ask why she hated it. She couldn't connect with any of the characters and so ended up watching the scenery--a sure sign that she's bored with a movie.

While it's true that absolutely none of the characters is sympathetic, I find that doesn't disqualify me from being interested in them. Sometimes quite the opposite. I became so interested in the gorgeous Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Jude Law, watch out!) that I was chiding him to focus on his ambition to marry for wealth and not get distracted by a tawdry lust.

Now isn't that a strange movie?...how does Woody Allen make us want the cheaters to get away with cheating? Although it's the most fantastic of the three, I think I ended up liking Match Point better than Closer or Carnal Knowledge. And I've learned that a movie doesn't need to have sympathetic characters in order for me to like it. Obviously, I was trending toward this when I named The Proposition my favorite movie of the year so far.