Match

Tour de force performance from Patrick Stewart. Unfortunately his role is not really captivating. The young man is more interesting. Ultimately as a film it falls short. Maybe it worked on stage. In some aspects I found Toby's character repulsive.

Tobi (Patrick Stewart) is a dance professor at Julliard. Today he's very nervous, however, as he's expecting guests. Who they are, you don't know but he wants everything to be just right and he fusses over the details. Once the couple arrive, you learn that the woman is supposedly working on a dissertation about dance and the husband is just along for the ride. This portion at Tobi's favorite restaurant is VERY hard to take. Tobi is so superficial and flamboyant that he comes off as fake and annoying. I really was tempted to turn off the film...it was THAT bad.

Soon the scene changes to Tobi's apartment. While the lady (Carla Gugino) asks Tobi a lot of questions about dance, her husband (Matthew Lillard) begins asking questions--which is strange because he's just supposed to be along for the ride. What's stranger is that his questions are very invasive and he begins asking Tobi about his sex life. What is this all about....as it soon becomes obvious that there is no dissertation and the couple have ulterior motives. What? See the film.

I hated the first 20 minutes or so of the film and thought the writing and Stewart were just awful. But I stuck with it...and I am glad I did because through the course of the film, the bravado, the fakeness and the veneer begin to wear away and the movie becomes an interesting character study. In fact, it becomes a wonderful study of all three--and all three are marvelous. It also becomes quieter...more contemplative...and very emotionally charged--so much so that you might just want to have a few Kleenex handy. Rarely has a movie surprised me like this one did...and I am certainly glad I saw it. If you, too, would like to see it, the film is out this week on Netflix.

By the way, this is not a film for kids. There is a lot of talk about sexuality and it would probably bore younger viewers as well. But for someone who wants to see marvelous acting you cannot do much better than this.

"Absolutely I remember Gloria Renaldi" Tobi (Stewart) is a acclaimed dance instructor in New York City at Juilliard. He agrees to be interviewed at his apartment regarding the history of dance. When the two interviewers, Lisa (Gugino) and Mike (Lillard) show up things quickly turn tense when Mike mentions a name from Tobi's past. Secrets are revealed and lives are changed. This is a good movie, but it is not for everyone. First off, this is based off a Broadway play and the movie plays as one. For the most part there is one location and only 3 actors. This is just talking. The acting is amazing though and the movie is worth watching for that. Stewart seems like the perfect choice for this role and Gugino really plays well off of him. All that said this is again a movie for a select few. I liked it OK but wouldn't watch it again. Overall, if you like Broadway one act plays then I would check this out, if you aren't a fan of that type of entertainment then I would skip this one. I give it a B-.

Tobi Powell (Patrick Stewart) is a private effeminate Juilliard dance professor with a long distinguished career. He gets interviewed by married couple Lisa (Carla Gugino) and Mike Davis (Matthew Lillard). They eventually reveal the true motive of their visit. They believe that Tobi is Mike's biological father.

Patrick Stewart is a well-established actor of the highest order. He can act circles around anybody. Gugino is a nice partner in this exercise. Lillard, known for playing goofballs, has some solid anger here. I would have liked for the three leads to stay together in that apartment and stew in the conflict longer. It boils over too quickly and Lillard leaves the room for too long. Stewart and Gugino play around for awhile. In the end, Stewart is great but that's not unexpected.

-Match (2015) movie review: -Match is a limited release film that focuses entirely on an older dance instructor, played by Sir Patrick Stewart, who agrees to be interview by a younger couple, only to abruptly discover that they may have a very different agenda. (Nothing sinister, it's a drama, not a thriller) -Match is an example of an alright film that would be better, but really can't be because of its limitations.

-The story I thought was pretty good and deviant of cliché.

-The pace was probably too quick. With the story, it felt like a longer TV episode.

-The acting was good. Patrick Stewart did a good job, but other than learning how to dance, nothing outside of his skill set. Carla Gugino did well, but nothing beyond her usual roles. I was most impressed by Matthew Lillard, (live action Shaggy) who was really compelling and impressive.

-The characters were deep and there was a lot to either like or dislike. However there is no character that you really feel good liking.

-The music is forgettable. However playing one song twice worked in this.

-The thing I either really liked or really did not like was that the entire film takes place in like a day, and it is right to the point. It is 90 minutes of the main story.

-Match is rated-R for some language, although not heavy, and an R amount of sexual dialogue. By R standards it is not that bad though.

-Match is well acted, compelling, and has a well written story, but lacks in being anything more because of its runtime and lack of anything but the story. I will say I enjoyed it, but it is only worth watching on Netflix/Redbox. 7/10.

-Did you see Match? What did you think? Leave a comment or a like if this review helped and make sure to stay tuned for my review of The Wedding Ringer soon!