If you think Zendaya’s Challengers is the hottest tennis drama, think again! Because, nearly 20 years ago, Scarlett Johansson came and conquered the genre alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The duo had set the screen on fire in director Woody Allen’s steamy thriller Match Point (2005).
Well, the story and the stars’ performance were so passionate, that Woody Allen himself called Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers a “very hot team” in an archive of The Close-Up podcast. Perhaps, the 2005 movie being ahead of its time, has the potential to compete with Zendaya’s Challengers.
Woody Allen praised Scarlett Johansson’s 2005 steamy thriller
Those who think Zendaya’s Challengers is setting new standards for on-screen heat might have forgotten about Match Point. The 2005 thriller starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers was so steamy that even its director, Woody Allen, couldn’t help but hype up the duo’s sizzling chemistry.
During an episode of The Close-Up podcast back in 2005 (via EW) when Woody Allen was asked about his then-upcoming movie Match Point, the director claimed to have liked his film. Clarifying how he’s rarely fond of his own movies, Allen mentioned appreciating his thriller romance, particularly due to the actors’ chemistry.
I don’t usually speak fondly of my own films. But this one came out well and Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson make a very hot team together.
Well, it seems that Woody Allen wasn’t exaggerating. Match Point wasn’t just about tennis; it was about desire, deception, and the kind of forbidden romance that leaves you on edge. Scarlett Johansson played Nola Rice, who falls into a dangerous affair with Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ Chris, later affecting his relationship with his friend’s sister Chloe.
While the plot of the film already sounds intense, it was particularly Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ stolen glances, passionate encounters, and the underlying risk of their affair that made every scene electric.
Match Point could compete with Zendaya’s Challengers
Now, while Zendaya’s Challengers had everyone talking, let’s take a moment to appreciate the OG tennis drama—Match Point. Released in 2005, it had everything: high-stakes romance, a scandalous affair, and a plot twist that left audiences stunned. So much so that the movie can be praised for being ahead of its time.
Relying on raw emotions, intense performances, and an atmosphere thick with suspense—and let’s not forget the magnetic chemistry between Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers—Match Point could rival Challengers. Considering how the 2005 movie still holds its place as one of the hottest thrillers in Hollywood history, Challengers might not stand a chance.
So what exactly made the 2005 movie feel like a slow-burning fire ready to explode? Unlike Challengers which gave us a modern love triangle full of tension, Match Point explored themes of luck, morality, and how one wrong move could change everything. The 2005 movie delivered a dark, psychological thriller where love wasn’t just complicated—it was dangerous.
Match Point and Challengers are both available to watch on Prime Video.
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