FAIR PLAY (2023) – Review

Now what would be more cozy on a brisk Fall evening than a film about an office romance? Y’know, just like Pam and Jim on that TV sitcom set in the previously mentioned locale. The flirting, the smoldering glances, and the eventual declarations of affection. Ah, but what if employee intimate relationships are frowned upon, or just plain verboten, at the company? That too has been fodder for sitcoms like “The People’s Choice” and “Occasional Wife” and…I’m really, really aging myself. In this week’s new release, that notion isn’t played for laughs as the stakes are truly high. So, if all’s fair in “love and war”, then what could truly be considered FAIR PLAY when the “going gets tough” and desperate?

This tale starts with the story’s main couple full of the excitement of, often physically exhausting, romance. Twenty-somethings Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) twirl away from the dance floor of a wedding reception into the ladies’ lavatory! They don’t get “busted”, instead Luke “pops the question”. Emily gives him an excited “yes”, but insists that they keep it “under wraps” for a bit (except for their folks). The passion continues at the NYC apartment they share, allowing themselves a brief slumber before they get to work. The duo go their separate ways out of the subway. Luke arrives at the headquarters of the hedge fund firm One Crest Capital and hops into an elevator. Before the doors close, Emily also jumps in. Ah, they both work at OCC, which has a no “inter-office romance” policy (they hope to “prepare” everyone, and maybe have a “back-up plan”, before “coming clean). At their desks (several feet apart), the two, along with the rest of the staff, observe the firing of an MP (management partner) who has disappointed OCC’s tyrannical owner Campbell (Eddie Marsan). As the former MP is led away, Emily overhears some “scuttlebutt”, which she passes on to Luke: he’s next in line for the vacated spot. That night in the apartment is celebratory, only interrupted by constant nuptial calls from Emily’s abrasive mum. Finally, an important call comes through from one of the other MPs at OCC. Emily needs to join him at the preferred “watering hole”. Though it’s late she jumps in a cab, and enters the pub, but can’t find him. Oh oh, she does see Campbell. Joining him for “last call”, he offers her the MP job. She giddily accepts, but how will Luke react? Can he handle being passed over…for her? And can their engagement handle this added stress, or will “love conquer all”?

After her breakout role on the Netflix streaming sensation “Bridgerton”, Ms. Dynevor confidently dives into a most modern romance, as a woman doing her best to balance her personal and professional lives. Her Emily is smart and savvy, but never cutthroat as she tries to maneuver through the big business “boys club”. Through Dyvenor’s darting eyes and hesitant line delivery, she conveys that Emily is “weighing her words” She tiptoes, briskly, through that stock market minefield. Somehow she seems to be most careful and deliberate in her dealing with her true “partner” Luke. It’s great to see that the engaging Mr. Ehrenreich has bounced back professionally from the box office “drubbing” he endured after trying to fill some big “space boots” as Chewy’s co-pilot. Only a few months ago he shined as part of the big OPPENHEIMER ensemble, Ehrenreich utilizes that leading man charisma as the likable Luke who believes he can keep treading water and evading “the sharks”. We’re rooting for him even as we can almost smell Luke’s sweaty desperation as he strains to make the “big score” in order to be on the same level as his lady love. But can anyone keep their cool when they’re on the receiving end of a dead-eyed glare from the thuggish Campbell, played by the always impressive Mr. Marsan? He’s the seething barrel of venom as he appears to sniff out weakness and failure in his “fiefdom”. At his side is the cold-blooded sycophant, and “hatchet-man” Paul played with creepy passive-aggressive spite by with equal evil banality by Rich Sommer, in quite a change from his affable “Mad Men” role. Speaking of that classic series, one of his co-stars, Patrick Fischler has a tasty cameo as a self-help guru who seems to be throwing out a life preserver to the floundering Luke.

This modern cautionary fable marks the feature film debut of TV series veteran writer/director Chloe Domont. She has an excellent ear for workplace dialogue, matched by the quieter scenes after hours. Domont keeps the action and exchanges in low light, giving the film a claustrophobic and often intimate aura. This makes the greatest impact in those moments of raw passion, whether Emily and Luke are exploring each other’s bodies or verbally hammering away at their inner demons. Some viewers may feel quite queasy by the sexual content, but the intense emotions may prove the most unsettling. Fragile egos and ambition prove to be the true destroyers of this couple. This makes the story’s final act so frustrating as the lead characters go “off the rails” while these big “blow-ups” have consequences that don’t mesh with the established setting. And then it sputters with a final encounter that feels exploitive and violent (from verbal to visceral). The actors are compelling while in the political “Thunderdome” of Wall Street, but the script’s collapse will have many screaming foul play at the uneven FAIR PLAY.

2.5 Out of 4

FAIR PLAY is now playing in select theatres and is streaming exclusively on Netflix