Movie Review: ‘Fair Play’

Chloe Domont’s dramatic thriller sees an engaged couple torn about when the woman is promoted over her partner.

(L to R) Alden Ehrenreich as Luke and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Sergej Radovic / Courtesy of Netflix.

Opening in theaters on September 29th before streaming on Netflix October 6th, ‘Fair Play’ pokes into the pressure on couples who work together, and what can happen to both of them when the level changes dramatically.

The new dramatic thriller from writer/director Chloe Domont received strong notices out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and is all together very well made, but does somewhat lose the plot towards the end.

Fair Play

"Competition is close."

R1 hr 53 minOct 6th, 2023

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What’s the story of ‘Fair Play’?

(L to R) Alden Ehrenreich as Luke and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Courtesy of Netflix.

When a coveted promotion at a cutthroat financial firm arises, once supportive exchanges between lovers Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) begin to sour into something more sinister.

As the power dynamics irrevocably shift in their relationship, the couple must face the true price of success and the unnerving limits of ambition.

Soon, destructive gender dynamics are pitting partners against each other in a world that is transforming faster than the rules can keep up.

Who else is in ‘Fair Play’?

Eddie Marsan as Campbell in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Sergej Radovic / Courtesy of Netflix.

The movie’s cast also includes Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer, Sebastian De Souza, Sia Alipour, Brandon Bassir, Jamie Wilkes, Geraldine Somerville and Patrick Fischler.

What works about ‘Fair Play’?

Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Sergej Radovic / Courtesy of Netflix.

‘Fair Play’ may represent Chloe Domont’s feature directorial debut, but she brings to the table a wealth of experience on shorts, writing other movies and TV work, including HBO’s ‘Ballers’ and, perhaps mostly fittingly for the new film’s tricky financial shark pool, ‘Billions’.

For the vast majority of its running time, ‘Fair Play’ is a superbly crafted look at a couple whose relationship is tested to breaking point and beyond.

As Emily, Dynevor (possibly best known for the first season of ‘Bridgerton’) is by turns fierce and fragile, driven and devastated, and her chemistry with Ehrenreich, who plays her partner, Luke, is impressive from the start.

They work at the same financial firm, but because of the strict rules against fraternization, they haven’t told any of their colleagues they’ve been dating.

(L to R) Rich Sommer as Paul, Sia Alipour as Arjun and Sebastian De Souza as Rory in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Slobodan Pikula / Courtesy of Netflix.

We meet the pair at Luke’s brother’s wedding, in the full blush of love, sneaking off to a washroom to have lusty sex –– or at least start to, before realizing that Emily’s lipstick is smeared on Luke’s face, and therefore her clothes –– and sharing a laugh as they try to clean up.

Then Emily finds an engagement ring and Luke proposes, this seemingly happy couple’s good news cemented when rumors spread that Luke will be promoted at the firm.

Except that’s not what happens, as Emily turns out to be the chosen golden one of firm boss Campbell (an excellent Eddie Marsan, who often plays intense working-class types or sniveling underlings, here channeling the former as a tough corporate type).

Domont, working with her cast, the sound team and composer Brian McOmber, slowly raise the temperature on the relationship, and not for the better. Despite his initial protestations of support, you can see in Ehrenreich’s eyes that Luke feels diminished and unhappy at the news that the woman he loves will now be his superior.

The pair’s happy connection begins to wither quickly as Emily embraces her new status and Luke’s attitude congeals. Insulted by her promises to help him secure his own promotion, he turns to the work of a business guru (Patrick Fischler) whose advice runs dangerously close to those of “pick up artists” who claim men can convince women to sleep with them by changing their worldview.

It's through these concepts that Luke aims to turn around his fortunes, but it also unleashes seething jealousy from within –– and Emily is his primary target. At least until things go wrong on a trade…

Alden Ehrenreich as Luke in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Courtesy of Netflix.

It’s so perfectly pitched throughout most of the film, the tension rising as the soundtrack intensified, and the drama begins to heighten. The portrayal of the cutthroat world of finance is a keen one, without dipping too far into the tropes established by the likes of ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’, ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ and ‘Boiler Room’.

Outside of the office, the movie puts a fresh spin on such erotic-tinged thrillers as ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Indecent Proposal’: Emily and Luke are under such believable pressure that you completely buy one or both of them cracking under it.

It’s not hard to see how this movie scored a Grand Jury Prize nomination at this year’s Sundance Fest. Domont has delivered an impactful and penetrating look at a committed couple torn apart in mostly understandable fashion, and a painfully honest exploration at imbalance, assumed emasculation and ambition.

What doesn’t work about ‘Fair Play’?

(L to R) Rich Sommer as Paul, Chloe Domont, writer and director and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily on the set of 'Fair Play.' Cr. Slobodan Pikula / Courtesy of Netflix.

For the most part, Domont keeps it all under control, steering the story in the right direction.

Yet when it comes time to wrap it all up, it’s almost as if this pressure cooker of a movie, that has been rattling away successfully , suddenly explodes, splattering overwrought behavior across our central pair.

In keeping with the more lurid and outrageous 1980s and 1990s thrillers, it reaches the sort of climax that, while not completely unwarranted, does push things beyond the realms of believability. We won’t spoil any of it here, but suffice to say, nobody comes out of it well.

(Center L to R) Alden Ehrenreich as Luke and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in 'Fair Play.' Cr. Courtesy of Netflix.

You do have to wonder why the pair’s respective families –– who at one point gather for a surprise engagement party that sees Emily and Luke spar in a way that would see most people calling the authorities –– don’t step in when they truly see how the issue is affecting their admittedly grown children.

There is, thankfully, far more to recommend about ‘Fair Play’ than not, and if you’re after a tricky take on a modern relationship torn apart by primal and basic emotions, then this is definitely worth a watch.

‘Fair Play’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.