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Fair Play (2023 film)

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Film by Chloe Domont Not to be confused with Fairplay (2022 film).

Fair Play
Theatrical release poster with original streaming release date
Directed byChloe Domont
Written byChloe Domont
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMenno Mans
Edited byFranklin Peterson
Music byBrian McOmber
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20) (Sundance)
  • September 29, 2023 (2023-09-29) (United States)
Running time113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Fair Play is a 2023 American erotic psychological thriller film written and directed by Chloe Domont in her feature directorial debut. Starring Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan, and Rich Sommer, the film focuses on a young couple whose relationship begins to unravel following an unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund firm. Rian Johnson was an executive producer on the film.

Fair Play premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, and was released in select theaters on September 29, 2023, before its streaming release by Netflix on October 6. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Emily Meyers and Luke Edmunds, analysts at the cutthroat Manhattan hedge fund One Crest Capital, are in a secret passionate relationship unbeknownst to their coworkers. He proposes to her while at his brother's wedding and, after a moment's hesitation, she happily accepts. The next day, one of the company's portfolio managers is fired. Emily tells Luke she overheard her colleagues mention that Luke was being considered as a replacement and they celebrate that night. At a late-night meeting with Campbell, the firm's CEO, she learns she will be receiving the promotion. Emily reluctantly breaks the news to Luke, but he expresses his support.

As Emily settles into her new job, Luke's resentment over not being promoted becomes increasingly apparent, leading to tensions in their relationship. Luke becomes consumed with the work of a self-help guru coaching people on how to assert themselves in the workplace. When Emily questions his spending $3,000 on the course, Luke suggests she could benefit from becoming more assertive, to which she becomes defensive. He rebuffs her attempts to initiate sex and goes to bed.

While out for drinks with Campbell and Paul, a senior executive at the fund, Emily learns that Campbell wants to get rid of Luke, considering him ineffectual. She attempts to advocate more for Luke in the workplace, but it backfires when he makes a poor trading call that loses the company $15 million, leading to Campbell insulting her. Luke attempts to recover by feeding Emily insider information confirming the alleged collapse of a company whose stock the fund can short. Concerned about the trade being illegal, she recommends Campbell short another company, which works. When the short sale is closed, Emily receives a $575,000 commission check.

Emily considers celebrating her success with Luke, who is in her office after hours to discuss strategies for future trades but opts to go to a strip club with her male co-workers. She comes home intoxicated while he, after seeing the check, has no interest in having sex with her. When another portfolio manager is fired the next day, Luke wants Emily to recommend him for the role, but she hints Campbell is not interested in promoting him. He goes to Campbell's office and makes an elaborate speech pledging his loyalty to him, only to learn Campbell has already hired a new portfolio manager.

That night, Emily learns that her mother had planned a surprise engagement party for them that Friday. A drunken Luke accuses her of stealing his job, but she reveals Campbell wanted to fire him, leading him to storm out. The next day, while Emily, Campbell, and Paul pitch to overseas investors, Luke barges into the conference room intoxicated and causes a scene, berating Campbell for denying him a promotion and revealing his relationship with Emily, which has violated company policy since her promotion.

An infuriated Emily is unable to reach Luke over the phone, only to find him at the engagement party. They argue in front of their families, and she smashes a bottle on Luke's head when he suggests she had traded sexual favors for the promotion. Emily retreats to a bathroom where Luke finds her, the two get into a heated argument that quickly escalates into sex. During this, he slams her forward twice, causing her to bash her face against the bathroom counter. Emily expresses that he is hurting her and tells Luke to stop, but he does not. The next morning, to protect her job, she flips the story to Campbell saying she was being stalked by Luke and they were never in a relationship. Campbell is silent before telling her that we all make a mess and that it should never be brought to work but to not worry about being accountable or holding blame because that’s Human Resources job.

Luke calls Emily while she’s at work but she doesn’t answer. She returns home to find Luke there, having packed up his belongings and planning to move in with his brother. Infuriated by his nonchalant attitude and demanding an apology for raping her, she threatens him with a knife. Emily attacks Luke with the knife until he apologizes and breaks down crying. Once he sincerely begs for her forgiveness, she orders him to leave before dropping the knife and smiling.

Cast

Production

The film was announced in December 2021, with Chloe Domont writing and directing, and Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor set to star in the film. Production began in January 2022 in Serbia. In February, Sebastian de Souza, Eddie Marsan and Rich Sommer joined the cast.

Release

Fair Play was released in select theaters on September 29, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on October 6, 2023. The film's streaming release was originally scheduled for October 13, before it was moved up.

The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2023. Shortly after, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film, after a bidding war between at least seven companies including Searchlight Pictures and Neon, for $20 million. It had its international premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023.

For its European premiere, the film was shown in the section Feature Film Competition of the 19th Zurich Film Festival in late September 2023.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 231 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "With assured style that's at times reminiscent of the best '90s nail-biting thrillers, Fair Play juxtaposes premarital disharmony with greed and gender politics in the cutthroat finance world." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

In his review for Variety, Owen Gleiberman lauded Domont's screenplay and direction, as well the cast performances, writing that "Fair Play, while full of sex, money, corporate backstabbing, and a lot of other things that are fun to watch, really is a good little movie."

Describing it as a "steamy, razor-wired, barking-mad movie" in his review for IndieWire, Ryan Lattanzio assigned the film a grade of A− and praised the screenplay and cast performances (particularly Ehrenreich's).

Kevin Maher of the Times gave it a score of four out of five, stating: "There's something bracingly modern yet deliberately old-fashioned about this guilty pleasure thriller set in the aspirational world of Manhattan high finance."

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival January 27, 2023 Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic Fair Play Nominated
Zurich Film Festival October 8, 2023 Best International Feature Film Nominated
Indiana Film Journalists Association December 18, 2023 Best Picture Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Chloe Domont Nominated
Best Lead Performance Phoebe Dynevor Nominated
Best Editing Franklin Peterson Nominated
Breakout of the Year Chloe Domont Nominated
Astra Film and Creative Awards January 6, 2024 Best First Feature Nominated

References

  1. "Fair Play (18)". BBFC. August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  2. Kroll, Justin (December 1, 2021). "Alden Ehrenreich And Phoebe Dynevor To Star In Fair Play". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  3. Kasule, Melissa (December 3, 2021). "Fair Play drama set to shoot in Serbia". Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  4. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 7, 2022). "Fair Play: Sebastian de Souza, Eddie Marsan & Rich Sommer Join MRC & T-Street Finance World Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  5. "'Fair Play' Cast on Creating Sundance's Most Shocking Sex Scene: 'There Was Too Much Blood at One Point'". Variety. January 22, 2023.
  6. "'Fair Play' Sundance Review: An Intense Ride Down A Slippery Slope As A Young Couple Descends Into Relationship Hell". Deadline. January 21, 2023.
  7. "With 'Fair Play,' Director Chloe Domont Creates the Kind of Steamy, Psycho-Sexual Thriller We Haven't Seen Since the '90s". Variety. October 11, 2023.
  8. Complex, Valerie (September 26, 2023). "'Fair Play' Trailer: Phoebe Dynevor & Alden Ehrenreich Star In Sexy Netflix Psychological Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  9. Scorziello, Sophia (August 8, 2023). "Fair Play Trailer: Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor Go at Each Other's Throats in Netflix's Erotic Thriller". Variety. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  10. D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 7, 2022). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Set With Ukraine War, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox, Judy Blume Docs; Pics With Anne Hathaway, Emilia Clarke, Jonathan Majors; More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  11. Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 23, 2023). "Netflix Closing Deal For Hot Sundance Title 'Fair Play'; Deal In $20 Million Range". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  12. Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 21, 2023). "Half Dozen Bidders On Fair Play Positions Drama To Be 2023 Sundance's First Big Auction Deal: The Dish". Deadline. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  13. "Here Are the Netflix Movies Going to the Toronto International Film Festival". Tudum. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. "Fairplay". TIFF. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  15. "Fair Play".
  16. "Fair Play". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 19, 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  17. "Fair Play". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  18. Gleiberman, Owen (January 21, 2023). "'Fair Play' Review: A Gripping Financial Drama Dunked in Up-to-the-Minute Sexual Politics". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  19. Lattanzio, Ryan (January 21, 2023). "'Fair Play' Review: This Sick Psychosexual Finance Thriller Is 'Industry' Directed by Adrian Lyne". IndieWire. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  20. Maher, Kevin. "Fair Play review — sex, lies and jealousy on Wall Street". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  21. Garufi, Sergio (January 31, 2023). "Sundance Film Festival 2023, all the winners". MIA | Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  22. Dams2023-09-14T07:30:00+01:00, Tim. "Zurich Film Festival unveils full 2023 line-up; Todd Haynes and Jessica Chastain to be honoured". Screen. Retrieved December 16, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. "AwardsWatch - Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Nominations". AwardsWatch. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  24. "AwardsWatch - 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' Lead Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Astra Awards Nominations". AwardsWatch. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.

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