Writer/Director: Chloe Domont
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Phoebe Dynevor, Eddie Marsan
‘Captivating Thriller’
Jealousy is a negative emotion affecting employees in organizations. A cruel reality in the corporate world today, jealousy causes L.A. lovers’ careers to go astray. Impacting social network employees, feelings of envy are common in companies. Like divorce, jealousy leads employees to face remorse. On a personal level, envy led my bond with co-workers to crumble. During Summer jobs, I grew envious of co-workers promoted by managers. I recall how envy caused my bond with female co-workers to fall apart in companies following margin call. An offer she couldn’t refuse, the promotion gave her power she could abuse. Before her promotion, she was a girl I once used to adore. A pretty woman, she sought recognition. Through stamina, she pleased devilish managers wearing Prada. As inspiring as Jerry Maguire, she was an employee the entire firm would admire. A huge fan of BlackBerry, she desired working for companies. Since we shared office space, she left smiles on my face. It was a treat to bond with a girl seeking to compete on Wall Street. Working in the same organization, we formed a fatal attraction. However, promotions ended bonds with a promising young woman. Following the incident, I had arguments with a co-worker I regarded with resentment. Putting career up in the air, I harbored grudges against managers with despair. As my co-worker achieved fame, I felt shallow singers’ shame. Ultimately, emotions impacted my pursuit of happiness in business.
As someone haunted by painful memories of workplace jealousy leading my life astray, I was blown away by Chloe Domont’s film “Fair Play”. Absorbing, gripping and thought-provoking, it demonstrates jealousy impacting employees’ well-being in companies. Domont commemorates powerful portrait of jealousy leading employees’ lives to deteriorate. Boasting dazzling production-design, sharp storytelling and powerful performances, it’s a mesmerizing thriller. Although “Fair Play” is riveting, it isn’t flawless. It builds abrupt conclusions without satisfying resolutions. Nevertheless, it provides exhilarating entertainment for fans of thrillers.
“Fair Play” follows the doomed affair between a couple whose jealousy destroys their corporate career. Alden Ehrenreich portrays Luke, an ambitious businessman seeking success in Wall Street companies. Luke has recently been engaged to Emily (Phoebe Dynevor), his fiancée employed in the same company. However, their relationship reaches conclusions following Emily’s promotions to higher-level positions. Facing jealousy, Luke questions whether success is attainable in companies.
Chloe Domont is a newcomer towards jealousy. A debutante director, Domont has infrequently told stories about envy. It’s the filmmaker’s attempt capturing envy’s negative impact on employees, but she succeeds. Through captivating cinematography, Domont captures a couple’s journey to confront jealous feelings. Commemorating Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land”, Domont captures lovers’ relationships through montages. Montages elevate the scene where Luke and Emily bond flirting together. It sparked memories of a girl I appreciated before she was promoted. Montages are complicated. As Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” suggested, montages elevate gangster movies. Garry Marshall’s “Pretty Woman” demonstrated montages elevate rom-coms. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Alongside cinematographer Menno Mans, Domont demonstrates envy. Domont captures jealousy’s influences on employees, constructing Netflix viewing.
If envious co-workers don’t attract you towards theaters, however, there’s reasons to see “Fair Play”. From a technical point-of-view, the movie is so well made it’s hard to believe it’s a directorial debut. Accompanied by production-designer Steve Summersgill, Domont demonstrates jealous couples’ emotions through confined locations. Throughout the movie, apartments are settings showcasing couples’ jealous feelings. For instance, apartment locations elevate the argument scene. During this scene, Luke engages in heated arguments with Emily following promotions in apartments. One acknowledges apartments recalling Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”. Confined locations are tricky. As Mike Judge’s “Office Space” suggested, confined spaces elevate satires. Nevertheless, it succeeds. It reminded me of my heated arguments with my co-worker after she was promoted. Moreover, Brian McOmber’s music is magnificent. Celebrating Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street”, it captures Wall Street. Through powerful production-design, Domont commemorates workplaces.
Another extraordinary “Fair Play” aspect is screenplay. Domont’s screenwriting strength is capturing repercussions managers experience in organizations through fast-paced dialogue. Movies commonly portray managers in positive light as powerful figures paving way for employees’ prosperous futures. As case-in-point: Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” portrayed bosses as extraordinary figures shaping singers’ shallow success. Fortunately, however, “Fair Play” avoids pitfalls. Evoking David Fincher’s “The Social Network”, Domont expertly uses fast-paced dialogue to capture feelings of jealousy employees feel towards managers in world-famous companies. Fast-paced dialogue elevates the scene where Luke throws temper tantrums at his manager in the office. Like rapid-fire dialogue capturing Eduardo’s anger towards managers, Luke throws temper tantrum at managers promoting lovers. It reminded me of my resentment towards my manager after she promoted my co-worker. Fast-paced dialogue is complicated. As Matt Johnson’s “BlackBerry” suggested, fast conversations elevate smartphone biographies. J.C. Chandor’s “Margin Call” demonstrated rapid-fire dialogue elevates financial dramas. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Through soul-stirring storytelling, Domont encapsulates jealousy.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Alden Ehrenreich delivers his finest career performance as Luke. Ehrenreich achieved appreciation playing iconic pilots in Ron Howard’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story”. It’s challenging capturing personality of an analyst feeling envious of company co-workers, but Ehrenreich succeeds. Evoking Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe’s “Jerry Maguire”, he embodies a compelling businessman endeavoring becoming an icon his entire organization can admire. Through extraordinary expressions, Ehrenreich personifies ambition, desperation and resentments of an envious employee. It’s a phenomenal performance.
Phoebe Dynevor is phenomenal as a businesswoman whose career causes romantic affair to vanish out of thin air. Known for her flirtatious role on Netflix’s “Bridgerton”, Dynevor escapes her comfort zone playing a career-oriented woman. Celebrating Anne Hathaway in David Frankel’s “The Devil Wears Prada”, Dynevor embodies a female co-worker pleasing devilish managers wearing Prada. Whether she’s silently flirting with Luke in secretive meetings or screaming at lovers’ jealous feelings, Dynevor captures discrimination women experience in workplace. It’s an extraordinary performance.
Finally, “Fair Play” earns appreciation of everyone seeking pursuit of happiness in business. Celebrating Gabriele Muccino’s “The Pursuit of Happiness”, it raises awareness regarding emotions in business. It tackles all-encompassing themes including ambition, career and discrimination. Viewers aren’t required to be businessmen to appreciate it. Anyone that has experienced jealousy in their lives will commemorate the movie. Consequently, everyone appreciates “Fair Play”.
Despite universal appeal, however, “Fair Play” can’t capture massive way jealousy destroys organizations’ employees today. Domont’s decisions concluding with violence is bold but doesn’t succeed. It’s abrupt conclusions featuring violence against women. Whereas this ending elevated Adrian Lyne’s “Fatal Attraction”, it clashes with this film’s realism. As Emerald Fennel’s “Promising Young Woman” suggested, scenes of feminist violence elevate satires. Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” claimed ambiguous endings elevate movies about businessmen up in the air. Thus, “Fair Play” isn’t flawless in every way.
Nevertheless, fans of thrillers will certainly recognize “Fair Play” and so will moviegoers demonstrating acknowledgements of jealousy. A captivating thriller, it captures how jealousy impacts employees’ pursuit of happiness in business. A fabulous depiction of role jealousy tends to play leading lives of employees seeking fair pay acknowledgements in corporations astray, it could pave the way for envious individuals to recover from institutionalizations emotions today.
A sensational depiction of the strong impact jealousy has on the lives of employees in social network organizations, it’s a sad reminder of how envy affects founders sacrificing friends for successful corporations.
Like the devastating divorce proceedings affecting couples’ well-being, it’s a dark reminder of dangerous impact envy has on employees questioning whether corporate success is worth pursuing.
If movies give hope to L.A. artists torn apart by feelings of jealousy in the land of opportunity, hopefully it incites people to recover from envy through movies offering escape from reality.
As powerful as promotions Emily grows to embrace, it has motivated me to move on years after envy towards co-workers affected my ability to chase dreams by celebrating a girl forcing me to face cruel fact fair play doesn’t exist in a workplace.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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