From Jeremy Kibler

A career in finance is the ultimate villain in Fair Play, a sharply written, tautly directed, and thrillingly well-acted relationship drama from first-time writer-director Chloe Domont. It’s magnetic to watch but also volcanic and intensely uncomfortable, making the viewer a voyeur to an imploding relationship between two ambitious, career-minded people. Just imagine the prickliest pre-marital drama against the backdrop of Margin Call.

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), the story’s couple, are not the same at the end as they are at the beginning. When we first meet them, they sneak off the dance floor at a wedding to have some bathroom sex. It cuts short by Emily realizing she’s on her period and then Luke proposes. It’s a happy late night that turns into an early work morning for both of them. They’re both stock analysts at the same Wall Street investment firm, run by cutthroat boss Campbell (a perfectly despicable Eddie Marsan), where they hide the fact that they are living together, let alone engaged. Emily and Luke are supportive in each other’s career, but everything goes to hell when Emily gets the promotion that Luke wanted and now she is his boss. In the middle of all of this, Emily’s mother just won’t stop calling her about planning an engagement party.

Without the clear versatility of the performers playing Emily and Luke, this film could have easily felt like it was hitting a single note over and over. Fortunately, it’s quite the opposite without ever falling into fragile-man and girl-boss clichés. Alden Ehrenreich is excellent, as always, playing Luke as a good guy who lets his own insecurities get the best of him and leaves him in self-made ruin. But it’s Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) who gets the star-making showcase here. She is dynamite as Emily, very convincingly taking this character from being an obedient analyst to a ruthless member of the boys’ club who will not be threatened.

Mixing a high-pressure finance job, gendered workplace dynamics, and a healthy relationship on the verge of breaking, Fair Play is riveting all the way through. It’s a high-wire act that comes perilously close to going too far but sticks the landing with blood-drawing force. Crafted with precision like a masterfully tense thriller, this is an angry film, but as sympathies with Emily and Luke keep changing, it’s also a tragedy for both parties. You always buy what Chloe Domont and her two committed actors are selling.

Rating: 4.5/5

Fair Play was released in select theaters and will hit Netflix on October 6, 2023.

Follow Jeremy at @JKiblerFilm