FAIR PLAY– 4 STARS

Words of vitriol and vindictiveness spew out of the months of nearly every character in Fair Play. Stresses of various types curdle the words and send them in shouted and challenged directions. They attract attention, ignite emotions, and break spirits. Now, Fair Play is not the boisterous type of movie with rapid-fire dialogue, multiple sequences of knock-down-drag-out monologues, or one back-and-forth shouting match after another. Give actors enough takes to hit marks and the heavy-hitting words will come through. By my casual calculation, that’s only about a third of the character work necessary for the actors in Fair Play, the newest adult thriller on Netflix. 

LESSON #1: OBSERVE THE STARES– Turn your attention to one arena of wordless body language. Where the peaks of tension are truly conveyed in Fair Play is with the gestures of staring. Picture Paddington’s patented hard stare only stronger. Observe whether they come before a scathing piece of dialogue or after. Take into account the setting and the audience. Notice if the stares are voyeuristic or shared between multiple people. Measure their length and gauge the gamut of possible emotions behind each moment.

True to the sharp storytelling adage of “show, don’t tell,” Fair Play from writer-director Chloe Domont heightens its drama with these featured stares because you imagine the thoughts or predicted words before they are performed. Oftentimes, a viewer’s imagination can get riled up even worse than what is shown on-screen. The wallop of that effect is the characters will get their releases, retorts, and replies, but the audience members– short of shouting at the screen or clutching their armchair partner– do not. With sly effectiveness in hanging on every stare between the words, that’s how a movie like Fair Play gets you. 

The first stares in Fair Play are ones of steamy passion. As Ted and Cocktail would say, the “serious fuck-me eyes” are out. Both Luke (Solo star Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (Bridgerton cast member Phoebe Dynevor) are young and in love at a wedding. They are so hot for each other they sneak away to the bathroom for a dirty quickie. Embarrassing sexual circumstances and some fumbled clothing leads to a diamond ring dropped on the floor for one of the most awful, yet endearing marriage proposals ever, where the “Are you serious?” stares of sweeping bliss replace the sexual ones. 

The hitch between the newly-engaged Luke and Emily is that they are co-workers at the powerful One Crest Capital investment company, where fraternization between co-workers breaks strict corporate policy. This means, after they untangle themselves in the morning, the cohabitating couple must split their commute to appear to come from different directions. Between stares towards themselves in mirrors at home and gazing beyond the first login at their computer stations at separate desk, there is a sense of battle preparation going on with Fair Play for Emily and Luke.

LESSON #2: BEWARE OF STRESSFUL AND CONSUMING WORKPLACES– Under the leadership of the senior executive Campbell (a perfectly cast Eddie Marsan, oozing cold indifference), Fair Play presents the kind of work environment that is high-stakes and all-consuming, with millions of dollars on the line everyday. The up-and-coming employees hang on Campbell’s every word and gawk at his very presence. This place is a pool of sharks, where the stares of focus that turn heads away from screens might as well be made of daggers towards other rival employees with the aim of taking their spot, letting them know their intent without cursed words. 

When Luke is passed up for a rumored promotion to replace a jettisoned manager after an office meltdown demonstrating Lesson #2 in destructive fashion, it’s Emily who gets the position instead after a late-night summoning to meet with Campbell. Though the two try to celebrate, Luke can’t shake being passed over. He thinks the worst first (namely suspecting Campbell of approaching her improperly because she’s a woman) and does not convey the most forthcoming happiness towards his fiance. Making workplace and relationship matters worse, Luke is made Emily’s lead analyst and direct subordinate. 

LESSON #3: EARNED FEMALE DOMINANCE– Emily is that damn good at her job and thrives in the new position. She quickly gains even more favor from Campbell and his two venomous lieutenants, Paul and Rory (Mad Men alum Rich Sommer and former Skins cast member Sebastian de Souza). Also, Emily has ascended an inner circle where she is privy to details of favor and disfavor for her fellow One Crest Capital employees, including Luke who lands squarely on the list labeled with the latter. Emily tries two angles where she tries to shine a light on Luke’s good work while urging him to consider moving to another firm as a way to preserve their illicit and rule-breaking relationship.

LESSON #4: AN INADEQUATE MAN’S JEALOUSY– Because those helpful suggestions didn’t come from himself, Luke rejects them and tailspins with desperation to find an edge to get ahead. While Fair Play is set in current times, authoritative misogyny driving workplace gender politics is alive and well. The new bullseye at Crest is on Emily’s back and a big part of Luke still can’t admit a woman– let alone the one he loves– is better than him. With wounded pride, he dives into a “own your own narrative” self-help lecture series hoping to turn its over-promising snake oil into his own. This wishful and manic rabbit hole shifts Luke’s stares away from Emily’s come-hither advances and into the pages of his tedious notes.

LESSON #5: DON’T SHIT WHERE YOU EAT– As the stresses of work increase and small failures add up, the vivacity and stability of Luke and Emily’s previously hot-and-heavy romance freezes and deteriorates. Civil conversations sour into petty arguments. Doting stares that carried affectionate smirks that could catch them at the office slowly morph into looks of anger, shock, and disdain. Frankly, the two should have followed the company rules and steered clear of each other. When Fair Play blows all of this bottled strain up, sex becomes the violent emotional equalizer with startling results.

Born from the mind of veteran TV contributor Chloe Domont (Ballers, Billions, Clarice, and Shooter) making her feature directorial debut, Fair Play chisels away its swagger to reveal its dark intent without leaping to ludicrous and gaudy levels like the sexual thrillers of yesteryear. With several artistic choices, Dumont applies deceptive pressure to bore into your moral psyche. The score of Brian McOmber (Blow the Man Down) hides behind diegetic music selections that create a normalizing, homely effect without telegraphing an ominous fright lurking about. The same can be said with Menno Mans’ (Brothers By Blood) camera placements behaving like an observational cloud. In different hands, Fair Play would be shot and chopped like a slasher film. Wisdom and festering stillness won over and the ugly transgressions of Fair Play linger after viewing.

When it’s all said and done, the mutating performances of Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich in Fair Play pull you into the twisted drama more than the perilous stakes and slick atmosphere. With his defeated stares and sweaty, desperate actions, Ehrenreich had to unravel a seemingly good man into an unhinged toxic partner patiently and succeeded. Along with a key role in Oppenheimer and some scene-stealing in Cocaine Bear, 2023 has been a very good year after a five-year break from the big screen for the former Star Wars series dud. He should stay in this kind of lane more often (though Marvel nabbed him next in Ironheart).

Phoebe Dynevor, though, is the real find. With a stiffer script from opposing perspectives to Domont’s, the Emily character would be slanted as an unappealing bitch-on-wheels that could not gain proper empathy from the viewers. Instead, the actress is granted a fantastic strong female character by the writer-director and put in the position to be the harbinger of comeuppance and the rightful hero of Fair Play. There’s not a meek or demure bone in her character’s body, and nor should there be. Perfect for that prescribed mindset, Dynevor is unflinching to the task in just her third feature film. Keep an eye on her career. She’s going places.