When Mike and his wife, Lisa (Carla Gugino), show up at his doorstep, pretending to interview him for a fictitious dissertation about dance in the 1960s — they’re actually trying to coax him into admitting that he’s Mike’s father — he’s more than willing to share his wealth of information. He’s eccentric and flamboyant, prone to rambling and oddly sentimental — he holds on to his toenail clippings in a glass jar on the top of a cabinet — but also extremely passionate about his line of work.
Playing Capt. Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Magneto in the “X-Men” movies, Stewart has become a big celebrity over the years, so it’s kind of strange to see him star in a low-budget film like this, playing such a pedestrian character, but he should do it more often. As Tobi, he gives an endearing, multilayered performance that only becomes more compelling and authentic. We see that Tobi’s cheerful, eccentric attitude is a façade, masking deep-seated feelings of pain and regret that become more pronounced as the movie goes on.
Stewart is the best part about “Match,” but the other two performances are also strong, particularly that of Lillard, who initially comes off as stubborn and kind of a jerk — in fact, he retains that demeanor for most of the movie — but in the end, you can’t really blame Mike. He’s also trying to hold back immense feelings of pain and neglect.
Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn’t stand as high as the performances. Writer/director Stephen Belber’s script doesn’t have much depth or substance to it. With the exception of a few scenes, the action is confined to Tobi’s apartment building, allowing for the movie to be tense and claustrophobic. When Mike and Lisa interview Tobias, things start out calm and simple. Gradually, however, as their questions become increasingly fishy and personal, the situation becomes increasingly tense and uncomfortable for the audience. When we get to the picture’s conclusion, there’s not much to mull over or reflect upon.Still, thanks to the performances — mainly Stewart’s — “Match” is worthwhile: You won’t gain much from it, but you won’t lose anything, either.