There is a world where twenty-somethings are leaving college and going into the world where they get jobs and try to make a life for themselves outside of their parent’s homes. Fair Play is a film that deals with the cost of that desperate need to succeed in life. The cost of trying to succeed in the cutthroat world of the stock market and financial investing isn’t easy. Sometimes you do what you have to do to make your path. Especially when it’s a woman in a man’s world.

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are two twenty-somethings who both work at an investment firm. They live together and are madly in love with each other. Luke asks Emily to marry him and she says yes., but he is on the verge of a promotion at work though so they don’t rough into anything.  When Phoebe gets a call from her boss at 2 a.m. she answers it. She goes to have drinks with him and everything changes in their lives from this moment going forward.

The fast-paced high-octane world of stock market investing is one that can do a number on a young analyst.  If you make one bad move it could be your job or even your career. At this firm in the film and many others in New York, there is a pressure to succeed. Everybody is trying to impress the boss. In other words, makes him and the firm richer. This couple who nobody knows about are co-workers who are starting to get at odds with one another because of inter-office politics. Things get nasty between these two. Things are sad and it gets ugly.

Alden Ehrenreich is an actor I’ve had my eye on for a while now. He gave a funny and entertaining performance in Hail Cesar but it was his turn as Han Solo in Solo that made me take notice of how good he can be as an actor. He made that character his own even though most people recognize Harrison Ford as this iconic character. He also had a good supporting role in this past summer Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan. He has started to come into his own as an actor of note and his role as this analyst gives him a lot to work with. He goes through the gambit of emotions in this movie and makes them all very believable.  He is terrific opposite Dynevor in this role. 

Phoebe Dynevor is a newer actress I’m not as familiar with as Ehrenreich so when I saw her in this role I was very impressed.  She gives a great performance as this woman who is given a promotion and makes the most of it besides her friendship with Ehrenreich’s character. The pressure gets to her to please her bosses. She starts to go out drinking with the other guys in the firm to feel like one of them. This causes issues between her and her finances. The fact that they work together and are lovers is an issue at the firm but they keep it a secret. Dynevor balances all these elements of her character very competently. She is far from the world of Bridgerton in this film but there not that much different from one another in some respects.

The director Chloe Domont has made this type of film before but she has an idea about how to create tension and dramatic situations.  The whole world of a hedge fund and making investments is not an easy one to survive in. The back-and-forth between the two main characters is the meat and potatoes of this story. She puts this relationship under a microscope. When lovers work together it doesn’t make things any better for the pair. The pressureof the job and the relationship boil to a high and it is the crux of this story.

There are certain jobs that are ones I wouldn’t do and being an investor or involved in the stock market in any way would be one I wouldn’t want to do. It’s just too much pressure for me. So in the context of this film, I can see how it would cause a lot of problems with this relationship.  Add in the fact that the promotion caused undue stress as well and this movie is filled with tension and plenty of drama. The director and writer create a great situation for this type of story. The performance by the two leads is also a huge plus and how this film works so well. Dynevor may be an outside contender in the Best Actress Academy Award race as well.

The Film is on Netflix Friday September 29th

3 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen