Closer Reviews

I already saw this movie but since it was such a long time ago, I was really eager to check it out again. I have noticed that this movie didn’t really get much love but I have such a weak spot for the damned thing. Indeed, by now, I have seen so many films with Julia Roberts  but the vast majority was not really remarkable. This movie was the exception though as, for once, she played an interesting character and she easily gave here one of her best performances. Basically, I thought that the story was riveting, the directing was very good and the whole cast was really strong. It is not very often that you come across such conflicted and 3 dimensional characters and it was really refreshing compared to the boring stereotypes provided in your usual Hollywood productions. It was again another great picture directed by Mike Nichols and I even think it might be his best movie, at least, it was better than ‘The Graduate’ which is rather overrated in my opinion (‘Angels in America’ might be his best work after all but since it is a TV mini-serie, it is something rather different). To conclude, I really loved this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

CLOSER PERTO DEMAIS - Anna (Julia Roberts) é uma fotógrafa bem sucedida, que se divorciou recentemente. Ela conhece e seduz Dan (Jude Law), um aspirante a romancista que ganha a vida escrevendo obituários, mas se casa com Larry (Clive Owen). Dan mantém um caso secreto com Anna mesmo após ela se casar e usa Alice (Natalie Portman), uma stripper, como musa inspiradora para ganhar confiança e tentar conquistar o amor de Anna.

"Where is this love? I can't see it, I can't touch it. I can't feel it. I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words."

For veteran filmmaker Mike Nichols, Closer is not unfamiliar terrain. Comparisons between this 2004 motion picture and Nichols' 1966 directorial debut, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, are inevitable: both are four-character dramas concerning domestic dysfunction that tackle the concept of romance as combat, and both are adaptations of plays. In terms of quality, however, it's hard to compare these films - Closer is a mostly empty film which never achieves the sustained intensity that made the earlier flick so unforgettably disturbing. Interestingly, while Closer may concentrate on relationships, the romance is virtually non-existent as the focus is mainly placed on the pain caused by infidelity, lies, and loving the wrong person. Putting this film alongside Nichols' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Carnal Knowledge, a grim trilogy is formed which does not have many positive things to say about the human condition.

In a nutshell, Closer follows a quartet of people who become ensconced in relationships, affairs, inter-relationships, flings, and all sorts of clandestine alliances. On the streets of London, a young stripper named Alice (Portman) is hit by a car, and obituary journalist Dan (Law) comes to her rescue. Before long the two are living together, and Dan pens a novel inspired by Alice's tragic life. But Dan eventually finds himself obsessed with photographer Anna (Roberts). As revenge for rejecting him, Dan pretends to be her in an internet chat room, which leads to Anna meeting a dermatologist named Larry (Owen) whom she eventually marries. Complications begin to arise due to the sexual chemistry between Dan and Anna, and - to a lesser extent - Larry and Alice. Over the next several years, infidelities occur, betrayals are discovered, and a variety of ugliness ensues.

Nichols deserves credit for adapting the original play (by Patrick Marber, who also wrote the screenplay) into a movie which doesn't feel like a mere filmed play. It may be talky and relatively static, but there's sufficient dynamism in the cinematographer and set design to dispel the lingering feel of the play's confined staging.

Over the years, films may have examined the intricacies of relationships, but only a few have gone the extra step to offer a truthful and honest depiction of couples when deceit is involved. Closer tackles this fascinating notion, and does so by presenting a continuous string of arguments and relationship dilemmas. The script is notable for its frank dialogue - throughout the film there's constant profanity, explicit sexual dialogue and a host of interesting observations. Since Marber adapted his own play for the screen, the dialogue feels overly theatrical from time to time, but it's dispersed with gusto by a powerhouse cast. Another key strength of Closer is the use of the song The Blower's Daughter by Damien Rice as the opening and closing theme. It's a haunting tune that significantly adds to the overall feeling of the picture.

Upon release of Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge back in 1971, film critic Pauline Kael noted "The characters are depersonalized from the start through the elimination of all the possibilities in their lives except sex drives - not only love and work and family and affection are eliminated, but even eroticism, even simple warmth..." But Kael could've easily been writing about Closer, which, similar to Carnal Knowledge, concerns men and women's attitudes toward love and sex, but is just as narrow-minded in its constricted vision and disillusion. In the past, a number of great films have explored the depths of spiritual melancholy and dehumanisation to excellent effect (A Clockwork Orange, anyone?). Such films may not provide a particularly pleasurable viewing experience, but they trigger thought and reflection because the filmmakers situate the inhumanity within a humanistic framework. They have context, in other words.

Closer, on the other hand, lacks context. More importantly, it lacks soul and emotion. Dramas of this ilk usually zero in on both the passionate high points in relationships and the adulterous trysts, but Nichols' picture elects a radically different approach - the focus is almost exclusively on the low points in these relationships, and, in an even riskier gamble, these characters are generally shown after the fact discussing passion and love-making rather than engaging in it. Closer ultimately comes over as a straightforward string of scenes in which people betray each other, lie to each other, and screw each other over, but these acts are not justified past the fact the characters are short-sighted and arrogant. While Closer was intended to be a candid portrait of love in the modern world, closer inspection will reveal that there's no love in the film at all. Period. The filmmakers are so eager to shift to the next nihilistic instance of lovers mistreating one another that the film never halts to show why and how these individuals love each other, and what is being lost when they split. Connective tissue between the conflicts is entirely neglected, thus most of the film possesses the look and feel of cold verbal and emotional violence for the sake of it.

Closer takes place over a four-year duration, but the film constantly jumps ahead several months or years to skip to the next conflict. No helpful transitional scenes or "one year later" titles are thrown in to inform us of these shifts; relying on dialogue to convey the information instead. Suffice to say, the character betrayals were designed to be devastating moments of internal conflict and external anger, but there's just no context to shape these scenes. Instead of being emotionally involved, a viewer is left detached and can only distantly observe the never-ending self-destructiveness. The point is, Closer doesn't offer much back-story, and there are unforgivable gaps for which an audience is expected to fill everything in (what happened to the girlfriend Dan initially mentions?). The narrative is therefore as superficial as the four characters trudging through it.

Thankfully, Nichols assembled an absolutely top-notch cast for Closer. This film launched Clive Owen from relative obscurity to elite status with good reason. Owen plays a rough, sexually motivated character who seems to be the only person in the film capable of cutting to the heart of the bullshit swirling around him. The ferocity with which the actor delivers his lines, and the restless energy he imparts to his role, is electrifying. Closer also serves as a reminder that, when freed from the black hole of acting talent that is George Lucas, Natalie Portman is a fine young actress. For Portman (who plays a stripper...thus fulfilling the fantasies of several sad Star Wars fans), this was her first truly adult role, and she pulls it off with aplomb.
It would be unfair to describe either Jude Law's or Julia Roberts' performances as lesser, but these two high-profile actors are just not on the same level as their co-stars. Law is highly convincing and Roberts subdues her movie star sheen to create an indelible portrait of an unlikable woman, but neither captures the attention of the camera with the sheer intensity of Owen or Portman.

Normally in a movie such as Closer, a lover confessing to their partner about an affair would be an emotionally riveting moment that changes the trajectory of the narrative. But in Nichols' movie, this happens so many times without suitable motivation that it becomes hard to care by the fourth or fifth confession. As a narrative experiment, Closer is praiseworthy. But as a movie about passion, it's mono-emotional and surprisingly cold.

5.6/10

Closer is an amazing example of a film involving relationships, sexual education and also divorce, marriage and betrayal. This film was very inspiring to me because they are all four completely different kinds of people who have different professions but when each turns nasty or betrays they all become the same and it affects all four of them and relationships change and swap around quite regularly. By watching Closer it feels like watching a soap opera like EastEnders, Home And Away, Coronation Street etc. All four people are aiming to find what they would like to achieve in the future. It was very heartbreaking too because if one reveals something to someone then that could change not only their lives but hurt other peopleThe relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other people's feelings.


The cast is absolutely fantastic which is one of the reasons why I knew I was going to love it. Julia Roberts was good as professional photographer Anna. I love her performances in Pretty Woman, Notting Hill and Erin Brockovich but in my own personal opinion this is a performance that didn't bring very much force towards Anna's character. Jude Law has been in some crap apart from this and Cold Mountain and probably The Talented Mr. Ripley. Dan is a sweet man but is a bit of a slimeball. Dan lives with his girlfriend Alice but when he meets Anna twists and turns start to happen. Clive Owen's performance was fantastic as Dr. Larry. Clive has given the performance of his career. His character was very slimy because he acts nice at times but acts like a pervert and an abuser to women. His character was very powerful because he has a nasty side to his personality. It is bad especially because he's a doctor and a surgeon. He marries Anna and acts all nice but when she decides to leave him he changes back to who he was before. Natalie Portman was fantastic too in this masterpiece as Alice. Alice is a young girl who has a bit of a muddled and mixed up life but her life gets slightly worse after separating with Dan. She is a stripper in a strip club where Larry finds her.


Mike Nichols directs this film very well with trying to bring this story to life. The directing was very good with a lot of moving camera angles. The script is absolutely fantastic because it was very powerful with lots of bad language particularly with graphic sexual dialogue.


This is my favourite film of 2004, my favourite Clive Owen film, my favourite Natalie Portman film. It isn't my favourite Julia Roberts film. She is better in Pretty Woman, Notting Hill and Erin Brockovich. Jude Law's best is still Cold Mountain. I have to say that this is the best film with a really excellent side to how relationships work in real life. Masterpiece!!

Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts... Oh my fu***g GOD! Simply perfect. Really.

A marmite of a film, but I do love it.

Whether it is true to the gritty, depressing heart of life or actively trying to be shocking in its use of language and relational interactions it manages to be much more fresh, original and funny than any other mainstream film I have seen at the cinema in a long time.

The plot revolves around middle-class, but not quite middle aged professionals that you are openly invited to hate as you watch their twisted lies and egos rip apart the lives of those they love most before they in turn are crushed under the falling of their own self esteem.

The films boasts a great cast who do a fantastic job of painting these delightful everyday villains, almost like they too may have had a little too much practise.

Filled with dark comedy, some intelligent twists and well constructed and developed characters it is an enjoyable trip into the world of betrayal, begging the question how much can you trust your nearest and dearest...?

Thankfully come the end of the film, one can switch off and if all else fails stroke the cat.

geezz..here i hate julia