Owen and Portman give excellent, committed performances, leaving Law and Roberts in the shade.
Comment
06/24/06
Closer (2004)
69
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:197
Fresh:136
Rotten:61
Average Rating:6.6/10
Theatrical Release:14-01-2005
Synopsis: Are humans meant to mate for life? What drives someone in a perfectly good relationship to cheat and risk losing the one that they love and that loves them? Is it possible to love more than one... [More]
Starring: Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen
Director: Mike Nichols
Reviews for Closer
Top CriticPortman steals the show with an astonishingly layered performance as the spiky but vulnerable Alice. Even without the rest of the film's genius, she's worth the price of a ticket.
12/11/04
Marber's script is wonderfully thorough in its exploration of the permutations of desire and betrayal, and the cast serve it brilliantly.
03/07/05
All the performances are strong, with Portman especially fearless and Owen simply fearsome as a man driven by his base instincts.
02/15/05
Top CriticThere is, however, a certain illicit thrill in seeing [Julia Roberts] shout obscenities at Clive Owen; the break-up scene between Larry and Anna is a definite highlight.
01/15/05
No review available.
04/01/06
Top CriticSucceeds as an exercise for the excellent Nichols, even when its theatrical origins fight with the medium of film.
12/08/04
Beautiful people’s selfish sex lives, tears, and glossy infidelity. Owen and Law weep for Roberts.
11/29/04
I'm still not entirely sure that Closer adds up to anything meaningful, but it is a fascinating portrait of some unredeemably awful people who don't seem to mind the fact that they're unredeemably awful.
03/05/05
The film is pitched with the same pace and distance as the play; characters chatter on in neat, clipped little sound bites that sound very little like real conversation.
12/03/04
Bad Pinter meets bad Updike, dancing to the rat-a-tat rhythms of an ER episode.
12/09/04
[A] chilly, caustic, foul-mouthed anatomy of modern romance.
12/11/04
Heavy on a dialogue that cycles through clever, humorous, tedious, "Closer" examines love & commitment (& infractions thereof). Lacks emotive connection with audience.
12/01/04
How you relate to the movie probably will be a function of where you are in your own love life. Either you will find it to be wound-salving honesty or a pointlessly pessimistic waste of your time.
12/02/04
Sexy, deliciously perverse and oozing with immorality.
12/03/04
An ingeniously structured screenplay and scorching performances exemplify Mike Nichols’ interpretation of Patrick Marber’s exquisite play, “Closer.”**
12/06/04
'Closer' apparently exists as a movie because the director admired the play, not because the play benefits from being 'opened up' for filming...
12/03/04
An excellent series of scenes that don't quite make a movie.
12/02/04
Not to be missed.
12/11/04
Intimacy both attracts and repels in this smart, modern and biting treatment of love's endless merry-go-round.
01/15/05
Latest News for Closer
July 12, 2006:
Portman Party Pooper: Natalie Won't Be Nude
After a few exhilarating days of hopeful speculation, the dreams of "Star Wars" fanboys everywhere have been crushed as Natalie Portman will not, repeat not, appear... More...
February 24, 2006:
Time to Vote for JoBlo's Golden Schmoes!
The SAGs, the BAFTAs, the Globes and the Oscars are all fine and good, but if there's one voting process I always look forward to, it's JoBlo's Golden Schmoes. It's time for the... More...
January 11, 2006:
Julia Roberts to Make Her Return in "War" Movie
Variety reports that Ms. Julia Roberts, who hasn't been in a flick since 2004's "Ocean's Twelve," is planning to co-star with Tom Hanks in Mike Nichols' and... More...
May 11, 2005:
Fox Searchlight to Do a "Scandal" with Blanchett & Dench
From the pages of Variety comes news of the timely drama "Notes From a Scandal," which is based on Zoe Heller's novel "What Was She Thinking?" Cate Blanchett... More...
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