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.
Closer (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:197
Fresh:136
Rotten:61
Average Rating:6.6/10
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for sequences of graphic sexual dialogue, nudity/sexuality and language
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Dramas
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... 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 person at the same time? How well does anyone really know the one that they love? Directed by Mike Nichols (THE GRADUATE, BIRDCAGE, WORKING GIRL), CLOSER questions the nature of relationships and fidelity as it follows the tangled web created by Dan (Jude Law), Alice (Natalie Portman), Anna (Julia Roberts), and Larry (Clive Owen). Dan, a British writer of obituaries, and Alice, a young American stripper, meet in the film's opening scene when a London cab runs her down. Cut to a year later: Dan and Alice are now a couple, but he is suddenly smitten with Anna, a beautiful American photographer. In an ironic twist of fate, Anna meets Larry, a British doctor, and they are soon a couple, despite Dan's continuing obsession. But the entanglements don't end there, and ultimately, someone is sure to get hurt. The four players do justice to a script that is humorous, raw and disarmingly honest about adult relationships. [More]
Starring: Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen
Starring: Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen
Director: Mike Nichols
Director: Mike Nichols
Screenwriter: Patrick Marber
Producer: John Calley, Cary Brokaw
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Reviews for Closer
It's ugly, but true. Closer is like the 'smoker's lung' billboard. But instead of showing diseased lungs, it exposes hearts ruined by lies, pride, and jealousy.
Closer defies genre. It’s the kind of movie that drives the Blockbuster clerk who's reshelving videos crazy...but it knows exactly what it wants to be: dizzying.
Closer plays a little like a sad jazzy score - fascinating to experience even after realizing it's going to break your heart.
Even though he gets last billing, it's Clive Owen who really shines. This is is a role that will get him noticed.
three interesting performances and one stellar one (Owen), but ... there is little emotional investment to be had in the characters' self-induced romantic messes
You're going to see some powerful acting for sure, certainly enough to recommend the film, but one which ultimately just doesn’t add up to much.
A prime example of how a script can find a precious breath of life, thus escaping from a chasm of doom, by finding just the right combination of actors and director.
Dialogue as riveting as Marber's, delivered by four first-rate actors in peak form, transcends the tricky transition [from the stage] to the screen.
This film is more clever than wise, and it is not as clever as it thinks it is.
Closer offers a bleak though thought-provoking take on relationships. The challenge for the viewer is in caring enough to become invested in characters who seem hellbent on hurting one another.
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.
It's all dressed up but, frankly, it's got nowhere of interest to go.
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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