Love it seems, is no more than a fancy lie.

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2004)

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Closer
By: Karl Schneider
Love it seems, is no more than a fancy lie.
Any movie with a cast like the one brought together in Closer immediately jumps out at you, grabs you, and makes you want to rush out and see it. Couple this with a very intriguing trailer, and you have a movie that gets thoughts of possible Oscar Nominations rumbling about in your head. Add that to the promise of Natalie Portman as a stripper, which is enough for me by its lonesome, and you best believe I am going. Speaking of Portman, has she evolved beautifully as an actress or am I hallucinating again? I won't lie, I have always adored the girl, but I had never realized she was so amazingly talented. First seeing her in The Professional as a cute girl with a plant befriending a hit man after her parents murder, I should have seen her potential. Regardless I missed it, and failed to pickup on her blooming career. I was unimpressed by her in Star Wars, mainly because of her co-star who we will forever refer to as 'Anchor' because of his uncanny ability to ruin an amazing movie, and I tended to glance over her other performances with this yawning gaze. Recently though this young girl from Jerusalem has really come into her own, first with Garden State, and now with Closer where she manages to overshadow one of the greatest female actresses of our time. Just stunning.
Closer as a movie works very well. It is entertaining, funny, dramatic, and most importantly has a realistically believable story allowing its all star cast to really run with their roles. Between Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, and Julia Roberts their isn't a single average performance. Everyone of them becomes their role, developing it to the fullest extent and making them real people with their own unique intricacies, facing their own problems. Only one character comes off as remotely likable, something that oddly enough doesn't prevent you from becoming attached to the drama that ensues. You are still so drawn to the various characters that you can't help but watch the train wreck their lives become.
The only real failing of Closer is its ungodly want to jump around through time with no indication of where it is going, leaving those viewing to play catch up. It is nothing serious, and quite easy to pick up upon, but at the same time I can't help wondering why they purposefully lacked any transition when skipping through things as large as a whole year of the characters lives.
Other than the jet lag you get upon stepping out of Closer's time machine, the movie is outstanding. It takes something so highly regarded like love, and drags it down into the mud, finally letting it up only after it has totally filled it with lies and deceit. As depressing as it can be at times to see Closer tear apart something as virtuous as love, it really does nothing but make it all the more stronger. To borrow a bit, there is always that moment, that one instant where you can stop, turn back and choose not to do something. Being able to do that is what makes love truly special, and what makes it sad to watch these characters fall apart as they do.. Even with it's depressingly uplifting tone, Closer manages, in it's own little way, to strengthen the bonds of love you have with others, though after this you may find yourself watching just a little bit ... closer.
Grade: B+