Good Performances, Mixed Writing

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2014)

I was left with very mixed feelings after finishing "Closer." While there are many things that work in the film, it is a largely uneven picture, and ultimately doesn't quite live up to the hopes that I brought to the viewing. Having loved Mike Nichols' "The Graduate" and being impressed by the strong cast, I was looking forward to another thoughtful, moving, yet funny picture from Nichols. And while there is some genuinely witty writing to be found in "Closer," I found that most of the dialogue takes the form of verbal "showdowns" as the characters interrogate and try to manipulate each other, which although sharp and snappy at first, begins to become slightly tiresome in the long run.
The film moves along at a steady pace. It starts strongly with an opening scene that immediately draws the audience, as Dan (Jude Law) takes Alice (Natalie Portman) to the hospital after she is hit by a car, which leads to the start of their romance. The film's editing sees large time shifts occur very suddenly, and without even witnessing the high points of their relationship, we are taken to where it begins to fall apart, as Dan becomes infatuated with a photographer, Anna (Julia Roberts). From this point on, the theme of appearance vs reality, already implied through Dan's work as a writer of obituaries which use euphemisms to "cover up" the deceased's lesser qualities (a clever aspect of the screenplay), begins to dominate the love "rectangle" between Dan, Alice, Anna, and Larry (Clive Owen).
The characters in "Closer" are all morally ambiguous, and their tendency to utilize lies and deception is what makes the film unpredictable. It must be said that all the performances are solid, although Natalie Portman shines brightest as the sly, seductive Alice. Furthermore, the direction is sound, yet somewhat ordinary and uninspired in comparison to "The Graduate," for which Nichols won the Oscar for Best Director.
Ultimately, while "Closer" is entertaining for the most part, the strange thing is that it fails to have much of an emotion impact, despite the clear emotional pains that the characters endure.