Worth a Closer look! Your viewing time will not be wasted.

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2011)

Closer, directed by Mike Nichols, is a romantic drama that's little on the romance and high on the drama. It tells the tale of four strangers who, through meetings of chance, become two couples embroiled in the lives of one another, leading to an existence that can only contain false hearts. The film is hard hitting and to put it simply, strips the personal lives of leading characters bare.
We open the scene with Dan (Jude Law) a clever but unsuccessful journalist who writes obituaries, one day he chances upon Alice (Natalie Portman), after witnessing her being hit by a car he decides to take her to the hospital. Alice is a beautiful, care-free American girl, who worked as a stripper in NY but left to flee from a relationship. Alice immediately falls for Dan, and gives him her love without holding back. Dan is initially enchanted with Alice, and returns her affection, but while she inspires him to write his novel (based on her life), her neediness begins to wear on him. Enter, Anna (Julia Roberts) who plays a photographer hired to take a portrait of Dan for the dust jacket of his novel; Dan is instantly besotted by her, the two flirt and in his words 'must see her again'.
Time passes and a bored Dan impersonates a woman named "Anna" on an online chat room and sets up a date with Larry (Clive Owen), a stranger. Inadvertedly, this leads to Anna marrying Larry (an honest-but-bullish dermatologist) much to Dan's bemusement. Anna & Dan are in constant indecision about their relationships and the four lives soon become complicated and deceitful. What's intriguing is the fact all the characters conduct their private lives in a complete contrast to how they are perceived on the outside, maintaining clean cut images, dressing with style, all presenting a public persona without blemish! One might think they all are just interested in themselves.
Two things standout in this film for me; the first is the script. Written by Patrick Marber (based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name) It contains brilliant dialogue which even though holds many profanities, is straight talking honest stuff which each character takes on with much aplomb. The second highlight of the film is the performance of Clive Owen. Each actor plays there role well and this is what we expect of such an A-list cast, yet the most notable performance is that of Clive Owen. His brash but truthful turn as Doctor Larry is acted with complete conviction, as if he himself has lived through such a twisted web of romance.
The director ensures the film comes full circle leaving you with a feeling of wonder when the credits roll. Throughout it, he keeps everything knitted tightly together and the viewer can feel the troubled nature of what is unfolding before them with scenes solely focused on the acting, as the rest of the mise-en-scène is kept sophisticatedly minimal and the use of camera close ups on faces help identify with the emotions being portrayed. Mike Nichols has a great CV and although this movie will not instantly jump out, it does fits nicely onto it and also shows he still has the touch in the modern era.
The reason many people will not highly rate this film is due to the uncomfortable 'everyday life' like plot. This being, the candid look at just how quickly things can change when instant attraction occurs. Closer is intense in its portrayal of relationship dynamics, its complexities and perhaps love, if we can call it that (because the four certainly do). A question that will be asked is, can they actually be in love when the word has lost all meaning in the betrayals that has been laid, or can it be restored when the trust which it is built upon has crumbled? My advice is if you after a romantic film with a happy ending then seek comfort in another film, but if you would like to view a well acted, unsympathetic, delight of screen play, then I fully recommended this.