Closer than you might feel comfortable with

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2005)

Watched this last night and loved it. This movie is perfect for those that are pretty familiar with the constant b.s. that goes on in relationships and anyone who has ever dealt with situations even remotely similar to what the characters in the movie go through.
Mike Nichols does a great job directing this film about two couples who basically crash into each other's lives and spend the rest of the film trying to pry themselves from the wreckage and move on.
The acting in this movie is absolutely phenomenal. Even though at times the dialogue is spoken as if it would've been more at home on a stage, that detail can be overlooked because the story was originally written as a play. Everyone turns in a pitch perfect performance but in the end, the movie belongs to Natalie Portman who I think we can all agree has grown up. Her presence in this film is so powerful that you can just feel her around even in the scenes that she's not in. Jude Law deserves a mention because he can play the good guy or the scuzzball and delivers consistently. He plays a real bastard in this, so all you girls who adore him might want to avoid this, along with his more dentally challenged role in "Road to Perdition". Julia Roberts felt very natural for the part as did Clive Owen, who was great as the guy who gets his heart broken. Speaking of which, the movie is a very painful experience. I think it is one of the more accurate representations of just how selfish people can be when it comes to their needs and desires.
To sum it up as best as I can, if you've ever had your heart broken, believe me you'll relate with one or even all of the characters in this film. Watching this is like watching someone you know sacrifice their dignity for someone who doesn't deserve it.
I can't recommend this film enough and it's a great example of how a film without any action can grab you just with the power of the spoken word.
RATING: ****1/2 out of *****.
P.S. **MINOR SPOILER AHEAD** If there was one problem I had with the movie, it was just that I couldn't buy the whole thing about Natalie Portman's character not ever revealing her real name to Jude Law in all the time they were together. The way it looked to me in the movie, she was really in love with the guy and was willing to take a lot of crap from him. I just couldn't swallow it completely but in the end, it still played out nicely when Jude realized he'd been duped.