Closer

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2005)

Closer is one of the most interesting films I have ever seen. The four main characters are not really nice people - especially not to each other - and yet they are very intriguing. The story is basically about 4 people who happen to meet each other under very weird circumstances. The story continues through several sexual betrayals that are dealt with very bluntly and realistically. That is really all I can say about the plot without giving too much away.
Two of the performances from this movie have been nominated for several awards and they were definitely deserving. Natalie Portman plays, in my opinion, the most interesting character - Alice - and it is the first time I have seen her in a very "adult" role. She holds her own amongst established actors that are all older than she is. Clive Owen, as Larry, is unbelievable. He is, at the same time, the character that delivers the harshest lines - they make you want to squirm in your seat due to their personal nature - and yet he is also a character that you find you want to succeed. The best scenes in the film are between these two actors and I think they deserved all of the awards they received (and should have gotten more!)It is worth it to see Closer just for their acting.
Jude Law is good, but his character, Dan, is just not the most interesting one. I found that I didn't really invest too much in him. Unfortunately, the big problem for me was Julia Roberts as Anna. She, once again, plays her typical "Julia Roberts" character, although in this case she doesn't smile at all. She is so boring that myself and the person I watched the film with couldn't understand why the men were so interested in her. Her character has a little "kink" that I didn't even realize until Clive Owen's character spells it out later in the film. I know I am in the minority when it comes to Julia Roberts. I just don't think she is all that good. She's certainly not terrible, but when compared to the excellence of the other three in Closer she becomes a massive drag factor to the film.
Like I said, the people in this film do awful things to each other an yet I found myself really interested in their stories. While there is no sex on screen that I can remember, the dialogue is very sexually graphic and very personal. If you have problems with this then Closer is not the film for you. I, however, thought it was one of the best written, best acted, most intriguing movies I have seen in a very long time. Excellent film!