Realistic? I hope not.

Rating: 5/10 (7 August 2006)

From my experience, the people who endlessly gush about Closer seem to be in complete awe of how realistically it portrays love and relationships. This deeply unsettles me. The characters in this movie are cruel, deceptive, indecisive, selfish, and generally just unlikable individuals. So you're telling me that, realistically speaking, love turns people into hateful monsters? Cynical much? This, I think, is where the movie fails. Sure, you can have an interesting story with a decent cast and all sorts of artsy frills, but when you get right down to it, what's the point if it's impossible to empathize with the characters? As the movie dragged on and on, I came to loathe all four of the leading characters and their almost adolescent shenanigans more and more. Yes, they were suffering, but I really didn't care. All of their problems they brought on themselves. By the end, I was so weary of them that I was actually pleased that they all turned out absolutely miserable. However, I'm sure that wasn't what the director intended.
Needless to say, I wasn't pleased. Honestly, who enjoys leaving a movie feeling oddly bitter, and with a nasty touch of schadenfreude?