"Closer" (2005)

Rating: R:15

Genre: Drama

Directed By: Mike Nichols

Written By: Patrick Marber

Released: January 21^st, 2005

Runtime: 103 minutes

Studio: Sony Pictures

Summary:

Based on a stage play written by Patrick Marber. Alice (Natalie Portman), an American stripper who has moved to London, meets Dan (Jude Law) on the street. While looking at him, a taxi hits her. After taking her to the hospital, Dan begins dating Alice. A year later, Dan -- who has written a novel about Alice -- is bored. He flirts with photographer Anna (Julia Roberts). Pretending to be her in a chat room, he leads dermatologist Larry (Clive Owen) to an accidental meeting with Anna. As the years pass, both relationships disintegrate.

Review:

This has to be one of the most depressing films I’ve watched in a while. The film itself is not depressing as such, (well?) but the events that take place and the ideas it seems to want to get across are overtly cynical. If you believed everything that went on, all the dialogue, all the actions, you’d never trust another human being, much less love them. The point or sanctity of marriage is out the window. As are human ethics. It's a shame because it started off so sweet and innocent. It took another route very quickly. 

All the characters are in the wrong somehow at some point in the film, some less so than others. The only one who seemed to have any kind of morals, or at least stood by them, was Alice. I think this was supposed to be some kind of irony. None of the other characters are very likable. They just happen to have very likable actors playing them. Much of the time they seem to only create their own problems. That is certainly the case for Dan. Had he not played a trick on Larry via a chat room on the internet none of their problems would have surfaced I think. Well, he would have still probably left Alice for Anna eventually, but with much less complications. It’s all a bit jaded. 

All four actors were brilliant, there’s no fault with their performances in this film. I don’t think any of them out shone each other, they were all so great in their own way. Unsurprisingly, they’re all very talented. 

As a whole I could take it or leave it. It’s not one I’ll be going out of my way to recommend. I liked some of the dialogue. I enjoyed the film while I was watching it but I wasn’t thinking much about it afterwards. 

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