wonderful movie...A...

Very very interesting film, Great performences by the 4 Actors!
i really dont know what else to say about it....

B+

Really liked it. Owen and Portman were awesome!! Especially Owen was fucking great. Law and Roberts weren't far behind. Loved some of the dialogues. The Internet Chat at the beginning was great! Left me a little depressed at the end. Definately have to see it againg. Strong A-.

Garbage.

F

The internet chat scene in hilarious. It's made even better because of the classical music in the background as it's enlightening and makes it more humorous.

The characters, however, are too smart. The dialogue is unrealistic, as the characters are so articulate. You never see them stumble on a line or consider something else. They've always got something to say.

How much of "Closer" actually rings true in our own lives? A lot. We often mess around with people to screw with them...

Until the end, when he has his breakdown with Alice/Rachel Jane (at the end w/ the passport. lol), Jude Law is quite strong. Aside from an obviously fake cry (I think midway through the movie - during her breakup with Dan), Portman is also strong. She's perhaps the most convincing. Julia Roberts, however, was awful. Libs and Chris, what DID you guys find in her performance? She's like a block of ice. She shows no emotion in the film, even though her character SHOULD have tons. Clive Owen's performance is great, but he doesn't stand out like Natalie does.

Although Alice/Jane IS the slut, she's no more culpable than any of the others. Anna is probably the least culpable. Larry is the most deceiving...

However, this is great directing. Mike Nichols is brilliant. It's not his best movie, but he develops his characters at the right pace - although we quickly learn things about them, they don't feel rushed and out of place. He knows how to manipulate the audience (the soundtrack being a good example. The quiet acoustic guitar in "The Blower's Daughter" only serves to attempt to leave the audience awestruck and feel they've experienced something depressing but strong) and he knows how to get the audience to feel something towards someone. We're supposed to be sympathetic for Dan and abhor Alice, but, should we really when we consider everything?

It's amazing he can make these kinds of edgy and racy movies at his age. What's next? A teenage comedy when he's 80?

A

Good review, torri. I agree about Julia Roberts. She was by far the worst thing about the movie. I honestly forgot that she was in it for moments at a time.

Thanks. I rushed it, which is why the thoughts are all over the place...Where's your review? :wink:

It's kind of refreshing to see Julia in a role like this, though. Even as loyal said, it's odd seeing her talk about cumming and divorce

Personally, I thought Julia Roberts' icy, emotionless performance worked for the character. I think perhaps Closer was trying to show that Anna thought of herself as someone who was emotionally strong, even if she was pretty weak at heart.

After thinking about it more, though, Roberts' performance was on par with Jude Law's. Owen and Portman absolutely stole the film.

I never wrote one, I guess. I saw it when I wasn't coming here that often. I would have given it an A, though. Incredible film. I think I had it at number three for the year.

I saw it in December, too. One of my friends saw it yesterday (no school. teehee), though, and we were discussing it. I then decided to make my review

Maybe I'm a little bias towards her because she gets a lot of crap from people. I read things at a lot of places saying she isn't an actress and blah blah. This is her second role since Pretty Woman where I actually saw her as an actress, and not a movie star, if that makes sense. It was just nice to see her doing something different and taking a chance. I'll agree that she wasn't the strongest in the film, but she was better than Jude Law. The scene between her and Clive when she tells him about her affair is great. I think she plays in brilliantly, even if she is outshown by Clive.

Anyway, I'm glad you liked it Torrino. It really is a brilliant film, even with its flaws.

You didn't see her as an actress in Erin Brockovich? I thought she was the best in that.

For me, that was easy to see during the movie.

I just thought Owens and Portman were outstanding and a level over the fine / good jobs of Roberts / Law.

Ellen Burstyn totally deserved the Oscar that year.

I still need to see Requiem...

For shame Dr. Lecter... For shame...

Erin Brockovich and Closer. :wink:

Of course, she was better in Erin.

I don't think so. Ellen was great, but I thought Julia was better. Plus, Ellen already had one. Both those movies are really good, though.

Roberts deserved the Oscar for Erin, no question.

I just rented and finished watching this film. I thought that the film was great, very well done. Portman is incredible. A-

I am currently enthralled with this film.

Jesus christ the last image of Angie walking down the New York streets while "The Blower's Daughter" plays is just... genius.

I thought Roberts was great, as good as Jude Law, but yes, Portman and Owens just completely obliterated them in this film. Natalie has NEVER been better. And Owens...

The scene in the strip club is probably one of the single greatest this year in terms of acting, directing, script, cinematography, etc. Also the conversation between Julia and Clive when Julia is leaving. Also the black and white restaurant scene... My name is Jane. UGH.

I think it is interesting how I feel about the characters at the end of the movie.

This film is less about sex than it is about the lies and the truth.

"...and so it isssssss..."

I'm addicted to that song now, by the way. Closer was an excellent movie. There's so many great things about it. Where to start? Well, let's see. The performances were nearly flawless. Natalie Portman is now of the hottest chicks in Hollywood after seeing this movie. She's not only got some great acting skills, but a body to back it up. Clive Owen and Jude Law were both fantastic. Awesome performances. Julia Roberts, while great, didn't blow me away. I didn't notice much about her in this movie anyways. The dialogue... wow. I don't know how many times I heard "cum" and "cunt", but it was fantastic. The music, of course, was killer. Loved it all. Wonderfully paced. This movie was a big surprise to me. While not the best of the year, it's pretty high. A-

Once again we completely agree


*shoots himself*

CLOSER
Rated R – sequences of graphic dialogue, nudity/sexuality, and language
Running Time – 104 minutes


I’m not sure how I can put in words how much I love the film CLOSER. It’s a film that’s real, hard hitting and brilliantly acted by all four of the main actors. The film never came near me in theaters, and I was really disappointed. Thankfully, one of my friends pulled through and got me a bootlegged version of the film for me. I was absolutely stunned at the motion picture I saw. Not only was I impressed but I ended up being quite depressed with my eyes filling up with tears.
Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer, when she has to take a photo of a Dan (Jude Law) to put on his book cover of his new book, they fell in love. Anna knew though that nothing could happen between them because Dan has a girlfriend named Alice (Natalie Portman) who’s a stripper. When she finds out, she doesn’t want to say anything to Dan about it. Then, in a crude way, Dan goes into a chat room and says his name is Anna to a man named Larry (Clive Owen) as part of a sick joke, but what Dan doesn’t know, is that he is Anna and Larry’s “cupid.”
Natalie Portman (GARDEN STATE) was absolutely brilliant. My favorite shot of her, and of the movie was at the beginning when Anna is photographing Dan, and they’re talking, and Alice overhears them, and she says “just take my picture” with one single tear crawling down her face. She really deserved the Golden Globe award she won, and she should’ve won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as well.
Clive Owen (SIN CITY) was amazing as well. His performance was so dark and so depressing, you didn’t know if you should hate the guy or if you should be sad for him. I mean, some of the things he said to Anna was absolutely terrible, but what she did to him was equally terrible. By the end of the movie, I really did hate the guy, but in the middle of it, I wasn’t sure how to feel towards him.
Julia Roberts (ERIN BROCKOVICH) is at the top of her game here. I thought she was absolutely amazing in ERIN BROCKOVICH, but she was even more amazing and deserving of an Oscar win. Her, like all the other performances in the film, were so depressing and real you couldn’t help but feel for her character. I’m really disappointed that Julia Roberts wasn’t nominated for anything for this movie.
Jude Law (SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW) was the worst out of the cast, but he was still great, like everyone else, definitely at the top of his game. At the end I really hated his character; I mean I wanted to choke him until he died. What he did … it just makes me so angry and sad … sometimes I forget it’s a movie. You forget you’re watching real actors because the situations are so incredibly real.
CLOSER is one of the most depressing films of the year, and one of the best of the year too. It has some of the best performances, some of the best camera shots, and definitely the best use of any song last year (Damien Rice’s THE BLOWER’S DAUGHTER). The film is hauntingly real, and something many people would be able to relate to. I highly recommend it, but you should know it is not some cutesy romance flick just because it has Julia Roberts. It’s a depressing, sometimes graphic character study on life.

10/10 (A+)

Why do you guys think Jude Law wan't as good as the other four? Was it because he was probably the most dislikable character...or do you just not think he was as good?


Easily the best ensemble I saw last year...Julia Roberts is great here but her role is not as juicy...no big scene like the one with Clive Owen and Natalie Portman at the bar, for example.

This along with Before Sunset and Dogville were three movies last year that just crushed every Hollywood cliched, and managed to be one of the best movies of the year in doing so. I wish there were more like it.

A

P.S. That last SCENE. BEAUTIFUL.