Review of Closer (2004) by Ljiljana B — 10 Jul 2010

I don't know what it is about Hollywood, but it appears that every time they make a movie in England, it's all about sex and lies. From Woody Allen's Match Point to the movie I just watched. Closer. If you disagree look Closer.

Closer is a story about four people Anna (julia Roberts), Dan (Jude Law), Larry (Clive Owen) and Alice (Natalie Portman) and the relationships between each other. The more closer they are, the more strained each relationship get. They won't experience love and they get nothing out of it.

My parents had already watched this movie years ago and now it's my turn to see what's this like. And it is not bad, but more mediocre and boring.

You know while I was watching I was wondering why am I watching this movie when it is so vulgar and so boring, I just wanted to kill myself. It starts off very well with Natalie Portman involved in a car accident then a laugh out scene bwteen Jude Law and Clive Owen having a sex chat, but then the movie becomes clattered. The dialogue then becomes excruciating and more often I started to feel so furious whenever something erotic is going on. It feels like I'm watching a porno. Seriously you could've added a scene of "we find out when we first met and she's a stripper" instead of "second time we met and I was horrified to find out she's a stripper".

Mike Nicholls who directed The Graduate decades ago, directed this movie. You see whenever something happened, he attempts to create honesty and emotion that it's all well filmed nothing. Serious advice for the director that if you wanted something really strong don't go too far with your characters.

The characters are alright. The rest of the cast, I think are terrific particularly Natalie Portman who was nominated for an Oscar in this flick. Unfortunately the problem with the cast is that they tend to overact and exagerrate, it seems that they have two working gears: yelling and crying. Seriously Julia Roberts how could I care if you are feeling depressed. I have no idea why you are so sad all the time.

But the real problem is all about the concept. As I mentioned in the start it's all about sex and lies. With that concept it makes Jude Law and Clive Owen into people I don't give a damn about because they don't care for women. Even if you have sex there's no way I would care less.

OK. There are scenes that I do liked. The sex chat between Jude Law and Clive Owen is really funny. The scene where Natalie Portman's a stripper aroused the hell out of me. But that does not establish her as a sex symbol today. And that might be the reason why men would want to see this flick. Simply cos Portman's stripping and you would like it.

However the whole movie's so boring and in this film, nothing happens. The movie seems to turn into a soap opera where there go into various cliches so overused.

Yes critics would say this is a movie about relationships in this modern era. But to my view, this is a movie about sex addicts. And no matter how good the acting, the cinematography, the setting, or anything in that movie there, it's just depressing. Seriously if you want something about relationships without demeaning women, go and watch the epic movie Brokeback Mountain.

Don't get any closer to this movie.