Review of The Closet (2001) by Jesse O — 31 May 2013

This is a good movie, even if the plotting and execution are a little bit formulaic. But this was exactly the type of movie that I needed to watch today, after an especially rough day emotionally, it was silly and light fun with an immensely likable performance from Daniel Auteuil.

The set-up sounds like the plot of a sitcom episode, and in many ways it plays out exactly like that. Francois pretends to be gay to save him from being fired, this revelation leads to his co-workers treating him differently and he gets in increasingly silly hi-jinks.

My favorite character in the movie would have to be Felix, I just found this idea of this macho homophobe, in being manipulated by his friends to change his ways and to be nice to Francois or else he risks being fired, discovers that he is, in fact, a homosexual.

It doesn't read out well, but I thought the execution was actually the highlight of the film. I don't think the film, overtly, offends gay lifestyle and, in fact, I think it does anything but because, in a way, it does highlight how people have evolved but in a lot of ways they still stay the same.

And this is a movie from 2000, so it's definitely relevant as far as its message goes. The movie also lays on its sweetness pretty thick, but not to the point where it becomes nauseating, it's just the right amount.

Daniel Auteuil is very entertaining, I think he has great facial expressions and, as mentioned, he's really likable. He has that warmth about him that makes relating to him very easy. The rest of the cast is also solid, Gerard Depardieu being the highlight as his is the most interesting character.

The movie, unfortunately, in spite of all of this, isn't hilarious. It's certainly funny, but only sporadically so. But that's not even that big of an issue for me when the movie is as fun as it is.

I took this film for what it was, silly and light entertainment. It won't win any serious film awards, but it is a fun film that doesn't demand a lot out of you. There's a place for these films if they're done well, and this movie was so I can recommend it.