Closer (2004)
June 11, 2024 2:52 PM - Subscribe
Two couples disintegrate when they begin destructive adulterous affairs with each other.
Directed by Mike Nichols.
Roger Ebert: There's a creepy fascination in the way these four characters stage their affairs while occupying impeccable lifestyles. They dress and present themselves handsomely. They fit right in at the opening of Anna's photography exhibition. (One of the photographs shows Alice with tears on her face as she discerns that Dan was unfaithful with Anna; that's the stuff that art is made of, isn't it?) They move in that London tourists never quite see, the London of trendy restaurants on dodgy streets, and flats that are a compromise between affluence and the exorbitant price of housing. There is the sense that their trusts and betrayals are not fundamentally important to them; "You've ruined my life," one says, and then is told, "You'll get over it."
Ed Gonzalez: Like Robert Altman, Mike Nichols is great with actors and has an incredible knack for picking great material, but while both men are similarly obsessed with scrutinizing modern mating rituals, Nichols can’t hold a candle to what Altman does with his lens. Where Nichols mostly uses his camera to point and shoot, Altman uses his in the same way a great jazzman uses his instrument: as an improvisational tool to capture and measure delicate shifts in human behavior.
Mick LaSalle: The other three principals -- Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen -- are superb. In the case of Portman and Owen, not only have they never been better, but they've never been so revealed and compelling. Their forceful work actually inspires viewing strategies, like watching Roberts while imagining the same scenes but with another actress. Still, with the energy constantly dropping down to zero, it's impossible to imagine what "Closer" might have been, except the thing it is: A collection of two-person encounters, some hit and some miss, all dealing with some aspect of sex, lust or betrayal.
Trailer
Rated 68% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by Mike Nichols.
Roger Ebert: There's a creepy fascination in the way these four characters stage their affairs while occupying impeccable lifestyles. They dress and present themselves handsomely. They fit right in at the opening of Anna's photography exhibition. (One of the photographs shows Alice with tears on her face as she discerns that Dan was unfaithful with Anna; that's the stuff that art is made of, isn't it?) They move in that London tourists never quite see, the London of trendy restaurants on dodgy streets, and flats that are a compromise between affluence and the exorbitant price of housing. There is the sense that their trusts and betrayals are not fundamentally important to them; "You've ruined my life," one says, and then is told, "You'll get over it."
Ed Gonzalez: Like Robert Altman, Mike Nichols is great with actors and has an incredible knack for picking great material, but while both men are similarly obsessed with scrutinizing modern mating rituals, Nichols can’t hold a candle to what Altman does with his lens. Where Nichols mostly uses his camera to point and shoot, Altman uses his in the same way a great jazzman uses his instrument: as an improvisational tool to capture and measure delicate shifts in human behavior.
Mick LaSalle: The other three principals -- Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen -- are superb. In the case of Portman and Owen, not only have they never been better, but they've never been so revealed and compelling. Their forceful work actually inspires viewing strategies, like watching Roberts while imagining the same scenes but with another actress. Still, with the energy constantly dropping down to zero, it's impossible to imagine what "Closer" might have been, except the thing it is: A collection of two-person encounters, some hit and some miss, all dealing with some aspect of sex, lust or betrayal.
Trailer
Rated 68% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
You know what's crazy? I am reading Ebert's review in Ebert's voice. :D
posted by Glinn at 6:09 PM on June 11 [4 favorites]
posted by Glinn at 6:09 PM on June 11 [4 favorites]
The theme song got stuck in my head FOR MONTHS. Whatever my thoughts on the movie, I will never watch it again just because of I'm terrified of that happening again.
posted by miss-lapin at 6:26 PM on June 11 [2 favorites]
posted by miss-lapin at 6:26 PM on June 11 [2 favorites]
Love this movie. Not sure what that says about me. And the catchy music is Damien Rice's "O" album... not the worst thing to be stuck in your head!
posted by pjenks at 7:59 PM on June 11 [3 favorites]
posted by pjenks at 7:59 PM on June 11 [3 favorites]
And I've got to disagree with Mick LaSalle's panning of Julia Roberts. She has some of her best career moments of acting here.
posted by pjenks at 8:02 PM on June 11 [1 favorite]
posted by pjenks at 8:02 PM on June 11 [1 favorite]
Yeah "The Blower's Daughter" became a hate/love song for me after this movie. The repeated lines of course, but also the part^ where Damien Rice sucks in a breath right before saying "the colder water" like he's shivering. Since then, any formation like "____er's ____er" is likely to trigger me to sing it.
I like that Owen and Roberts have shallow jobs: dermatologist, photographer; and Portman too I guess. They're all so shallow and awful. I admire this anti-romance but I don't think I would ever want to watch it again. When it was over I felt free and cleansed like Portman's character.
posted by fleacircus at 9:44 PM on June 11 [2 favorites]
I like that Owen and Roberts have shallow jobs: dermatologist, photographer; and Portman too I guess. They're all so shallow and awful. I admire this anti-romance but I don't think I would ever want to watch it again. When it was over I felt free and cleansed like Portman's character.
posted by fleacircus at 9:44 PM on June 11 [2 favorites]
I saw this when it came out, but I don't remember the context -- I probably liked the cast and was interested in seeing Portman in one of her first real adult roles (Garden State barely counts for this, and the Star Wars abominations not at all). I have a vague recollection of thinking Roberts was miscast and punching above her weight, but the only thing that really stuck with me out of the entire movie was the dancing/conversation scene b/t Portman and Owen. I've never had any desire to rewatch it.
posted by Pedantzilla at 11:23 PM on June 11 [1 favorite]
posted by Pedantzilla at 11:23 PM on June 11 [1 favorite]
I probably saw this just when it hit DVD, working in a video store at the time, in college. I remember almost nothing about it, other than being really depressed by it. Due for a rewatch— thanks for posting!
posted by supercres at 1:26 AM on June 12
posted by supercres at 1:26 AM on June 12
Yep, loved that song for a while. Still enjoy it. I first noticed Owen in Beyond Borders in 2003, but the King Arthur movie he did in 2004 was so bad. I was happy this one was an improvement. I think there is a bit where Portman asks Law's character if he even likes her. I feel like I've seen the dynamic in so many relationships but the woman hasn't figured it out yet.
posted by soelo at 6:59 PM on June 16
posted by soelo at 6:59 PM on June 16
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posted by Glinn at 6:05 PM on June 11 [1 favorite]