Based on the acclaimed play by Patrick Marber, Closer is a modern day sexual exploration that at one point in history would not have been allowed in mainstream movie theaters and still may find trouble in the more conservative states.
Closer is a verbal jigsaw puzzle that puts together the lives of four previous strangers in such a way that the pieces never quite fit but the end result is quite the fitting film.
Mike Nichols returns to the big screen after last year’s resounding success with the HBO miniseries “Angels in America,” which ate up the 2004 awards circuit. This time around Nichols isn’t straying far from what has made him one of the best directors in recent years by bringing such a sordid and sexual tale to life.
Our players are Alice (Portman), Dan (Law), Anna (Roberts) and Larry (Owen). Alice is a visitor from America trying to find new life in London, Dan is an obituary journalist trying to find what he thinks is love, Anna is a successful photographer and Larry is a nymphomaniac M.D. Together these four people find their lives woven together in such a way you could never possibly imagine and while the tapestry that is presented is audibly raw the acting involved gives it such life that it becomes one of the better films of 2004.
Portman strays from the cute girl she has seemed to nail in her early years of acting and pulls off the most daring of the four roles as an ex-stripper running from her troubles in America. Soon enough she finds herself back in the g-string and along with her co-stars they begin spewing such words as “cum,” “cock” and “pussy” as if they were second nature giving many audience members the shock of their life.
This verbal exercise in freedom brings to life a world were adults are not inhibited by MPAA ratings boards or the politically correct way of speaking and expressing your feelings. Our players have real fights and real arguments bringing out the truth, making this dark film one of the more realistic films in a long while.
All things considered this movie may be a good portrayal of true life, but it also brings to light four characters who generally would be considered the lowest on the moral totem pole. With no disdane for the feelings of others or even those they “love” these characters tend to make their best efforts to burn any and all moral fiber in an effort to unknowingly sabotage everything they place any value on.
It isn’t while you are watching Closer that you understand you are viewing a great movie it is hours afterwards. Once the dust has settled your mind begins to run through what you have just seen and begins to put together the pieces that were so delicately placed in front of you.
Nichols proves to be a fantastic director as he takes the wonderously written Marber script and spans years without a single written timeline on screen. This film is truly an actor’s film as they are allowed to tell the story through their acting rather than with annoying voice over or on screen cues to the audience.
This is a thinking person’s movie, and not a film for anyone in demand of action packed sequences or anyone that offends easily, because trust me, you will be offended if that is you.
For the rest of us, it is executed flawlessly, setting off opinions and emotions you may never thought would be accessed. In a movie that is so sexually charged it is amazing there isn’t a single sex scene or an ounce of nudity, unless you count a look at Portman’s bum. Limited to implied sexual activity and an unrelentless fervor for using every sexual position and escapade to be drawn out in full verbal description Closer is demanding appreciation for its script, its acting and its power to hold you captive.
