Margaret A.! The title of the mane song is "Come on closer" by Jem. It is realllllly coooool !!!

Wonderful film. Owen and Portman were simply flawless. The scenes between the characters were so brutally honest, you felt pain watching them. I mean a good kind of pain. One that left you awake and at the edge of your seat. It was like a talkie that felt like an action movie.

This film is terrible. it's a classic example of bad filmaking sold and packaged to appear good. everyone who likes it either absolved their personal guilt of being able to connect with the idiotic characters or just thought they were watching a good movie but it tricked you. the way they showed time passing was good. that gets 2 points. the rest was worthless.

I am puzzled by the many summaries and reviews that use the word "funny" to describe this movie. It is a brutally honest and stark look at random behavior and consequences. Very good performances rescue the thin character development that kept the movie from being rivetting as opposed to curious.

A shallow, frivilous bore, and in the end you ask: "who cares?"

A truly excellent script by Patrick Marber fuels this film past any faults it may have into a different realm enitrely. Marber accomplishes what very few playwritghts who adapt their own work can do...he keeps the character-based chamber drama primitive, raw, and exciting without delving into melodramatic cliches or clumsiness. While this film doesn't reach the beautiful heights of Mike Nichols' last film, "Angels of America", the greatest made-for-TV film ever made, it is still one of the better mainstream Hollywood movie of the year. The acting all around is magnificent, particularly from Clive Owen and surprisingly Julia Roberts, who seems to be getting lost in the shuffle (perhaps because it's been so long since she hasn't played herself) turns in one of her very best performances yet. Keeping the entire duration as a series of scenes between the 4 leads gives the film a certain purity of emotion and power that very few others this year could match. Highly recommended for those looking for well-crafted, literate drama.… Expand

Awful, actually.

Haunting and heartbreaking.

I went into the movie with fairly positive expectations. I walked out of the theater proclaiming that this was one of the three worst movies I have seen in my lifetime. I would agree with some of the other reviews that the acting was solid. However, the overall spirit of this movie is completely soul-crushing. This wretched film drains energy for two solid hours, as the viewer is subjected to utterly distant people painstakingly draining each other's lives. This film feels like a two hour, knock-down drag out argument out with a loved one--ala the wretched "A Story of Us". I would recommend this movie to only those with the most cynical view of love and relationships. Someone reeling from a bitter recent breakup, for instance, might find comfort in watching the emotional torture of others. Everyone else would be advised to stay away or at least saw off a non-dominant limb for a lesser form of abuse.… Expand

The best movie I have seen in a very long time. Who knew Julia could really act? The direction is impecable and the soundtrack is also poignant. But the writer deserves the most kudos for being unafraid to unleash rhythmatic dialogue that cuts to the truth of the human mind. It is a fearless movie with fearless performances. Those that have failed to see that on this page, I can only assume, are afraid of their own love's fate or are completely dry in the creative department....because this is good cinema.… Expand

It's been a long time since I've left a movie before it ended. Who talks like that? Obviously Hollywood believes that as long as they saturate a film with beautiful people and big names, the audience will respond. This film was total crap. Infidelity may not be new, but the way these people deal with it is completely unrealistic. What man goes to hug his wife after she tells him all the explicit details of her extra marital affair. Who says, "Did you get dressed because you thought I was going to hit you"? To which J. Roberts responds "I've been hit before." What crap dialogue, and the acting was totally boring. The stripper girl got on my last nerve. The scenes in the strip club just got to be too much for me to take any longer. After watching this guy yell in the strip club about wanting love and truth, I just couldn't take it any longer. It's been a long time since I've seen anything so bad. The next time I see a film with nothing but big name stars, I know it's going to be horrible (case in point, "The Mexican"). Jude Law is everywhere. He will soon be another Ben Affleck, and J. Roberts has enough money. Surely, she can afford to turn down crap films like this one.… Expand

Nearly pornographic! disgusting!

This is easily one of the BEST films I have ever had the privelege to see. The acting was AMAZING. Natalie was the best I've ever seen her and Jude played his part well, too. Even Julia showed that she can do something with depth. I normally get bored when I try to watch movies, but I was completely glued to my TV. Natalie and Jude were REAL in their parts. I've never seen two actors have that kind of chemistry onscreen (Although-- The actors in 'Unfaithful' do come close) Those of you that said the dialogue and actions of the characters were unrealistic are wrong. Some people are more intense than others. I have been one of those "intense" people. I have witnessed the strange obsessions that some people can get into over eachother and it really isn't so far-fetched at all. People really DO say and do things like that. People that don't see the truth in this movie are clearly the kind of people who are too scared (or just not bright enough) to look inside themselves or to be honest about their motives or the motives of other people -- Anyway, my review is- This movie is fantastic-- If you're given to periods of some intense self-analysis, you will adore this movie... If you sit glued to reality TV and ESPN and rarely pick up a book- Don't bother- it will go straight over your head.… Expand

I love jude law.

I hate when people say that if you didn't like this film you are a prude, conservative or have never analysed self deeply. this film is for the people who have only touched the surface. there are people like these characters in the world but i only have met a few and they have been some of the worst and most uninteresting humans i have known and i can't say anything better for these characters or the people who sympathise with them.… Expand

A wretched, wretched look at the worst of humanity that manages to be equal parts joylessness and superficiality, interspersed with a most banal and unconvincing exploration of sexual obsession. The actors are consistently betrayed by the material. It's not bad in the traditioanl sense of being poorly written, but it is wretched: a story about four people you couldn't stand to be around for five minutes without slapping them silly or running in the other direction. But boringly, predictably, they all have the same pathetic, unconvincing, basically psychopathic approach to love and sex. Human imperfection is a wonderful theme for film and can be entertaining, endearing, or movingly tragic when done well. It is none of those things here. This film is rubbish because the writer's work is rubbish, high-brow rubbish to be sure, but still worthy of nothing better than immediate relegation to the garbage dump. I hated every minute of this film. Not even worth seeing for the fine performances. Dissatisfying on virtually every level. No. No. No.… Expand

Natalie Portman is too attractive for anyone's good.

Very real relationship situations. The truth comes out.

Hollywood never looks at their arts effect on younger people like the did when movies were truly wonderful. This story is so dark, so heavy on sexual themes, that a good, dark drama had to be sunk to a Porn flick. My wife and I along with another couple got our money back.

Bravo! Funny, sad, raw, edgy, emotionally draining - totally compelling. Messy, life like. The cast is perfection, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen give Oscar worthy performances. Their breakup scene is best acted scene in a movie this year.

Can't say I've been more turned off by the actions of four adults in my life. Sexual perversion radiates in this movie with language to make a sailor blush. Julia Roberts was simply awful in her character portrayal. What these people found so interesting in each other is beyond me. Defintiely NOT a date movie. Avoid.

It was a tad bit too cynical for me, and I usually prefer 'realistic' movies to contrived happy endings. The characters all seemed to have strong feelings for each other, but you never saw anything positive between them to understand why. All the scenes seemed to be designed to have critics rave about how good the acting is, and there was little else to make me interested in what was going on between these caricature-like characters.… Expand

It's hard to like these characters. film has a few funny moments.

Many there really are people who are cynical enough - or stupid enough - to find merit in a movie about four such self-destructive imbeciles. The artsy types (such as many so-called movie critics) love to embrace the "honesty" of psychologic pathology. This moive has no shortage of that. Fact is, only people who derive some form of perverse joy in watching idiotic people engage in idiotic dialogue for idiotic reasons might find merit in this movie. The rest of us would do better to spend the money at McDonalds.… Expand

A good movie, not great. The characters are so dark its hard to like any of them. See it if you the time.

Well written. Well crafted. Well acted. If you didn't like this movie, it is because you didn't understand it. Anybody expecting to see pretty woman deserves to be disappointed.

I thought the film was okay. Its very dark, but all the same parts scream "real-life". people dont like realisim in films as most of the time life isnt great and things dont end up all happy and cheery. My friends hated it, but in my opinion its the kind of film that will always have split views. It is quite unique and that is also what gives it its spark.

Badly developed theme but carried out by excellent actors who manage to keep you interested.

I never go to theaters, so this is like going for a time.

Superb!

One of the best movies of 04. Very real and touching.

One of the most sexually explicit movies ever, and it doesn't even contain any sex scenes. For that alone, it is totally awesome. Not to mention great performances from all the actors, especially Clive Owen. Even though his character is totally despicable, you still end up kind of rooting for him in the end. Awesome.

Top notch film. Amazing cast, couldn't have been better. Natalie Portman was very believable in her role as Alice. Had to pay close attention to keep track of the plot at times. It was unlike any other movie about relationships. A great drama that keeps viewers intriuged until the last second.

An appaling film which all four stars should be embarrassed to put their name to. With no depth and a shocking script, the characters were instantly dislikeable and there was nothing to keep me interested. Unrealistic, filthy and quite honestly a waste of money.

Waste of time and money!

It is true that life is cruel and that love most of the times is just a word. But, what a terrible way to express it, they lost the chance to express the real world. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!

This movie was a train wreck. All 4 characters spend the whole movie engaging in duplicitous infidelities, while simultaneously shrieking that they must know the "truth" of each others' affairs, because the truth is all that matters. Huh? While some of the acting was good (Owens and Portman), Roberts and Law were barely passable. The characters were so despicable, I can't understand why anyone would care about them. My greatest regret is that I didn't drive myself, so I could have left early.… Expand

The best movie that i saw in many years. Sad and beautiful and Blower's Daughter is the song.

Natalya Portman was nominated and I though she was a phony who can't act. I have mixed feelings about the film. My wife asked me what the film was about. I said, "It is a film about bonking" She laughed. You don't see anyone get in the sack which is a rarity these days. The script was so fast paced. Iwent for a cup of teaa and they had already hitched up and were in bed with each other and then they were splitting up and getting ack to gether. It left me breathless. It is not dull there is a fast pace to the movie. Still I wondered about the script it was too condesned. Can anyone tell me what Natalya Portamns chacter was? Was she Julie or the other person. I left the theatre confused. What happened? She told Jue her name was Julia but at the end of the film he is llooking at a name on the wall. I don't get it. I thought the actors were miscast. Portaman should be playing teenager parts. Julia Robers was too old for her part. I though she was a Mother rather than a vixen women. Judd was out of his depth. The only real actor was the doctor he played his chacter well.… Expand

There are some people in the movie buisness who feel that Jude Law is "doomed to a life of character acting". His honest, down-to-earth performances in this movie, as well as in Alfie, and Cold Mountain, which he got an Oscar nomination for should have been enough to silence the naysayers. Julia Roberts...she's...well just a film actress. And yet in Closer, she still manages to give a very believable performance. So believable that it almost makes me want to retract the statement I made about her just being a film actress. (Then I remember the Oceans movies.) Clive Oven and Natalie Portman are definetly going to be major stars in the following years, no question. Although the dialogue was well-written by critical standards, there was still a need for wittier dialogue. Patrick Marber (the screenwriter) could have had a little more empathy for these characters, so that we can believe that there is hope for these characters to become good people later in their lives. Then we don't have to walk out of the theater feeling slightly depressed. Overall, well-written screenplay, superb acting, good music soundtrack, gorgeous cineamatography and a supposed winning streak for director Mike Nichols.… Expand

Very Boring, the film kept jumping forward a couple of months to a year. You could easily miss 20 minutes of the film and come back into it. Not really a point to the film, good for a snooze.

The performances and the screenplay are oscar-worthy.

A film dripping with sexual content that has no nudity or bedroom scenes (well, we can't count the strip club stuff - that's in every flick these days). Brilliant. Take "Carnal Knowledge" and update it for the digital age. Riveting.

It is so truthful that it gets you absorded! It is funny, inteligent and realist in many ways! Nelson Rodrigues stile, just great!

Overrated and somewhat boring! The caracters are pathetic!!!!

Closer to real life than probably a lot of people would like to admit.

Tough picture to see, I can definitely see people hating this. The critics and moviegoers are absolutely right, it's VERY hard to sympathize with these characters, but I was surprised when I eventually did (to a degree). Not with Jude Law's character, who's a self-centered jerk. He does an excellent job, but his character is such a selfish prig, I swear, even when he's being nice, he's still being self-centered in some way - absolutely the worst guy here. Roberts does a fine job (kudos on her attempt to try something different), her character is so sad and pathetic, in retrospect, I think she was wallowing in self-pity, which is why she'd fall for Jude Law's character. At first, it's unbelievable how she'd let him into her life, but the reasons quickly sink in. No, the most sympathetic characters are surprisingly the two 'worst' ones, worst in the conventional, moral sense: the on-and-off stripper and the crass perv. Portman is EXCELLENT, I had no idea she could be this good after seeing her in those lame Star Wars movies. At times caustic and bitter, then euphoric, then completely falling apart, she's put through an emotional roller coaster and she pulls it off very well and very convincingly. Then there's Clive Owen: his character's a perv who's possibly a sex addict: he's blunt and nonchalant in talking about it in pornographic detail, he visits sex chat rooms, has no problem meeting strangers for sex and sleeping with whores...how can you possibly like the guy, right? Well, it's a miracle, because in the context of this picture, he's actually the most decent guy here. That probably sounds bad, but as it turns out, his crass and crude demeanor is a reflection of his honest, too. He doesn't lie, his affections for those close to him are real and deeply felt, and when he acts nice, he's genuinely sincere - no selfish motive or anything, he's genuinely sweet. If you really want to spell out his problem, it's that he refuses to hold back his emotions. If he feels animal lust, he lets it fly, but by the same token, he doesn't take his real relationships for granted either for the same reason. May be tough to watch, but approach it with an open mind.… Expand

An honest and compeliing, if perhaps somewhat contrived film, about male emotion when applied to relationships. The dialogue is tough, but real, and well written, as it not only conveys the emotions of the characters, but also show wit and intelligence. The characters all have flaws, and all become conniving and unlikable to some degree (maybe too much), and yet it all seems understandable, though not always agreeable. All the actors perform well, though Natalie Portman and Jude Law were cast to their strengths, while Julia Roberts plays against character and does a fine job. Clive Owen, to me, provides the best performace. I wanted to like him and dislike at the same time. I liked his character's honesty, and disliked him for his brutal truth attitude toward sex and realtionships. Those who who fear frank discussions about sex and realtionships should skip it.… Expand

Pseudointellectual writing and great performances. Dialogue is mediocre and contrived. Not grounded in reality.

"Closer" is a very well-acted, well-directed and well-edited piece of junk. Unlikeable characters I can take; an unlikeable film is something else.

One word amazing.

There's no doubt this movie is powerful and leaves an impression. The first hour is brutal and honest. However, the last third turns stupid and cheap. It really is a shame.

What no one seems to be mentioning, and this will help potential viewers make their decision of whether to see it or not, is that this movie is an adaptation of a play. Therefore, and it can be said, throughout the whole movie, only the 4 characters have speaking roles. Thats not an exaggeration, they are literally the only people who have a speaking role in the movie. So, if you like plays, and you love dialogue in your movies, theres a great chance you will like this movie because of its plot twists and emotional depiction of deception and love. It questions why we love, and has very true real life moments in it. Overall, since it is a play, the cast ultimately supports the movie, and they all do a fantastic job with the exception of Roberts, who plays her role well but doesn't exceed. … Expand

It surprises me that this movie evokes such negative reactions from reviewers. I thought this was a wonderful movie..cleverly acted, (in particular by Clive Owen and a Oscar-worthy performance by Natalie Portman), well written (barring a few minor plot irregularities), and was a viewing delight throughout. It is a rather depressing look at human nature, but that makes the film all that more engaging, and truly unique in the all too common "happy" Hollywood movies and sappy endings. To me, this film delivered what Sideways promised and never delivered....witty dialogue, clever interplay between characters, and depth of character development. A truly wonderful film, not to be missed. … Expand

Very good!

As viewers we look out for a little drama combined with other movie' elements. The movie revolves around four people who apparently don't even love themselves and their emotional treats are not fully developed ( not a love storie).

What a piece of crap. One of the few movies I've walked out of in the theater.

Intense and upsetting but wonderful, haunting.

I can't remember a movie I so disliked. Not only have I never met anyone as vacuous as the characters in this movie, I hope I never do. I found absolutely nothing entertaining or engaging about this film.

Tired of manipulative, cloying Hollywood films with their ever-so-predictable uplifting endings? Here's a nice break from all the cinematic Holiday hooha.

Cold as ice lowing through the characters veins as well as boring to watch. One of the most overrated movies of the year. Avoid.

the movie flows in and out of love and sorrow so flawlessly, the performances are riveting, especially a haunting roberts as the sad and solemn, anna. watch this. and be prepared to be shaken into loving it or hating it. depends on your intellect.

But the movie doesn't say anything. It doesn't explain anything. Life has depth. This movie, though having a somewhat attempted guise of artistic value, does not, and I certainly don't believe that guise is enough to glaze over the completely vapid plot. It's not the first time Hollywood threw out a pessimistic and negative portrayal, so it's hardly new on that front. It seems the higher ratings were so inundated by "edgy, realistic, negative drama" that they forgot to actually watch the movie.… Expand

Welcome to the real life. S..t happens and kudos for the film to show the other side of happiness. excellent film.

This move will very likely appeal to snobby movie critics and people who wants to get as far from mainstream movies as possible, but in the opinion of a regular person, it rates very low in entertinment value, it jumps ahead way to much, so you never feel a part of the experience, and the story never really goes anywhere. Plus none of the action happens on screen, they just talk about later! Boring. Pretentious. Unrealistic. The only reason it gets a 3 from me is because Clive Owen does a good acting job.… Expand

Nothing is more pathetic than cinema and amateur critics who rave over a movie's "honesty" just because the characters portrayed within it are psychological and spiritually corrupt. Sad commentary. Unless you're 1000% cynical (or terminally stupid) avoid this movie at all costs.

This movie was horrible --- who wants to pay money to see this crap. No redeeming qualities at all. It's very jaded and bleak.

I adore it I hated it the first time because I was slightly disturbed......at its honesty I suppose. Here is the thing it is honest truthful of breaking down people.....are all people cheaters and decievers? NO but everyone keeps some kind of secrets and has weaknesses and some let go of inabitions and some live by them until the day they die. but in the end is anyone really happy with the life they have? or what they have? There are a very few who can say yes. the majority say they are unhappy. The acting was brilliant and the plot was fantastic. Anyone who gives a low rating (no offense) but they probably treat life as a fairy tale this shows just a little piece of people inside and out.(Again dont take offence(I am dating a person who acts as life is a fairy tale) :O)… Expand

It was the best film i have ever seen. so dramatical and sad but interesting. how people can destroy their lives without knowing what they want.

This was a really great movie. The music was absolutely tremendous. Jude Law & Co were outstanding. Could someone please tell me the name of the song played throughout the film.

Plays like a film version of the old Calvin Klein Obsession commercials. Just a lot of empty declaiming to no purpose whatsoever, which may indicate a failure to adapt what might have played well (or, at any rate, somewhat better) on stage. The characters, with one exception, are absolutely vile -- and not (I hope) remotely true to life. Particularly strange was all the going on about loving one another when nothing remotely loving was evident. This was a particularly dreadful example of a film trying desperately to seem cutting edge and mature while ending up laughable and absurd. Natalie Portman's lap dance monologue (a wonderful gift to an actor) was beautifully done, however.… Expand

This movie is fabulous, a fabulousness no other movie can embody. It is great because shows life how it is ; the way people are too scared to admit.

Easily one of the worst movies i have ever seen! This was like watching a car wreck or watching an infant dying-and just as sad. Good actors (with the exception of the talentless Clive Owen) tell a dreadful story here with no redeeming qualities. I felt dirty afterwards.

Rather sad - but honest.

A tedious slog with four emotionally crippled people, it shows the depths to which they descend without itself ever having any depth. I wanted those two hours of my life back.

An intriguing movie--very difficult to watch.

A key early sign that the four adulterous antiheroes (Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen) of Mike Nichols' adaptation of Patrick Marber's play will, ten times out of ten, place immediate emotional or sexual gratification above loyalty, fidelity or common decency is the fact that three of them are fighting addictions to tobacco and the fourth is hooked on sweets. Despite the characters' almost nonstop despicable behavior, I wasn't at all disturbed or offended as some posters were, but could enjoy the film as a pleasurably nasty bitchfest, a millenial All About Eve with no Celeste Holm to provide requisite counterbalancing examples of positive behavior. Julia Roberts, perhaps because she IS Julia Roberts, wasn't quite believable as a sexual manipulator; Jude Law is effective as the weasel that many so-called "nice guys" reveal themselves to be (or maybe I'm just responding to my extreme antipathy for most of the rest of Law's voluminous 2004 movie output). However, the Academy got its two acting nominations right. Natalie Portman provides the film's very few moments of sweetness, innocence and vulnerability, and Clive Owen, here as in Croupier and Beyond Borders, is remarkable in his ability to communicate deep emotional reserves without the slightest hint of sentimentality; if it was possible for me to have a "rooting interest" in anybody in the film, it was Owen. (Here's another vote to sign Owen up as the next James Bond, and quick!) Ultimately, my ability to look at this as "only a movie" turns out to be Closer's biggest liability as well as an arguable asset. As much as I dislike much of Neil LaBute's work (and the view of humanity that informs it) he occasionally comes up with characters such as Matt Molloy's wimpy white collar worker from In The Company Of Men and Paul Rudd's too easily transformed college student in The Shape of Things, that cause me to take an uncomfortable look at some of my own behavior. (For that matter, Nichols himself did the same in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? almost four decades ago, and in Carnal Knowledge just a little later.) His deliberately stagy structure, which isn't shy about calling attention to itself, and in which subsidiary characters are reduced not merely to props but to scenery, combined with the fact that these people make more in a month than most of the viewing audience (yep, me included) does in a year, distances me from them, so that I'm not seeing myself in them but viewing them like fish in the giant aquarium that figures in a key scene. Maybe they shouldn't have named this Closer, but rather Farther Away.… Expand

Closer is as close as you can get on modern relationships. Very honest, sincere, captivating and a revelation of the essence of commitment. Highly recommended to those who have been hurt and to those who think first before they get into a relationship.

I love this film! I love Natalie Portman!

Great and honest movie, great prerformance of the actors. A portrait of real life.

My favorite film of 2004, brilliantly written, acted and directed.

Everyone looks great, but the ponderous pacing, humorles dialogue, and earnest acting sink it.

Huge disappointment! With such good actors I was expecting something enjoyable but this definitly was not it! It was weird and just not worth while!

This show appears worth another look, and Julia Roberts continues to develop her depth aas an actress, so I'll catch it again sometime, but as an expose' about characters unable to transcend their rampant hormones I found it predominantly vulgar and uninspiring.

Its no where near as good as The Graduate but its still a powerful movie. Julia Roberts was out of sorts though, and it just looked like everyone else in the movie was acting circles around her. The very end also seemed irrelevant in as much as it took away from the scene prior to it, which would have made a more powerful ending. I just felt like the last scene ws trying too hard to expand on what was already a brilliant film.… Expand

Perfect. It was so cool. So much fun... enough for the whole family!

I can't give this film zero, because I couldn't make it to the end. Still I can't see it redeeming itself by more than one point over the remaining 40 minutes. The opening titles are promising because of the choice of Damien Rice for the soundtrack (ok he's a bit populist, but if you don't like him a little bit, you don't like music). After that it's utterly pointless. This film utterly lacks humanity. Worse, the superstar performers are unable to whisk up even the tiniest bit of chemistry between their pampered selves. Why do we persist on paying these prima donnas.… Expand

The best movie of the year. I was apprehensive about seeing this movie because I had read that the characters are so "unlikable." I expected some dark, grim exploration of the meaninglessness of human relations. Instead, I saw one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. People who hate this film are simply incapable of admitting that "love" (whatever that means) is just a power struggle. Self-awareness, sharing, being in touch with your emotions, therapeutic values: this movie shows that they haven't changed the way people behave--they have only become weapons in the arsenal in the struggle for emotional and sexual dominance. The film is funny because anyone honest enough knows they would do the same things if they were as good-looking and charming as Jude Law or Natalie Portman. People who don't get it are Puritans and should be burned.… Expand

The best film i've ever seen.

Great to look at. Nothing more. Critics loved it because it's provocative and controversial. Washington Post got it right. Highbrow s..t.

I have a profound loathing of this film. Real people do not talk like this. It asks hard questions like "Why do rich, beautiful, vain, self centered, urbanites treat love as a commodity and sex as a form of power politics". The film looks great as do the actors but it is presented as an authentic look at modern relationships, but this is as divorced from reality as any fantasy. The characters are emotional children, real people do not act or talk like the people in this film, it is a rich coffee table intellectuals view of humanity. This is a world view that has not been informed by genuine hardship. It is an A Level students view of modern love. I like a bleak film as much as anyone, the bleaker and more pessimistic the better, but this film lacked a key ingredient: RELEVANCE. This film explores the sexual politics of a metro-sexual elite, it is not a genuine universal exploration of love and the damage it does.… Expand

Mildly entertaining but unltimately empty and lacking in so many areas. Cannot remember another film where ALL of the main characters are so unsmpathetic and unlike able. At the end of the day I didn't care what happend to any of them, just hope I never meet people like them in my personal life.

I just had to react to some of the coments left here. First time I do, but I think this movie is worth it. Some people here have obviously never seen a bad movie and should go to the cinema more before they drop comments. calling this movie " the worst [they] have ever seen" is either admitting they have very little to compare to or conceiding they were shocked/felt insulted by the movie (which in itself doesn't mean the movie is bad). Some may never have lived such situations or felt such feelings, and/or find them to be the expression of a pervers nature. This just isn't a movie on the way human beings sometimes cooperate to make a better world. Deal with it. As for the dialogue's they may not be realistic when removed from the scenes to which they belong, but who cares ? cinema isn't about writing everyday life exactly like it is, it's about giving the illusion of everyday life. If you watch this movie with an open mind, you'll get sucked in. If you're just waiting for an occasion to rate julia roberts acting, or if you came because the big names printed on the big posters reminded you of sweet love stories (be it in a galaxy far far away or in a nearby brothel), go chat on the forums, write to your favourite magazine, yell out your anger, but don't give this film a 0, your deception has nothing to do with its value. Every word, every sentence, especially in the breaking-up/fighting scenes came when and how I wanted them to come. Maybe noone in real life would be so crude (and I honestly don't see why not) but we've all deeply wanted to ! (I actually came to admire Clive Owen's character for his raw honesty) And since when do the characters have to be likeable to make a good film ? You may hate these people after seing the movie... but how is that bad ? you've felt strongly against them : this movie has brought you strong feelings ! Now you know who you definetly are not (although I dare think that whoever says he/she is not even a little bit concerned is either a liar or has lived his/her entire life in a box, alone). Now to the "honest but shallow/hollow exploration of the human nature". I am French and have lived in France many years. I was culturally brought up by french cinema and I therefore know what a hollow movie on human nature is, I have seen many failed attempts, (Just think that only the "good" ones make it abroad, and even they have a hard time), watched everlasting minutes of raw rape scenes, bared crying men on stools in empty rooms for half an hour, and heard endless, pointlessly intellectualized dialogs. This is not one of them, this movie goes to the point and it gets there fast. Sure, it doesn't explore every aspect of the characters' lives but that just makes it more universal. Most people agreed on the fantastic acting (Owen, Law, Portman AND Roberts) and the beautiful score, so I'll just skip that. Actually I'll stop here all together, I'm growing tired of English grammar and I've made my point. Closer is a great movie. Period.… Expand

This movie tries to do a lot. It tries to be thought provoking, it tries to be raw, it tries to be deep and it tries to be brutally honest. It was not truly any of things. The dialogue was forced and contrived, attempts to be profound merely come off as beautiful, spoilt people displaying their idiotic and warped notions of life, formularized to the last drop. The film is so horribly self conscious it made me grimace to watch it, it was as though the only thought given to the film was that raw automatically equals artistic quality. I hate to say it, but it does not. A soulless and sterile movie that is void of any depth, despite far too obvious attempts to the contrary. It is the Da Vinci Code of films; garbage that is made to appeal to the pseudo intellectuals.… Expand

Cloying, affected and tiresomely self-important. Performances are lacklustre, from the insufferably dull Clive Owen to the overemployed Julia Roberts and the altogether useless Natalie Portman. Even the usually impressive Jude Law doesn't do this a lot of favours. Not that it's an easy task to be asked to spew out such trite, pretentious dialogue at the behest of a pretentious director.

This is a film so complex and clever that it is bound to go over the heads of most of the viewing audience. Every word that is spoken has a double meaning to it, and if viewed with the understanding of this ironic level, the experience is far richer.

Ouch. It hurts so bad that this is a completely depressing movie and it hurts even more that Julia Roberts was cast as Anna. She completely fails as Anna and seems completely detached and unemotional during any of the "lovers quarrels" in the movie. Natalie Portman and Clive Owen are especially good and Jude Law okay in their roles. However, none of the characters are worthy of attention, empathy or any feelings, other than possibly Portman's character, who is the least guilty of anything. All in all, there is no great plot, no great statement made by this movie. Don't take a date to it, it would only lead to trouble. The characters are simply horrible people (again, with exception of Alice/Jane who remains somewhat of a mystery) and not worth watching. The only redeeming quality of the movie is the way in which it talks about sex, completely bluntly, never fearing to use words like "cunt" or even "perenium" and illustrates the farce of the "online" sex world. So, if you want to see how lewd a movie can be, and feel like wasting some money, go see it. Otherwise, avoid this. … Expand

Early the twists and interplay of the characters were interesting, but the twists became just plot points, until a great ending--that is it was great that the movie had ended. Think of the various couplings, break-ups, and re-couplings in the 10 years of "Friends" condensed into two hours, add swearing, subtract humor...you got "Closer." Some nice scenes though.