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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Closet, The
Miramax Films
FILM:
MPAA RATING: R for a scene of sexuality
Starring
Daniel Auteuil,
Gérard Depardieu,
Thierry Lhermitte,
Michèle Laroque,
and
Michel Aumont
A hilarious story of how one little rumor not only brightens a simple man's life, but also triggers an awakening of everyone around him. (Miramax Films)
| GENRE(S): |
Gay/Lesbian
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Francis Veber
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Francis Veber
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: November 13, 2001
Video: November 13, 2001
Theatrical: June 29, 2001
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
84 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
France |
| LANGUAGE(S): |
French (with English subtitles) |
Original French title "Le Placard"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
San Francisco Chronicle
Bob Graham
Neither a "gay" movie nor a straight one; it is simply a funny one.
100
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
Hilarious, near-flawless.
91
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Cagey, high gloss comedy.
90
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
Wins you over with its devastating simplicity.
90
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
The French originals are always much breezier, the characters more genuine and the actors subtler even if the situations are just as silly.
88
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
The movie's steady good humor and respect for character is pleasing - even energizing.
83
Portland Oregonian
Kim Morgan
It is aided both by fine performances by Auteuil, Aumont and Depardieu and by wonderful pacing.
80
New Times (L.A.)
M.V. Moorhead
The director is in fine form with The Closet, an expertly acted divertissement that may well be headed for a Yank incarnation within the next few years.
80
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
Funny? This one is. It's also sweet and thoughtful.
80
Newsweek
David Ansen
More sweet than savage, this amiable farce creates laughs with old-pro efficiency.
80
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Auteuil and Depardieu spar hilariously, and writer-director Francis Veber, following "The Dinner Game," offers another delicious treat.
80
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Veber's giddy social comedy The Closet finds more delicious, chortling fun in the spectacle of obsequious hypocrisy than any movie I've seen in ages.
80
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
An expertly developed farce that's very funny and surprisingly affecting in the bargain.
80
Variety
Lisa Nesselson
A clever premise that's good for many laughs.
75
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Hilarious French farce.
75
USA Today
Mike Clark
This is economy of style that Americans get only in Woody Allen movies -- and even that's not a guarantee.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Desmond Ryan
It's a bright and breezy piece, and a refreshing alternative to the gross-out Hollywood comedies.
75
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
Auteuil does an excellent job. He's like Marcello Mastroianni, whose naturalness also deluded people into thinking for a while that he wasn't a versatile actor.
75
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
A farce nearly as cracked as his previous "The Dinner Game."
75
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
Perhaps not the most uproarious of Veber's farces, but entertaining and emotionally satisfying all the same.
70
LA Weekly
Holly Willis
Auteuil is as charming as ever, with a surprising aptitude for physical humor that keeps the tone cheerfully light and the laughs plentiful.
63
Chicago Tribune
John Petrakis
By the end we are left with a mildly amusing comedy and the lingering memory of a sterling cast that deserved better material.
63
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Passes the time pleasantly and has a few good laughs.
60
Los Angeles Times
John Anderson
Veber, also responsible for "The Dinner Game," apparently has a finger on the pulse of French audiences and Gallic-minded Americans, but there's just not a lot of freshness in this Closet.
60
Village Voice
Dennis Lim
Tumbles happily into every pitfall that lines its well-trodden path.
60
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
It's amusing more often than it isn't, largely because the cast is so nonchalant and, well, French about everything.
40
Austin Chronicle
Kimberley Jones
It doesn't have the bite to be satire, the pratfalls to be broad comedy, or the wit to pass as a comedy of manners. What does that leave? The French cinematic equivalent of motivational coaching, and -- just like Pignon -- something spectacularly unspectacular.
20
Mr. Showbiz
Kevin Maynard
Has a blithe tone and a capable cast, but Veber's script is 100 percent laugh-free.
 The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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