Geofferson

Ebert's 4-star(!) review here.

FilmJerk's A- review here

Rolling Stone's 3 1/2-star review here.

EW's B- review here.

QuikSilver

I will be watching this movie this weekend and hope it will be good as the reviews say they are.

DonnachaOne

Cue the barrage of "I'll wait for the director's cut, not this CEN$ORED version" from posters who just wanna see Natalie nude...

BassDude

My local paper gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Didn't read the entire review, but I am looking forward to seeing it. Maybe next weekend.

Geofferson

I'm shooting for next weekend as well since I won't be able to this weekend.

Sessa17

I saw this last week. It's an OK movie with 2 great performances that make the movie worhwhile.

Clive Owen steals the movie. I've been raving about this guy here for years with constant post of people saying they never heard of him, hopefully this will be his breakout movie. His character is like a shark, he is vicous. There is wonderful scene where he leaves Jude Law's character in tears.

And Natalie Portman is just captivating in the movie. I think the movie really shows just how overrated Roberts & Law are. Two actors who just rely so heavily on their pretty faces but are always dull & boring in their screen presence. I've always joked that Jude Law is the most feminine actress in Hollywood.

Frank TJ Mackey

Yeah, Clive Owen is great in everything. He's the only reason I'll see the Arthur dir. cut.

Why is "Closer" only opening on 400 screens or so? Please tell me it will be expanding.

Our crap theater will get 3 copies of Blade 3 and none of "Closer" grrr. Sucks.

Tarnower

Just got back from a screening. Gotta say, I really hated this film. In fact, I hated this with a passion! Pretentious, vile and uninvolving only begin to describe the picture. I am shocked that Mike Nichols was responsible for it. The film is too stage-bound, contains ridiculously overheated dialogue (real people just don't talk like this, sorry), and is overly crude with its language. I think it's one of the worst films I've seen all year. Freakin' film critics giving this such high ratings boggles my mind.

However, with that said, I do have to agree that Natalie Portman makes a very strong impression, as does Clive Owen. I expect both will be nominated for Supporting Oscars. And I also did admire the song which begins and end the film. Other than that, the film was dreadful. I'm talking "The Hours"-kinda dreadful.

Patman

"Closer" is a story on how the lives of 4 people intersecting in the oddest ways to produce heartache and lust in the various straight pairings that occurs between them all. The backdrop of the setting being London never quite overshadows the core of the story, but adds a bit of flavor (and thankfully doesn't dredge up any memories of Notting Hill).

The screenplay was very tight, always moving forward, almost at too quick a pace, the dialogue was as sharp as it needed to be to propel the plot along briskly. Mike Nichols does a good job directing not only the material, but the actors as well. He's on quite a roll this year (the other good effort for him being "Angels in America" on HBO).

The performances by the 4 principal actors (Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Julia Roberts, and Clive Owens) were all up to the task of the material, but I think I'd give the edge to Clive Owen in the acting category for this film over his cohorts, he is what his character is, with not much "star" baggage and, boy, does he live up to the "all's fair in love and war" motto.

Yes, for fans of Natalie, this film represent a departure from her earlier work, with a more brazen adult role in terms of occupation (stripper) while still holding on to an emotionally immature outlook on love and life that fits with her character's age.

Julia Roberts didn't annoy me as much, though her character is internally and emotionally messy. Jude Law's charm helps glide his character through the film, but his self-destructive romantic side gets the better of him all throughout the film.

Anyhow, a good flick that is hard to look away from because it is like a shark, always moving forward, damn the consequences.

I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.

onebyone

I want to see this terribly. I hope it expands next weekend. It has to expand, right?

The Antipodean

This is the kind of movie people either love or hate with a passion judging from the varius message boards I've seen...

Dr. DVD

I am thinking of seeing either this or Finding Neverland this afternoon. I will probably see this one as it has an earlier showing and will get out sooner, but was wondering if I should opt. for Neverland instead.

Frank TJ Mackey

Closer will be expanding nationwide on December 10. Apparently, according to B.O. Mojo, Dec. 3 was only a limited release.


Finding Neverland is really good, you wouldn't lose out by checking that one out first.

Third Baseman

Can't wait to get the time to see this.

Dr. DVD

I would, but it is playing too late for me to catch it this afternoon. I am sure my area will keep it playing for a while though.

movielib

I'm having a hard time deciding whether I think this is a great ****/**** film or a good ***/**** film. I found it very involving most of the time but with jarring transitions that took a little time to recover one's bearings. But that's how I'm sure it's supposed to be. I found the dialog smart and crisp but a little too smart and crisp to be realistic. But I'm sure that's how it's supposed to be. There's a stylization in the dialog that's not as distinct or as unusual as, say, Mamet, but is quite enjoyable once one gets in the rhythm.

I agree with those who are praising Owen's and Portman's performances but I think Roberts stays with them all the way (and that surprised me somewhat). I think her performance is being underrated by many here. I have to say Law is probably the weak link here but that could very well be because his character is the weakest of the four as a child who hasn't really grown up to the adult (albeit sort of sick) world the others inhabit (although he's just as "sick" in a more childish way). It's difficult to pull off and I don't think he quite succeeds.

So until I see it again (and I want to), I'm giving it ***½/****.

movielib

Closer is playing here in Madison but we haven't gotten Finding Neverland yet.

Dr. DVD

Odd...Knoxville has both of them, but a lot of places don't.


Saw it. I am pretty much in the same boat as movielib. I will probably just give it ***/**** for now until I have more time to think about it. I could tell it was previously a play, as it was composed almost entirely of dialogue and little else. The script was sharp, if not a bit vulgar, and the acting was great from everyone involved. However, after it was all over I felt like asking the question: "Your point being?" to Mike Nichols. It seems as though the movie had no real purpose other than to point out that relationships are rough and life really sucks sometimes. Really? I did not know that!


That said, I hope both Portman and Owen get noms. for their work, and at least one them deserves to win IMO. If nothing else, this movie showed me two things: 1) Owen definitely has the foreboding yet sauve presence to play James Bond and 2) George Lucas truly is a horrible director of actors, as it is now obvious that Ms. Portman can hold her own and be amazing with the right material.

SPiRAL

I thought it was good. I like the fact that we only the juicy bits of both relationships. Some of the dialouge (sp) reminded me of Eyes Wide Shut.

Third Baseman

I loved it. Not sure which number it'll take on my list, but it does recieve 4 and a half stars from me. Also, for those who can catch "Finding Neverland", or "Stage Beauty" starring Billy Crudup, do so!

riley_dude

I am looking forward to this movie too. The review I read in the San Francisco Chronicle said that Julia brings the movie down with her performance and that everyone else is great. But for anyone who has seen it, is it a real downer???

Josh H

Glad to see most have liked this, I'm planning on catching it tonight now.

rkndkn

Saw it this weekend, and my initial impression was a B-. As mentioned above, I kept thinking that real people don't talk this way. I've seen some people comment that they didn't feel very good when leaving the theatre -- it's not exactly a feel-good holiday film. But I enjoy films about manipulative, vindictive, deceitful people -- that's real life.

As I've pondered the film the last few days, I find myself liking it more.

Josh H

I really enjoyed this. Probably an A- for me. All the performance were great. I even though Jude Law as excellent. He was the "weakest" of the three, but I think it was more just his character was the least likable of the three, rather than anything to do with his acting. I'll be able to judge that better in repeat viewings.

Drop

Saw this last night, and thought it was great. I guess I enjoyed it, not in the way one would enjoy something like a comedy, but it made me think and that I appreciate. It's certainly a movie I'll think about for a while, and eagerly anticipate seeing again.

This is kind of hard to explain, but this movie seemed like the first movie that the average older teens can appreciate as a movie for adults, because they are adults now. I'm 19 and I saw it with people very close to my age, and everyone liked it. That shocked me; it wasn't a dumb movie, it relied on talk and there were no car explosions, yet everyone was wrapped up in it. It had just enough humour to balance out the hard and sick and heavy "bad" emotions. What I'm trying to say is that people my age can appreciate this as the adults they are, or are becoming, and not as the teenagers anymore, and I think that's great.