Closer is a brutally honest film that skillfully portrays the insanity that love creates upon inception and conclusion amongst two couples living in London, England. The characters speak frankly about relationships and sex while suffering through the deceit they have wrought in the name of desire or longing.
Recently I have been contemplating the meaning of the word, crush, having heard it mentioned in an episode of the underappreciated TV show Freaks and Geeks. A crush is like a huge, overwhelming burst of consuming emotion or affection towards an individual. If you take the word at face value without regards to feelings it translates as, to destroy or demolish. Both definitions are potentially destructive with Closer as the story of a crush turning into obsession and its impact on all those involved.
Here is a quick roundup of the players in this love match. Dan (Jude Law) is an obituary writer dating the youthful Alice (Natalie Portman) who is a stripper. He becomes infatuated with Anna (Julia Roberts), a photographer. Anna is in a relationship of her own with dermatologist Larry (Clive Owen). Alice truly loves Dan while Dan and Anna have a mutual attraction that they are coming to terms with. Larry fancies Anna, but maybe is not fully head over heels in love. Everyone tries to figure out their feelings with people lying, cheating, and suffering along the way.
Closer has four characters interacting with one another throughout the course of the movie, perhaps this is because it is a theatrical adaptation with those numbers well suited to the stage. That said with so few thespians the acting needs to be solid to keep our attention. When you get strong acting performances you forget you are watching actors working and it feels as if a real life experience is unfolding before your eyes. In this case it feels like a car crash. The quartet of actors in the film are brilliant with Clive Owen just a notch above the rest of the cast as the vicious Larry. I have been looking for a noteworthy villain of late and he fits the bill. There is something about the British sense of humor in its sarcasm and deadpan delivery where the words can slip beneath the radar or be biting because they are not delivered with a smile or inflection. Larry captures this sensibility, with sharp wit or more often malicious intent. You feel for him momentarily because he has been deceived and then he unleashes severe tongue lashings that could bring you to your knees. Just when you feel he is going to show compassion, he tears you down.
Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Jude Law continue to do solid work as well. Roberts plays a woman in a relationship giving in to feelings for a taken man. She is aware her actions are wrong, but the intention to be loved is oh so right.
Portman always appeared precocious ...
