Reviews Written by Sanda

When Talk Is Sexier Than an Action

Pros: Everything...

Cons: Nothing...

Like most interesting movies about sex Mike Nichols’s movie “Closer” is mostly talk. The most important thing is to listen to original text and understand it. In every language there are meanings that are impossible to translate. So I think those who do not know English would never enjoy this movie as much as I enjoyed it.
Movie is about two women and to men whom are trying to get closer to each other. But they are complicating closeness. They are using such words like intimacy, familiarity, honesty, cowardice, love, but never that one - simple and truthful word “closer”. And looks like all those complicate, serious words after a while, mean nothing at all. It seams they can not really be close. When they get as close as they can, they are sure that they are far away. They can not take real closeness because it means hard and principal truth about everything.
They all fall in love in just one moment. But it is not real love. It is just sexuality or hormones. Sex do not take us closer mentally, it just take us closer physically for a little moment.
Movie starts and ends with Damien Rice’s song “Blower’s Daughter”. Damien Rice is one of my favourite musicians. I knew that song long before I saw a movie and I really understand why director Mike Nichols took it like only music for his film. All idea of movie is told in this song.
“And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time
And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off of you…

'Til I find somebody new”
The opening scene of movie is cliché of “meeting cute”. Alice, played by Natalie Portman, is coming along a crowded sidewalk and Dan, played by Jude Lowe, is walking toward her. They are having such deep eye-contact that Alice do not notice car. She loses consciousness. When she wakes up first person she sees is Dan and she says - “Hallo, stranger!” After that predestined meeting they are getting together, but actually at the same time their never becoming something more like just a strangers.
The other two characters are Larry, played by Clive Owen, and Anna, played by Julia Roberts. They have another cute meeting what is more original then Alice and Dan meeting. When Dan is having photo session with photographer Anna, he harassing her but she saying no. Dan is revenging to Anna in very funny way – he talking to one sex-obsessed man on internet and he is pretending he is Anna. The man whom he is talking to is Larry who can not imagine he is talking about rude sex with other man (the best scene in whole movie! All women in cinema are laughing, but not all men!). So Dan is organizing that embarrassing date for Anna and Larry. It is funny, but soon they are married!
Movie is funny and said at the same time. In that movie you can not escape from problems of your own relationships. May be in some actions or dialogues you will see yourself and your own problems and disappointments. In this movie you see closer the anatomy of not-working relationship and may be you even get the lesson for your own life.
The characters are incredibly convincing and honest; acting is very powerful and natural. Script is extremely thought-provoking. The best thing in movie is dialogues what are absolutely racy. I recommend this movie to everyone! But please if you have just met someone whom you think is special and feel, like you think, love, do not go to movie now. It is not the “Hollywood happy end” and you`d just start worrying about your own relationship. Wait for a while. Time goes and when you`d have problems in your relationship and you`d want to analyze them (and I bet you would!) this movie would be the best for you! ...