Closer by Mike Nichols

I have recently seen Closer, by Mike Nichols. Most people I have seen rate this film generously, but I must confess that I had some problems with the film. First things first: the story. Alice (Natalie Portman) and Dan(Jude Law) meet accidentally in a street of London. They end up living together. Later on Dan meets Anna (Julia Roberts) and introduces her to Larry (Clive Owen). The two couples break up when Anna and Dan decide to live together, but even that relationship doesn't seem to work and... I won't reveal the end.

I didn't´t like the first five minutes of the film, when Alice and Dan meet and I still didn't like it when Anna meets Dan. It all seemed banal and déjà vu. But then I realized the film would proceed in leaps and I really enjoyed that little trick. I wonder who came up with that, the director or the person who wrote the story. It is surprising and it gave a frantic rhythm to an otherwise uninteresting story.

The actors are all very good, but somehow they don't seem to fit together. The story is apparently simple, two people fall for each other, two couples break up. It's the intense dialogs, the theatrical feeling, the intimacy that makes it so different. However, the film should be sizzling hot, erotic, sexy and breathtaking and it isn't. I can't help thinking that the casting is all wrong. Despite Portman's great performance as a stripper and private dancer, I would have preferred to see Julia Roberts play that part and have Portman play the snobbish Anna. In the same line of thought, Law would be more challenged and challenging playing the carnal Larry and Owen the intellectual Dan. Finally, the intimacy (closeness) we should experience is not so well served by the format of the film and the constant time leaps. It is a  great artistic statement but it doesn't let us audience build that intimacy that is supposed to happen when we're not "there".

Anyway, it was still a great film and I would see it again. At least, it will puzzle you and make you try to unfold its many layers.

tags: mike nichols  closer  natalie portman  jude law  

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