Closer Movie Review 2004

Love stinks. Especially in this caustic adaptation by Marber of his 1997 drama. Waifish stripper Alice (Portman) enchants writer Dan (Law) after they meet cute in London. Dan later writes a novel about his life with Alice and indulges in a flirtation with successful photographer Anna (Roberts). Dan then decides to impersonate Anna during an Internet sex chat and arranges to meet dermatologist Larry (a ferocious performance by Owen), who does meet, and eventually marries, the real Anna. Dan has an affair with Anna, which Larry finds out about (in a laceratingly brutal verbal scene), and Larry meets the abandoned Alice without knowing about their secondhand connection. Marber changed Alice's fate from his play and made both female characters American to accommodate his leads. Owen played the role of Dan in the original National Theatre production.

Distribution

Sony Pictures Home Video, Sony Pictures Plz., 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: (310)244-7306, Fax: (310)280-2485, URL: http://www.spe.sony.com, Remarks: Formerly Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

Available on DVD
Running time 101 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Romantic Triangles, Adultery, Strippers, Adapted from a Play, London, Writers, Shutterbugs

Screenplay

Patrick Marber

Cast

Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen

Cinematography

Stephen Goldblatt

Director

Mike Nichols

Music

Steven Patrick Morrissey

Other

Ivan Sharrock, John Bloom, Hannah Moseley, Ann Roth, Tim Hatley

Producer

Mike Nichols, John Calley, Cary Brokaw, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Awards

British Acad. 2004: Support. Actor (Owen); Golden Globes 2005: Support. Actor (Owen), Support. Actress (Portman).