Closer Reviews

Closer is adapted by Patrick Marber from his own achingly modish hit play and most of the time, for good or ill, it looks and sounds it. It follows a quartet of absurdly beautiful London urbanites (played by Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen) as their love lives intertwine and they — either deliberately or accidentally — inflict emotional damage on each other. The performances are generally passable (with Owen the standout as the aggressive Larry), while Nichols's superficial but elegant direction and Stephen Goldblatt's glossy cinematography give the story a sheen of sophistication. But the decision not to open out the play for the screen leaves the film feeling oppressive, while the characterisations are, for the most part, paper thin. After the ninth screaming row, you begin to wonder who these people are and why we should care about them.

An occasionally insightful drama of adultery and hurtful jealousy among the young and privileged that worked better on stage than it does on film.

Get this without getting a headache. Dan (Jude Law), a jobbing obituaries writer, falls in love with Alice (Natalie... read more on Time Out

Closer is adapted by Patrick Marber from his own achingly modish hit play and most of the time, for good or ill, it looks and sounds it. It follows a quartet of absurdly beautiful London urbanites (played by Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen) as their love lives intertwine and they — either deliberately or accidentally — inflict emotional damage on each other. The performances are generally passable (with Owen the standout as the aggressive Larry), while Nichols's superficial but elegant direction and Stephen Goldblatt's glossy cinematography give the story a sheen of sophistication. But the decision not to open out the play for the screen leaves the film feeling oppressive, while the characterisations are, for the most part, paper thin. After the ninth screaming row, you begin to wonder who these people are and why we should care about them.

An occasionally insightful drama of adultery and hurtful jealousy among the young and privileged that worked better on stage than it does on film.

Get this without getting a headache. Dan (Jude Law), a jobbing obituaries writer, falls in love with Alice (Natalie... read more on Time Out

Closer is the film of the year...