Closer (2004/I)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers (WGA):

Patrick Marber (play)
Patrick Marber (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking.

Plot:

The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other.

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Dermatologist | Writer | Stripper | Hospital

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Natalie Portman	...	Alice
Jude Law	...	Dan
Julia Roberts	...	Anna
Clive Owen	...	Larry
Nick Hobbs	...	Taxi Driver
Colin Stinton	...	Customs Officer

Also Known As:

Closer: Llevados por el deseo (Argentina) (Chile) [es]
Hautnah (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Bliski odnosi (Croatia) [hr]
Blizej (Poland) [pl]
Closer (Spain) [es]
Closer (Denmark) [da]
Closer - Perto Demais (Brazil) [pt]
Closer - iholla (Finland) [fi]
Daha yaklas (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Entre adultes consentants (France) (dubbed version) [fr]
Ex epafis (Greece) [el]
Közelebb (Hungary) [hu]
Na dotek (Czech Republic) [cs]
Perto Demais (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Tule lähemale (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for sequences of graphic sexual dialogue, nudity/sexuality and language.

Runtime:

104 min | Turkey:98 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #40116) | Taiwan:R-12 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Malaysia:18SX | Ireland:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Philippines:R-13 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

Cowcross Street, Clerkenwell, London, England, UK

Company:

Icarus Productions

Trivia:

The opera that Dan and Anna are late for and you can hear in the background is "Cosi Fan Tutte" - this also deals with themes of two couples who swap partners.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dan is cybersexing with Larry, and begins to simulate an orgasm, he type a full line of $%$^&^&*&()*()*_)( but in the next shot he is only adding the first line of $%^&*^(*^&^ $%$#$%#@%^&&*^&*(*&(

Quotes:

[first lines]
Alice: Hello, stranger.

Movie Connections:

References Blue Velvet (1986)

Soundtrack:

The Blower's Daughter

Flawlessly From Stage to Screen

The strength of Closer, both as a play and a motion picture, is the flawless, mature and beautifully crafted dialogue. Patrick Marber's screenplay is a testament to his truly great writing ability, as not much of the original text needed to be adapted in order to work appropriately and effectively on screen.

The raw emotion and base convictions of these four tragic characters (all acted exquisitly) is given to us primarily through their words and those words are all we need.

If you need more than words and are looking for a feel good love story, steer clear, you will only be disappointed.

However, if you are looking for a piece that will intrigue your senses, causing you to examine your own soul, your own convictions, then I highly recommend Closer.

Like Shakespeare, Williams, and O'Neil, whose words are a testament to the condition of their lives and times, Marber, through his language and presentation of these four exquisite lost souls, forces the mind to acknowledge and deal with the most base of our natural tendencies, painting a brutally honest portriat of the human condition in the 21st century.