USA, 2004
Director: Mike Nichols
Score: ***

The opening sequence with the melodious tune “Can’t get my eyes off you” heard on the soundtrack suggests veteran director Mike Nichols is back in romantic comedy mode as in his lighter fare, THE GRADUATE (with Simon and Garfunkel music) or WORKING GIRL (with the Carly Simon hit). But as the lyrics turn more somber – Can’t take my mind off you…”, and one of the principals is hit by a moving vehicle, it is clear then that we are in the darker dramatic territory of WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE.

CLOSER is based on the London National Theatre Olivier award winning play by Patrick Marber, is less a love story than a drama about sexual intimacies as jealousy, revenge, pride and vulnerability. Set in contemporary London, the story concerns the sexual interaction of two couples. Journalist, Dan (Jude Law) gets acquainted with ex-New York stripper, Alice (Natalie Portman) after she is knocked down by a car. Through a photo-shoot, Dan falls for Anna (Julia Roberts) who by chance (through Dan) meet and marries Larry, a doctor (Clive Owen). Then the cheating begins, as in the recent flick WE DON”T LIVE HERE ANYMORE about cheating couples. Films about unloving couples make better films than merry couples do.

The script, by Patrick Marber has its share of odd jokes, overly lengthy acts and good lines. Childish uttering like “Don’t eat fish – fish ***censored*** in the water” and the tedious 15-minute internet banter between Larry and Dan test our patience in the beginning. It is as if Marber is deliberately ignoring the advice given to Dan by Anna during the photo-shoot: “Don’t raise your eyebrows, it makes you look smug!” But “Life’s a big lie!” as one character quips. The film gradually pulls the viewer away from the distractions and focuses on the issues concerned – the mating dances of the two couples. Marber paints his characters as sad, hopeless creatures, photographed to look beautiful – using Anna’s photography as a metaphor.

The success of CLOSER, focusing on just four characters, each given almost equal screen time, depends a great deal of the actors’ performances. Brits Law and Owen fare better with the material than Portman or Roberts. For one, Law and Owen, (Law is theatrically trained), spew out their often lengthy lines in one breath, managing to captivate too, with their facial expressions. Portman and Roberts, however, hesitate and take longer to deliver their lines, adding in movement and motion in contrast. The script also calls for the males to undergo metamorphosis from avenger to victim, while the females get to portray their charm through less desirable dispositions. But Marber’s characters are pitiless souls that viewers have no compassion for.  The four principals intrigue because of their nastiness.

Nichols utilizes the London locations effectively. From the ride at the back of the double-decker to the dining in the posh restaurant overlooking the Thames on the South Bank, the play is taken well out into the open.  But the lengthy dialogue still gives the viewer a very theatrical feel. Though Nichols presents CLOSER in straight chronological order (save for a few bits at the end), the time lapses between scenes are only told in the dialogue. Two adjacent scenes could evolve a period when Larry and Anna have wed, or when Dan and Alice have become an item.

Nichols says that his film concerns itself with the fact that in love, people remember the beginnings and endings, editing out the middle. In CLOSER, Nichols has painted an effective picture of the entirety of the affairs of the two principal couples. Love affairs are often comprised of more disenchantment than pleasure.

Review by Gilbert Seah.