The vast majority of legendary director Mike Nichols' films explore the nuances of relationships and sexual behavior, from 1966's \Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"" to his recent HBO work (""Angels in America,"" ""Wit""). Hell, even ""What Planet Are You From?"" used Garry Shandling's humming alien penis to shed some insight on the tricky nature of relationships So it comes as no surprise that his latest is another seriocomic look at the trials and tribulations of love. But ""Closer,"" the star-studded adaptation of Patrick Marber's controversial play, is a forceful, incisive dramedy akin to a Neil LaBute movie without the stilted dialogue; it is a piercing, vibrant piece of work that is one of this year's most notable cinematic accomplishments.
""Closer"" opens with obituary writer Dan (Jude Law) and American stripper Alice (Natalie Portman) meeting on the London street after she gets clocked by a car. They amble about the city after her superficial injuries are treated, the air brimming with sexual tension
And then we suddenly jump to a year later. Dan is getting his picture taken by Anna (Julia Roberts) for the jacket of the book he has written about Alice's life and they are immediately attracted to each other. But, Dan ends up pulling a devious stunt that leads to one of the funnier meetings in recent memory-he converses with dermatologist Larry (Clive Owen) on an Internet sex chat line while pretending to be Anna but ends up unwittingly setting them up when Anna coincidentally appears at their faux meeting spot. Nichols continues to check up on these four characters as they love, hate, and repeatedly deceive each other over the course of three more tumultuous years.
The film manages to be one of the few play adaptations to feel authentically like a movie instead of a filmed play, due to Nichols' deft sense of structure and framing. Though ""Closer"" is essentially a series of exchanges between two of its principle stars, with a minimal use of music (which includes everything from Mozart selections to the familiar strains of Prodigy's ""Smack My Bitch Up"") for dramatic effect, Marber's clever, acerbic dialogue and Nichols' roving camerawork sidestep any negative feelings of staginess. It is probably most similar to Nichols' acclaimed ""Carnal Knowledge,"" which also consisted of a litany of pit stop conversations; but whereas that film relied heavily on Jack Nicholson's leading performance, ""Closer"" allows each of its four players to contribute substantially.
Law is arguably the most unlikable character, a selfish conniver who routinely deceives his loved ones and wreaks carnal havoc in his dalliances with Portman and Roberts (pretty much Alfie with the glossy romanticism siphoned off). Roberts's Anna is a rather poignant ice queen, an intriguing woman who frequently finds herself entangled between Law and Owen but to a certain extent seems to enjoy the power she wields over the two men. Law underplays his lightweight character well, allowing for the other, far more dynamic characters to strut their stuff.
Most of the praise for this film will be reserved for Owen and Portman, who give absolutely gripping performances. Portman's tender stripper and Owen's intellectual Neanderthal, the two characters who love the strongest and are injured the most, are the most compelling.
Every scene with Owen's spectacularly lewd doctor is a showstopper; his scathing interrogation of Roberts regarding her sex with Law, his verbal laceration of Law, and his lap-dance-turned-confrontation with Portman in the strip club constitute the highlights in a film chock full of wonderful scenes. This will easily eradicate any unfortunate memories of ""King Arthur"" and catapult Owen into stardom-they might as well hand him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar right now, as this is the best performance by anybody in any movie this year.
Portman isn't given as showy of a role, but she is nonetheless stunning and captivating, effortlessly inhabiting a character that is infinitely more complicated than she seems. She matches Owen in the simultaneously sexy and disturbing lap dance showdown, parading around bawdily in her little G-string, teasing yet maintaining her composure as Owen intensely spews invective. Oscar nomination or not, Portman has cemented her reputation as one of the best young actresses of her generation with her first truly adult performance; one that will persuade any cynic that she sure as hell is no mere overrated ""Star Wars"" starlet but a legitimate, certifiable star.
Though it is often quite funny, ""Closer"" is a devastating, uncompromisingly painful film that is destined to be divisive. Many will be repelled by the relentlessly dark subject matter, and others will fail to connect with this flawed, frequently vicious ensemble of characters, but it is undoubtedly a hypnotic and thought-provoking film. This is a beautifully mounted production about sadness and ugliness, and how the manifestations of deception and truth reverberate throughout the duration of relationships. While it may not have the impact of ""Carnal Knowledge,"" this is more challenging, subtle, and powerful; we have only been given a fleeting glimpse into the lives of these people and left with incomplete impressions that leave nearly everything tantalizingly open to interpretation. ""Closer"" is one of Mike Nichols' best films since ""The Graduate"" and it will hopefully strike a chord and become one of his most enduring efforts.
