Closer

R

Released Dec 3, 2004

1 hr. 41 min.

Drama

List

68%

210 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Alice (Natalie Portman), an American stripper who has moved to London, meets Dan (Jude Law) on the street. While looking at him, a taxi hits her. After taking her to the hospital, Dan begins dating Alice. A year later, Dan -- who has written a novel about Alice -- is bored. He flirts with photographer Anna (Julia Roberts). Pretending to be her in a chat room, he leads dermatologist Larry (Clive Owen) to an accidental meeting with Anna. As the years pass, both relationships disintegrate.

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Critics Consensus

Closer's talented cast and Mike Nichols' typically assured direction help smooth a bumpy journey from stage to screen.

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Dylan C

I loved this movie. The unhinged performance from Clive Owen made this movie for me. Some of the dialogue that he delivered had me howling. The movie itself paints a morbid picture of relationships and the worst of human behavior. Based on a play the script and acting was very much like a play but that doesn't deter from the movie but in fact enhances it in my opinion.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/23/24

Full Review

George

Hey look, real people in a movie! The dialogue in this is stellar. The characters are both believable and hate-able in how they converse, and act. This really does feel like a stage play on the big screen, but in the best way. Clive and Julia's big fight is top tier stuff. Hard to watch, but the barbs feel so true. People say "marriage story" is the best at depicting fights, but I found it too showy and pretentious. It was like watching people act. This is like watching real people hate themselves, and try to connect with people at the same time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

Full Review

Al N

I'd rather watch Theadore Rex over Closer again, I would take Double Dragon over watching Closer, I'd take Surf Ninjas over Closer, I'd take the entire Problem Child saga over Closer. Hell, I'd rather watch every single Uwe Boll film in a row than watch Closer. None of this is meant to compliment to those abominations of Cinema so much as articulate my distaste for this film. Why do I hate this film? It's boring melodrama for the sake of being boring mellowdrama. That in of itself is'nt so bad, it's the fact that (like it's fans) it pretends to be matchure, or serious. Whoever wrote this actually thought this overglorified Lifetime Channel Movie had anything interesting to say about infidelity or relationships in general. Spoiler! It does not. For that sin alone, it deserves ire.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/24

Full Review

M L

Messed up story of 2 little boys, who haven't grown up and have no clue about relationships. Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts were great.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/24

Full Review

Timothy D

The script for this movie was vicious. Thanks to powerful acting performances, Closer is a flamboyantly assaulting romance. I found its kurt, biting approach refreshing as each couples' truth found its own way through trying circumstance.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/31/23

Full Review

Noam Y

this movie proves that you should'nt watch movies only because of the cast.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/23

Full Review

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Mike Nichols

Director

Julia Roberts

Anna

Jude Law

Dan

Natalie Portman

Alice

Clive Owen

Larry

Nick Hobbs

Taxi Driver

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Closer: Official Clip - Anna's Photo Exhibition

2:13

Closer: Official Clip - Why Isn't Love Enough?

2:13

Closer: Official Clip - Are You Flirting With Me?

2:12

Closer: Official Clip - Why Are You Doing This?

1:44

Closer: Official Clip - Who Are You?

2:13

Closer: Official Clip - Tell Me Something True

2:07

Closer: Official Clip - I'm Not a Thief

2:12

Closer: Official Clip - I Lied to You

2:13

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Searing story of betrayal isn't for kids.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 22, 2010

Full Review

Radheyan Simonpillai

AskMen.com

Closer is no joke and it's got the brave, mature performances of an all-star cast to prove it. It's a movie in which characters feel each other up with their hands and knock each other down with words.

Rated: 74/100

Jun 7, 2010

Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Like dramas by Pinter and others, what seems trenchant and perfectly pitched in the theater can come off as arch even when skillfully transferred to film.

Mar 19, 2009

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

'People are filthy, they're not worth lifting a finger for.' Closer conveys this sentiment more powerfully than anything else.

Feb 15, 2021

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

Clive Owen gives the deepest and most emotionally nuanced performance as a dermatologist desperate for love and loyalty, and Natalie Portman is a close second as the coy stripper beholden to Jude Law's self-centered, stalled writer.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 6, 2020

Full Review

Tim Stevens

The Spool

Closer's world is a gentle one, a place of kindness. It is these people who are bringing spite into it.

Jan 18, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Alice (Natalie Portman), an American stripper who has moved to London, meets Dan (Jude Law) on the street. While looking at him, a taxi hits her. After taking her to the hospital, Dan begins dating Alice. A year later, Dan -- who has written a novel about Alice -- is bored. He flirts with photographer Anna (Julia Roberts). Pretending to be her in a chat room, he leads dermatologist Larry (Clive Owen) to an accidental meeting with Anna. As the years pass, both relationships disintegrate.

Director: Mike Nichols
Executive Producer: Celia D. Costas, Robert Fox
Screenwriter: Patrick Marber
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Columbia Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Sexual Dialogue|Nudity|Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 25, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.0M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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