Closer (2004)

68% of critics liked it
(202 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(217,249 ratings)

Patrick Marber's acclaimed stage drama about the romantic interactions of four people has been given a reverent screen adaptation by director and producer Mike Nichols. Dan (Jude Law) is a writer in London who wants to finish a novel, but in the meantime supports himself by writing obituaries. One… More Patrick Marber's acclaimed stage drama about the romantic interactions of four people has been given a reverent screen adaptation by director and producer Mike Nichols. Dan (Jude Law) is a writer in London who wants to finish a novel, but in the meantime supports himself by writing obituaries. One day he chances upon Alice (Natalie Portman), a beautiful young American expatriate, working as a stripper, when he sees her get hit by a car. Alice immediately falls for Dan, and gives him her love without reservation. Dan is initially enchanted with Alice, and returns her affection, but while she inspires him to write his novel (based on her life), her neediness begins to wear on him. Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer who is hired to take a portrait of Dan for the dust jacket of his book; Dan is attracted to her easy confidence, and while the two of them flirt, Anna soon (inadvertently through Dan's playful machinations) meets Larry (Clive Owen), a dermatologist, and marries him. Dan can't get Anna out of his mind even though she's married, and the two become lovers, but Dan is frustrated by the fact that Anna is reluctant to leave Larry for him. Patrick Marber wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of Closer; it was the playwright's first feature-film credit. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Mike Nichols
Written By: Patrick Marber
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 3, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Mar 29, 2005
Studio: Sony Pictures

Critic Reviews

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.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Vibrates with eroticism, bruising laughs and dynamite performances from four attractive actors doing decidedly unattractive things.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
If it makes you uncomfortable, or leaves you disturbed, it has only done its job.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Closer has lots to offer: smart performances, archly funny dialogue and a feeling for the way a group of strangers can become so familiar that they're apt to rip one another to shreds.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Impeccably acted and directed -- but quite icy.
David Ansen, Newsweek
[A] chilly, caustic, foul-mouthed anatomy of modern romance.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Searing story of betrayal isn't for kids.
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.
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
With a better script, Closer could have been compelling romantic drama; instead, it's little more than clichéd nonsense.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Nichols ... simply stuns with a beautiful production, excellent script, unconventional and rather hateful story, and excellent acting all around.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Mike Nichols teases up a similar level of emotional dysfunction to "Carnal Knowledge" with a filmic rendition of Patrick Marber's stage play about sexual one-ups-man-ship.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Four beautiful, despicable characters find everything but love in this borderline sadistic battle of words from Mike Nichols.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
It's only as good as its cast. Fortunately, it's a good cast.
Alan Dale, Blogcritics.org
Marber looks at farcical giddiness with a hard-won sobriety.... Closer is a voguish farce that, rather than making you wish you were like the characters, makes you wish that you hadn't been.
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
Extras are not this disc's strong suit, as the main special feature here is a music video.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
I appreciate the daring nature of the screenplay, but in the end it was just another movie that didn't entertain me.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
click to read article [Greek]
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
Owen and Portman give excellent, committed performances, leaving Law and Roberts in the shade.
Jason Blake, Sydney Morning Herald
Thanks to Marber's whiplash dialogue, the cast suffer with an eloquence that's uncommon in the movies, but that's about as far as it goes.
Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
Fortunately for Nichols, Marber's script is smart enough and often uncomfortably amusing, and the talent he's arrayed all live up to their marquee status. Even Roberts.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

Hello stranger. Depressingly adult anti-romance. Compare with the the similarly themed and entertaining Carnal Knowledge for a look at what I think is director Mike Nichols losing a step or two - actually impressively little for 33 years down the road.
Chris W

Based on a play (and written by that play's creator), this is a film about love, lust, relationships, betrayal, and a generalization about some, but not all, facets of human sexuality and desire. It covers a period of several years and follows four people who all start as… More
Based on a play (and written by that play's creator), this is a film about love, lust, relationships, betrayal, and a generalization about some, but not all, facets of human sexuality and desire. It covers a period of several years and follows four people who all start as strangers with one another, but end up tightly connected (and disconnected) over and over again. It's a good concept, and a lot of it works, but I feel like this was better as a stage play sense it really doesn't come off as all that cinematic in its execution. Also, it's rather pretentious and I'm not sure if this is quite what it really could have been.It makes some good statements about the human condition, but I was left a little underwhelmed. I will give this film a lot of credit and say that it does have some sharp writing, great dialogue, and some fantastic performances. It has a few scenes that are just absolutely fantastic and rather devastating, but I also feel like this film could have been far edgier, scathing, and really do the topic justice. As I mentioned above, the acting is great. All of the four mains are firing on all cylinders, yet it's the two women who really shine here, mostly because they are each playing characters that help them shed certain images and reputations they have acquired. That's not to say that the men don't excel, because they do. The men just don't have the better roles (but each does get a few really good moments with their roles). People seem to love this movie, but I just can't get onto that bandwagon. It's good, really good at times, but I feel like it's a watered down version of what it could have been. I was left underwhelmed, slightly dissatisfied, and hoping that the statements the film tried to make would really blow me away instead of being mostly interesting but not much more. Still, the film does have its moments, so that's why I'm still giving it a mild pass.
Bethany M

Quite a sexy film. Weird and unusual but the film is well written. A must see!
xGary X

Mike Nichols directs a well observed and witty study of relationships based on the love quadrangle between two couples. Far from the usual sentimental drivel you'd expect from Hollywood style films about "romance", this movie which although can seem a little overly self… More
Mike Nichols directs a well observed and witty study of relationships based on the love quadrangle between two couples. Far from the usual sentimental drivel you'd expect from Hollywood style films about "romance", this movie which although can seem a little overly self conscious in places, does have the kind of brutal honesty that superficially seems the antithesis. These lovers are in turns selfish, manipulative, spiteful and pathetic; just like real people. Jude Law is the perfect choice for playing a smug, self-involved asshole, Owen treads the fine line between likability and self righteous nastiness as does Portman's beautiful but emotionally needy bimbo. And Julia Roberts is inevitably Julia Roberts. At the end of the day you're still just watching a bunch of pretentious, priveleged, pretty people back stab each other and as such is not really my kind of thing, but if you're ever emotionally blackmailed by your other half into having to sit through a film about *cringe* "relationships" then this is far from the most painful. I am a man, after all...
Jameson W

Fantasic film! I knew very little about this film going into it, so I had no idea what to expect. What I found was an intense, tragic story of the relatonships of four people. The story takes place over a period of many years, so the films jumps around alot, but I never felt lost at… More
Fantasic film! I knew very little about this film going into it, so I had no idea what to expect. What I found was an intense, tragic story of the relatonships of four people. The story takes place over a period of many years, so the films jumps around alot, but I never felt lost at all. The story was so brilliantly executed that I was completely taken in by it. The actors really added to this feeling. Natalie Portman and Clive Owen both give phenomenal performances, both worthy of Oscar noms. It was nice to see Natalie Portman's first "adult" role....now I can't wait to see her performance in Black Swan. Jude Law and Julia Roberts also give great performances. The acting in this film is fantastic and really adds to to complexity of the story. Yes, the characters piss me off like no other, but the performances add a sense of realism to the story, allowing for the audience to feel sad for the characters too. This is a very tragic, depressing story about "love." The thing I love about this film is how real it feels. Each character truly seems as if they could live near me, it's quite fantastic to watch. The script is brilliant, acting is phenomenal, story is tragic and real, the emotion is intense. This is a great film...not an easy film to watch with out being touched by it. I love it!
Alice S

Brutally candid in its treatment of love, lust, loneliness, and loss. Cited the play in my paper "Contemporary Drama Meets 20th Century Loose Mamas." Showed end of Anna and Larry's fight scene at an academic conference to illustrate how in modern society, it's… More
Brutally candid in its treatment of love, lust, loneliness, and loss. Cited the play in my paper "Contemporary Drama Meets 20th Century Loose Mamas." Showed end of Anna and Larry's fight scene at an academic conference to illustrate how in modern society, it's not just the act of adultery that dominates but the verbal vitriol with which it is told. Went over well :~P Unclear: does Alice/Jane die at the end? She does in the play, but I had always assumed the last scene in the movie was just a pretty "can't take your eyes off of her" bookend. Upon rewatch, Justin pointed out that the pedestrian light is red as she crosses the street, perhaps foreshadowing her imminent demise. If so, Nichols could have made a slightly bigger deal about it - a slow-mo onrush of concerned passersby, crowding towards the bottom of the screen as the scene fades out.
Emile T

Perfectly written, perferctly directed, perfectly acted.
Nadira I

The most realistic romance movie ever created with 4 amazing casts : Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen. The relationship between 4 people become more and more complicated in the movie. It's not a love triangle anymore, but quadrangle. Another… More
The most realistic romance movie ever created with 4 amazing casts : Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen. The relationship between 4 people become more and more complicated in the movie. It's not a love triangle anymore, but quadrangle. Another not-so-ordinary kind of hollywood movie that offers smart performances. Mike Nichols gave us the darkest love story ever told.
Ken S

A funny, dark, honest and biting look at f-ed up relationships
Anthony L

Patrick Marber is a funny writer eh! No pun intended, it's just hard to associate The Day Today with Closer. It's like a really rude version of something Yasmina Reza might write I thought. I'm all for anti-rom-coms though and this is the best adaption of a theatre… More
Patrick Marber is a funny writer eh! No pun intended, it's just hard to associate The Day Today with Closer. It's like a really rude version of something Yasmina Reza might write I thought. I'm all for anti-rom-coms though and this is the best adaption of a theatre production I can remember seeing (Interview is really good too but not as accomplished). The acting and the dialogue are both brilliant, although Julia Roberts probably wasn't worth the fee. I can find very little at fault with the film but I didn't really like it, the characters are unlikable, sure they're written that way and performed accordingly, I just couldn't really empathise or relate to them which took some of the enjoyment away from me somewhat.
Steven C

"Where is this love? I can't see it, I can't touch it. I can't feel it. I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words." Mike Nichols' "Closer" is a dark, dense character study about modern… More
"Where is this love? I can't see it, I can't touch it. I can't feel it. I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words." Mike Nichols' "Closer" is a dark, dense character study about modern relationships. Incredible acting and dialogue make this film unforgettable and tragic.
Tony G

Should've stayed on stage - lacked electricity and dimensionality.
♥˩ƳИИ &

JUDE LAW, NATALIE PORTMAN, JULIA ROBERTS, CLIVE OWEN Smart-but-ineffectual journalist Dan "We use euphemisms!" cant decide between his girlfriend, loving-but-clingy waitress Alice, or his lover cold-but-intellectual photographer Anna. Anna herself cant decide between Dan… More
JUDE LAW, NATALIE PORTMAN, JULIA ROBERTS, CLIVE OWEN Smart-but-ineffectual journalist Dan "We use euphemisms!" cant decide between his girlfriend, loving-but-clingy waitress Alice, or his lover cold-but-intellectual photographer Anna. Anna herself cant decide between Dan and honest-but-thuggish "You're bloody gorgeous!" doctor Larry. Very few films out there that only have a handful of actors in it throughout the movie. This film definitely had to depend on these for actors and their acting ability. So thank goodness it was these four. Brilliant performances. Very raw. Loved the honesty and the bluntness of the whole film. Never seen a movie like this that is so real about relationships and so up-close and personnel. Not a romance comedy by far. Not a comedy at all. I guess this falls under more of a drama/romance. Julia Roberts is one of the best. I love watching her act. She is a favorite for sure. Natalie Portman is another, I love seeing her bring characters to life. She has so much emotion. You feel her pain. Jude Law was very vulnerable in this movie. Never seen him like that before. He was great. Clive Owen's character is probably the most rawest. He holds nothing back. Just really great performances. I loved how the story was told. No confusion going back and forth at all. It seemed to really work. I didn't even mind not seeing the drama of the in-between. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Definitely not what I expected. Good watch...
Jens S

Not your average movie about love and couples but a rude and realistic look at relationships between people. This film is full of truths about sex, love and how people treat each other. I sometimes sat amazed at how close those conversations were to actual ones I had or witnessed. An… More
Not your average movie about love and couples but a rude and realistic look at relationships between people. This film is full of truths about sex, love and how people treat each other. I sometimes sat amazed at how close those conversations were to actual ones I had or witnessed. An awesome cast of four stars carries this movie full of the most brilliant and real dialogues I probably ever saw on film, especially Roberts (hopelessly underrated in her regular chick flicks) and Portman (sexier than ever) give one of the best performances of their careers. Still, the movie doesn't take the drama too far, is sometimes even pretty amusing and funny, especially in the cybersex scene between the fantastic Clive Owen and Law. Hopeless romantics or people who haven't had their share of heartache and relationship drama might call this blunt and over the top, but I am still puzzled beyond belief how true this movie was. I'd even say a truer film about the topic has never been made. Maybe except for "Love actually", but that one leaves out the ugly truths and sticks to the happy side. Closer dares to get dirty and deserves all the praise for it. My work of reference for the genre or relationship dramas.
Conner R

I don't think you can watch a more epic drama about love. This brought up the subject of true love and questioned it to the up most. The characters were all such flawed tragedies, but manage to realize what it takes to truly be happy. I don't think there was a bad… More
I don't think you can watch a more epic drama about love. This brought up the subject of true love and questioned it to the up most. The characters were all such flawed tragedies, but manage to realize what it takes to truly be happy. I don't think there was a bad performance in this movie, everyone came off as believable and that made the movie all the more powerful.
Dan S

An incredibly acted stage piece concerning four people who can't make up their mind when it comes to companionship. Clive Owen gives the best performance out of the four, possessing a degree of dominance that is impressive. The dialogue fails this film at times, it goes overboard… More
An incredibly acted stage piece concerning four people who can't make up their mind when it comes to companionship. Clive Owen gives the best performance out of the four, possessing a degree of dominance that is impressive. The dialogue fails this film at times, it goes overboard into quibbling, verbal battles that get to be a little testing after a while. The viewer, like the characters, might also get rather tired of the mind games on display as well. However, this is still a decent production, some of the dialogue is indeed impressive, and, as already mentioned, the acting all-around is very good.
Lorenzo v

"If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking." The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other. <center>"If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking." The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other. <center>REVIEW</center> Mike Nichols' version of the play "Closer" is one of 2004s most engrossing films with its sharp dialogue and astonishing performances. Everything about this film cuts to the core of the viewer. We watch as two couples, both formed by chance meetings find themselves involved in adultery and manipulation. Each character claims to love their companion, but at the same point they are willing to use them for sexual gratification and deceit. The performances by Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Natalie Portman are sterling. However, the best comes from Clive Owen who delivers his dialogue with such ferocity that he strikes at the audience as well. You cannot help but be taken aback by how emotionally charged and powerful Owen's acting is?certainly worth his award for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and his Oscar nomination, as well.
Josh L

Fantastic cast with great performances. Not for the feint of heart though. It's a very dark and unsettling movie that is definitely going to stick with you.
Al S

It's absolutely brillant. It's sexually taunt, riveting, funny and electrifying. Powerful and extroadinary. Terrifically directed, expertly written and acted to superb perfection. A great, raw, magnificent and provoctative drama. A devilishly entertaining love story for… More
It's absolutely brillant. It's sexually taunt, riveting, funny and electrifying. Powerful and extroadinary. Terrifically directed, expertly written and acted to superb perfection. A great, raw, magnificent and provoctative drama. A devilishly entertaining love story for adults thats almost pure perfection. Jude Law is brilliant, he gives the best performance of his career. Julia Roberts is sensational. Natalie Portman is excellent. Clive Owen is a powerhouse, a fantastic performance that I think is the best in the film. Each one of these actors strips their characters down to bare bones of emotions, each giving an incrediable performance.
Film C

omg probably the most pointles and boring film ever i love jude law and think julia roberts is an excellant actress but this film is crap! so disappoited