For once, Julia Roberts plays a role that doesn't require her to flash her megalithic teeth too often. I rather liked her playing sexy, hurt, and emotionally confused Anna in the film adaptaion of a terribly frank play by Patrick Marber. The story concerns a quartet of emotionally confused adults messing up a series of very adult relationships with each other. There is no soft edge, no happy ending for these people -- they just go on hurting themselves the way folks do. Mike Nichols hasn't been my favorite director for about 15 years, thanks to tragedies like Wolf, The Birdcage and that lovely Gary Shandling vehicle, What Planet Are You From?. In the case of Closer, however, he proves how brilliant he can be making movies for adults -- the ones who have sex, fall in love, get into relationships and have doubts about themselves in random order. Hollywood doesn't make many films like this anymore, because most of the adults in this category are over 30 -- and what's the use in marketing a movie to people who are so old, right?
the best parts: Excellent casting all around - Roberts, Jude Law, Clive Owen and the stunningly talented Natalie Portman, who would deserve an Oscar for her performance if Cate Blanchett hadn't already won it in my mind; any shot of Jude Law; Natalie Portman as a blonde; Natalie Portman vamping; Natalie Portman as Pink; Natalie Portman with stripper pole; Clive "I'm the next James Bond" Owen's green eyes.
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