Closer
2004
Director: Mike Nichols (Angels in America, Wit, The Graduate)
Starring: Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, and Natalie Portman.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I saw Mike Nichols' film Closer last Tuesday and I was surprised and at how deeply effective it is. Okay, I hate Julia Roberts, I found all her performances merely just a reflection of herself but in Closer, she plays Anna Cameron so subtly that I just felt her character (hell, I felt for every character). Her performance is this film is underacted and maybe that's why I loved it. She plays the polar opposite for every character she has been playing since her movie career started and it pays off. Every performance in this picture is absolutely top-notch from Jude Law's idiot character Daniel to Clive Owen's dermatologist and quite despicable character Larry. Clive Owen is an underrated actor who should be getting better roles in the future. His performance here is great because you sympathize with his character but at times you hate him as well. Natalie Portman is amazing as the delicate and beautiful Alice, a waif who depends on Law's character. Great things should come in the future for her.

But what I truly loved in the film is the script. I have NEVER heard conversations this frank in a high-calibur picture. It literally has to be heard to be believed. Many of the conversations between the characters are fascinating and sometimes borderline pornographic but that's what makes the film feel real.

At the end, you'll have conflicting feeling between the characters and I think that's what Nichols was trying to convey. That sense of authenticity and realism of a breaking relationship and he directs it perfectly. This is one of the best films of the year.

Grade: A