Closer

Everybody has a different definition of what constitutes escapism. Some people like to watch things blow up; some people want to watch Jim Carrey talk out of his ass. I like to watch characters involved in relationships talk, have sex, cheat, and lie (to each other and themselves). These kinds of movies, when well-written, make me giddy with great talk and powerful acting. Closer is an outstanding entry in this genre. Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, and Julia Roberts form a compelling (love-rectangle...no...hate-rectangle...no lets go with) sex-rectangle and the superb dialogue they get to speak along with their talent keep this film humming even when the characters occasionally engage in behavior that starts to make suspending disbelief much more difficult. I have said many many mean things about Julia Roberts over the last ten plus years. For at least the two hours this film plays I take all of it back. There is not an ounce of movie star in this performance, and her lack of self-consciousness is revelatory. I honestly thought she was incapable of a performance like this. It is with great pleasure that I declare I WAS WRONG. If she is serious about more or less retiring from moviemaking she could not have come up with a better swan song. But it is not her film alone. Jude Law's emotionally self-destructive character is played with such a lack of self-awareness that it made me realize how two-dimensional his Alfie was. Clive Owen is masterful as a man who quite honestly bellows during one argument, "I'm a caveman!" But it is Natalie Portman who should get the best press. This young woman has been a fascinating presence for almost ten years now. Although she will forever be the Star Wars Queen for a large faction of the moviegoing audience, she has given stellar performances in such varied films as Leon, Beautiful Girls, and Cold Mountain (also opposite Jude Law). This film is her coming out party as an actress of the highest caliber. She can play girlish but she is no longer a girl. Her command of her body is impressive - she knows how to use her physicality to communicate character (pay attention to the scene where Jude Law's character leaves her - and then reconsider that scene after the film is over to understand how smart an actress she is). Beautiful people in beautiful locations, doing horrible things to each other - yep that's my idea of escapist entertainment. And Closer fits that bill better than anything I've seen in a while. This is not necessarily a deep film (we all know that people cheat in relationships), but it is an engaging and compellingly watchabale one with great acting and first-rate dialogue that will keep you talking about the characters well after the film ends.