Review: Closer (15)

FOUR thoroughly unpleasant people try to cope with their own selfish passions in this pretentious attempt to say something important about modern relationships.

Under achieving, but complicated, novelist Dan (Jude Law), indecisive photographer Anna (Julia Roberts), straight talking doctor Larry (Clive Owen)and enigmatic waif Alice (Natalie Portman) all get in a pickle over their bedroom antics with each other.

The film starts with Dan meeting girlfriend Alice, but it soon gets into murky territory as the feckless quartet change their minds about who is sleeping with who time and again.

Closer's main weakness is that apart from Larry, it's difficult to feel anything for these thoroughly self-absorbed characters.

They are the types of people who walk round spouting self-aware nonsense that is supposed to be important. The script tries to be insightful and clever, but comes across as meaningless drivel dressed up in big words.

Only Owen comes out with any credit as heart broken but scheming Larry, whose straight forward style and charm gives viewers something to get their teeth into.

It would be hard to say Closer is a bad film, because it's not. It's well directed and acted and has one very fuuny moment with Larry and Dan on the internet.

However, a film which tries so hard to explore the feelings of the human heart falls flat on its face because it lacks the one thing that motivates every human being, a soul.

Peter McKinney

l Closer is available to rent from Blockbuster Entertainment now.