Four extremely beautiful people do extremely horrible things to one another in Closer, Mike Nichols' pungent adaptation of Patrick Marber's play that easily marks the Oscar-winning director's best work in years. Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer who specializes in portraits of strangers; Dan (Jude Law) is an obituary writer struggling to become a novelist; Alice (Natalie Portman) is an American stripper freshly arrived in London after a bad relationship; and Larry (Clive Owen) is a dermatologist who finds love under the most unlikely of circumstances. When their paths cross it's a dizzying supernova of emotions, as Nichols and Marber adroitly construct various scenes out of their lives that pair them again and again in various permutations of passion, heartbreak, anger, sadness, vengeance, pleading, deception, and most importantly, brutal honesty. It's only until you're more than halfway through the movie that you'll have to ask yourself exactly why you are watching such a beautifully tragic tale, as Closer is basically the ickiest, grossest, most dysfunctional parts of all your past relationships strung together into one movie. Ultimately, it falls to the four actors to draw you deeper into the story; all succeed relatively, but it's Law and Owen whose characters will cut you to the quick. Law proves that yet again he's most adept at playing charming, amoral bastards with manipulative streaks, and Owen is nothing short of brilliant as the character most turned on by the energy inherent in destructive relationships--whether he's on the giving or receiving end. --Mark Englehart

A witty romantic and very dangerous love story about chance meetings instant attractions and casual betrayals. A critically acclaimed look at four strangers - with one thing in common: each other. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 04/25/2006 Starring: Julia Roberts Natalie Portman Run time: 104 minutes Rating: R Director: Mike Nichols

This was one of the most boring movies I ever saw! It makes the word love truly just a "four letter word".

I even brought it to work and let my coworkers borrow it to get their opinion. Only one out of six said it was worth watching. I gave the movie to them!

Been there, done that. Who hasn't? That's why this movie is so watchable. Most of us, if we admit it, can identify with how these characters seek self gratification, hurt others, realize their mistakes, then go right ahead and make them again and again. We call it real life. Which you don't often get in movies. Highly recommended. But hasn't Jude Law played this same character now several times in movies, as well as at least once that we know about in real life with the babysitter?

I can't believe what a piece of trash this movie was. Between the pornographic language/images and absurd storyline, how this won or got noimated for anything is beyond me. Whatever possessed such big name actors to take on this cinematic garbage is not something I can understand. Don't see it, you will surely regret it.

If you are a Julia Roberts fans, then this movie should be in your collection. It's kinda hard to follow, but it's very good!!!!!!

LOOK! It's this simple, the people that give this move 4 stars or less are still either 1. sheltered or 2. jaded. Either way it's an inability to face the facts of what this move represents.... the utter, brutal and cold facts about who we ALL are! Proof again that people don't like the truth! "Truth is a game... we all play to win." As a side note, those who rate this poorly are nothing more than bending, compromising Anna's... a depressive defined as= "they want to be unhappy to confirm they're depressed. If they were happy they couldn't be depressed anymore. They'd have to go out in the world and live... which could be depressing." -Larry (Clive Owen)