by Jay Bamber

Created on: July 11, 2009   Last Updated: July 13, 2009

Closer is the pain filled story of four attractive adults living in London and how their lives become connected through strands of love, hate, passion and revenge. Danny and Alice meet serendipitously when he help her to the hospital after she is hit by a taxi (yet miraculously she stays unharmed) she is flighty, from New York and free, he is smart, a journalist and slightly dull. What ensues is a whirl wind relationship between them, but when Dan is having his photo taken for the cover of his new book he kisses Anna the photographer, she forgets about him and moves on. Unfortunately when Dan is messing about on a sex chat room he tells a suave doctor, Larry to meet him under the alias of Anna. What luck that when Larry turns up, the real Anna is there! At one of Anna's art exhibitions she meets up with the still together Alice and Dan, but is there still a spark between her and the writer, is Larry looking Alice up? What follows are cruel mind games, wife swaps, lies and deceit.

Closer is one of the oddest movies that I have ever seen, not because its premise is wacky or anything about the production is particularly strange, but because the film is void of anything nice, there truly isn't any heart or warmth and all the main characters are achingly mean and frustrating. Yet I was instantly drawn into its stark world hooked onto every beautiful word daring it to shock me, but I don't think I really enjoyed the experience. Can you love a film and not like it? This is the difficult question that I have to ask myself, and after watching Closer I can answer in the affirmative. Yes, yes you can, but why? Well because the script is stark, humorous, involving, subtle and fluid the direction from Mike Nichols is masterful and most of the cast are truly wonderful. Don't go into Closer expecting a film about love or compassion because you will be deeply disappointed and probably shocked, this films examines pain, grief and indecision like no other but never ever becomes over the top. Everyone has agendas that are revealed. Games they want to play and hearts they want to break, but don't knock it until you've tasted its sweet viciousness.

Julia Roberts puts in - without doubt in my mind - a career best performance, which makes me wonder why she received the least amount of critical acclaim, is it because she had the least developed character? Roberts literally blew me away with her breathtaking easiness and willingness to dedicate to her - sometimes unflattering

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