Closer (film)
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| Closer | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Mike Nichols |
| Produced by | Mike Nichols Cary Brokaw John Calley |
| Written by | Patrick Marber |
| Starring | Julia Roberts Jude Law Natalie Portman Clive Owen |
| Music by | Suzana Peric |
| Cinematography | Stephen Goldblatt |
| Editing by | John Bloom Antonia Van Drimmelen |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Release date(s) |  United StatesDecember 3, 2004  United KingdomJanuary 14, 2005  Hong KongJanuary 20, 2005 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $27,000,000 [1] |
| Gross revenue | $115,505,027 |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Closer is a 2004 film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning play of the same name. It was produced and directed by Mike Nichols and stars Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Clive Owen in a story involving deception, infidelity, intimacy and sacrifice.
The film, like the play on which it is based, has been seen by some as a modern and tragic version of Mozart's opera Così fan tutte, with references to that opera in both the plot and the soundtrack.[2]
Clive Owen starred in the 1997 play Closer as "Dan," the role assumed by Jude Law in the film.
The film was recognized with a number of awards and nominations, including Oscar nominations (and Golden Globe wins) for both Portman and Owen for their performances in supporting roles.
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[edit] Synopsis
In the opening scene, twenty year old Alice Ayres (played by Portman) and Dan Woolf (played by Law) see each other for the first time from opposite sides of a street as they are walking toward each other among many other rush hour pedestrians. Alice is a young American stripper who just arrived in London and Dan is an unsuccessful British author who is on his way to work where he writes obituaries for a newspaper. Alice looks in the wrong direction as she crosses the street and is hit by a taxi cab right in front of Dan's eyes. He rushes over. She smiles to him and says, "Hello, stranger." He takes her to hospital where Alice is treated and released. Afterward, on the way to his office, they stop by Postman's Park, the same park that he and his father visited after his mother's death. Pausing in front of the office before he leaves her and goes to work, he reminds her that traffic in England tends to come on from the right, and on impulse, he asks her for her name. They soon become lovers.
A year later, though the two are in a relationship, Dan is straying. He has written a novel based on Alice's life and while being photographed to publicize it, he flirts with the American photographer Anna Cameron (Roberts). Anna shares a kiss with Dan before finding out that Dan and Alice are in a relationship. Alice arrives and borrows Anna's bathroom, leaving Anna and Dan alone again. Dan takes the chance to try to persuade Anna into having an affair with him but is cut short by Alice's return. Alice asks Anna if she can have her portrait taken as well. Anna agrees and Alice asks Dan to leave them alone during the photo shooting. While being photographed, she reveals to Anna that she overheard them, and is photographed weeping. Alice does not reveal what she overheard to Dan, even as he spends a year stalking Anna, who resists.
A year later, Dan enters an Internet cybersex chat room and randomly meets Larry Gray (Owen), a British dermatologist. With Anna still on his mind, Dan pretends to be her, and using the pretense that they will be having sex, Dan convinces Larry to meet at the aquarium (where Anna told Dan she often went). Larry goes to the meeting place, only to be made a fool of. Anna tells Larry that a man who had pursued her, Dan, was most likely to blame for the setup. Soon, Anna and Larry become a couple and they refer to Dan as "Cupid" from then on.
Four months later, at Anna's photo exhibition,[3] Larry meets Alice, whom he recognizes from the tearful photograph that is one of many being exhibited. Larry knows that Alice and Dan are a couple, from talking to Anna. Meanwhile, Dan convinces Anna to become involved with him. They begin cheating on their respective lovers for a year, even though Anna and Larry become married halfway through the year. Eventually Anna and Dan each confess the affair to their respective partners, leaving their relationships for one another.
Alice goes back to being a stripper, heartbroken by her loss. One day, Larry runs into her accidentally at the strip club and he (heart-broken himself) is convinced that she is the girl he met before. He asks her if her name is Alice, but no matter how much money he gives her, she keeps telling him her name is "Jane Jones." He asks her to have a one-night stand with him but she refuses. The line of questioning becomes pornographic, albeit without any explicit nudity, when Larry asks Alice: "What does your cunt taste like?" Alice replies with a laugh: "Like heaven." Larry then demands: "Alice, tell me one thing that is the truth?" Alice replies with a smile: "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off," …, "but it's better if you do." The full irony of Alice's response is not apparent until the conclusion of the film.
Eventually, Larry convinces Anna to see him one last time; she agrees to sleep with him so that he will sign the divorce papers and leave her alone. Dan guesses and Anna confesses it to Dan, who takes it badly. Anna returns to Larry. Distraught, Dan confronts Larry to try and get Anna back. Instead, Larry tells him Alice's whereabouts, and suggests that he go back to her. However, out of malice, he also tells him that he had a one-night stand with her, as Dan is about to leave the room he calls him back and says, "I lied to you, I did fuck Alice… I'm just not big enough to forgive you."
Alice takes Dan back. When Dan asks her whether she had a one-night stand with Larry, she initially denies it. But when he insists on the truth, she suddenly tells him that she doesn't love him anymore and goes on to say that she did sleep with Larry. Dan then reveals that Larry had already told him about the one-night stand but that he's already forgiven her. She insists that it's over and tells him to leave. This leads to a heated argument ending with Alice spitting in Dan's face saying that she is no one and Dan replying with a slap.
In the end, Alice returns to New York. Passing through the immigration checkpoint on her way back into the United States, it is revealed through a shot of her passport that her real name is indeed Jane Rachel Jones and that she had lied about her name for the duration of her four-year relationship with Dan.
Back in London, Dan returns to Postman's Park, and to his surprise, notices the name "Alice Ayres" on a plaque that is dedicated to a girl, "who by intrepid conduct", and at the cost of her young life, saved three children. The final scene shows Alice/Jane walking towards West 47th Street, in Manhattan, approaching a red traffic light, where passers-by are turning their heads staring at her, stunned at her beauty; a scene symmetrical with the opening scene, where Alice/Jane and Dan are staring at each other on the streets of London.
[edit] Technical details
[edit] Filming locations
Closer was filmed at Elstree Film and Television Studios and on location in London.
[edit] Soundtrack
The main theme of the film follows Mozart's opera Così fan tutte, with references to that opera in both the plot and the soundtrack.[4] Further the soundtrack contains songs from Jem, Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, Bebel Gilberto, The Devlins, Prodigy and The Smiths.[5][6]
[edit] Titles and visual effects
The titles were made by "Big Film Design" and the Visual Effects by The Mill.
[edit] Box office
The film was released on December 3, 2004, in the United States. Closer opened in limited release, but theatre count was increased after the film was released. The film was domestically a financial success, grossing $33,987,757.[1] Huge success followed in the international market, where the film grossed an additional $81,517,270, accounting for over 70% of its worldwide gross, which turned out to be $115,505,027. It was considered a great success at the box office as its actual production budget was only $27 million.[1]
[edit] Blu-ray release
Closer was released exclusively on the high-definition Blu-ray Disc on May 22, 2007.
[edit] Awards and nominations
The film won the following awards:
| Year | Award | Category – Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | BAFTA Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Clive Owen |
| 2005 | Golden Globes | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Clive Owen |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Natalie Portman | ||
| 2005 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actor – Clive Owen |
| 2004 | National Board of Review | Best Acting by an Ensemble – Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts |
| 2004 | New York Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actor – Clive Owen |
| 2004 | San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actress – Natalie Portman |
| 2004 | Toronto Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor, Male – Clive Owen |
The film was nominated for the following awards:
| Year | Award | Category – Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Academy Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Clive Owen |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Natalie Portman | ||
| 2005 | American Screenwriters Association | Discover Screenwriting Award – Patrick Marber |
| 2005 | BAFTA Awards | Best Screenplay – Adapted – Patrick Marber |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Natalie Portman | ||
| 2005 | Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Acting Ensemble – Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts |
| Best Supporting Actor – Clive Owen | ||
| Best Supporting Actress – Natalie Portman | ||
| 2005 | Golden Globes | Best Director – Motion Picture – Mike Nichols |
| Best Motion Picture – Drama | ||
| Best Screenplay – Motion Picture – Patrick Marber | ||
| 2005 | Online Film Critics Society | Best Screenplay, Adapted – Patrick Marber |
| Best Supporting Actor – Clive Owen | ||
| Best Supporting Actress – Natalie Portman | ||
| 2005 | Satellite Award | Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama – Clive Owen |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama – Natalie Portman | ||
| Best Film Editing – John Bloom and Antonia Van Drimmelen | ||
| Best Screenplay, Adapted – Patrick Marber | ||
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama – Natalie Portman |
[edit] References in music
- Lines from "Closer" have been used in songs from the band Panic at the Disco. A line spoken by Natalie Portman's character ("Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, but it's better if you do.") was broken up into titles for Panic at the Disco's songs "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" and "But It's Better If You Do," from their album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.
- Fall Out Boy included quotes in songs from their album Infinity On High. On "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" the line "he tastes like you, but sweeter" is used in the chorus. In the B-side track "G.I.N.A.S.F.S." (Gay Is Not A Synonym For Shitty), the song opens up with the line "I've loved everything about you that hurts."
- The music of Irish folk singer Damien Rice is featured in the film, most notably the song "The Blower's Daughter," whose lyrics drew many parallels with the themes present in the film. The opening notes from Rice's song "Cold Water" are also used repeatedly, notably in the memorial park scenes. Rice wrote a song entitled "Closer" which was intended for use in the film, but was not completed in time.
- The Canadian rock band Silverstein has a song entitled "Fist Wrapped In Blood," a reference to a scene in which Clive Owen's character compares a human heart to such a fist.
- The opera that Dan and Anna attend is Mozart's Così fan tutte, the plot of which bears resemblances to that of the film.
- American Deathcore band Killwhitneydead use a sample from "Closer" in their song "Let Me Give You a Hand Throwing Yourself Out" from their 2007 album Hell To Pay.
[edit] Cultural references
- The series of photos of "strangers" taken by Julia Roberts's photographer character are in fact all photos of prominent contemporary philosophers taken from a series by Steve Pyke and Mick Lindberg. Visible in the film are Karl Popper, John McDowell, Peter Geach and G. E. M. Anscombe (together), and Phillipa Foot.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c boxofficemojo.com. Closer (2004). Retrieved on 21 March, 2006.
- ^ "Così fan tutte and the Shock of the Now" by Daniel Felsenfeld, Nov 08, 2006
- ^ The scene at the photo exhibition is the only one where all four characters are seen together.
- ^ "Così fan tutte and the Shock of the Now" by Daniel Felsenfeld, Nov 08, 2006
- ^ Closer soundtracks with song lyrics at stlyrics.com
- ^ Closer soundtracks at IMDb
[edit] External links
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