Set in contemporary London, this is the story of four and their chance meetings, instant attractions and casual betrayals. Dan is a writer in London who wants to finish a novel, but in the meantime supports himself by writing obituaries. One day, he literally runs into Alice, a beautiful young American expatriate. Alice immediately falls for Dan, and gives him her love without reservation. Dan is initially enchanted with Alice, and returns her affection, but while she inspires him to write his novel (based on their relationship), her neediness begins to wear on him. Anna is a photographer who is hired to take a portrait of Dan for the dust jacket of his book; Dan is instantly attracted to her easy confidence, and while the two of them flirt, Anna soon marries Larry, a dermatologist whom Dan unwittingly played cupid for them in a practical joke gone awry. Dan can't get Anna out of his mind even though she's married, and the two become lovers, but Dan is frustrated by the fact that Anna is reluctant to leave Larry for him. All the while Alice finds herself caught between Dan, Anna and Larry as the four of them betray each other and hurt each other while they try and find love and happiness.

The timeline and story for Closer almost moves as violently as the emotions of some of its characters. I have never seen such a fitting way to have time change in a movie since it fits the characters so well. There are no transitions, not even a fade away the movie just progresses its timeline in leaps and bounds sometimes moving a year in a single second. The movie is a dark and disturbing look at love, relationships and life for the most part. Dan, Anna, Alice and Larry play almost a merry-go round with their emotions and each other as they are so twisted and warped they almost deserve each other. It is impossible to not be fantasized by the characters as each of them is so rich in their cruelty and their passions they draw you into their worlds of deceptions, hurt and betrayal as they almost seem to take joy in hurting each other then finding and falling in love all together.

I cannot say anything bad about a single performance in the movie and this includes Julia Robert’s whom I normally despise as an actress. Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen weave so well together a tapestry of love, hate, and mostly passion as they all seem fascinated with each other all the while they slowly destroy each other. Its compelling, its enthralling and its highly enjoyable. How they meet, how they fall in love, how they fall out of love, how they fall in love again and what they seem unable to learn along the way is the movie and its what makes it so great. Mix in a little humor, mix in a little raunch and sex and you have this movie that is nothing short of spectacular.
5 stars out of 5