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movie review - Closer

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This movie left me flat. Aside from the unfortunate failings of the character story to engage, the pace throughout the first half is slow enough that the movie doesn't really engage until the second half. And that's a lot of waiting around.

It is essentially a tale of two men. Two wildly different, but equally self-obsessed men who become flounder through their relationships with their women. It's fairly obvious, from the way the men thought and behaved, that this was written by a man. The two characters behave in very consistent fashions, to the point where I was able to see some of their lines coming before they said them. And it's in the 'true' feel of these characters that the strengths of this movie lie.

But since neither character is in the least bit sympathetic, and both are selfish cads, it's hard to give a damn.

There are two women in the movie, as well. They get a lot of screen time, but they serve little purpose in the movie other than to act as props for the struggle between the men. Certainly, the tales of the women are all but ignored, and their actions are not as consistent with the rudimentary depictions we have of their characters.

Not recommended.