Closer (2004)

Based on a play (and written by that play's creator), this is a film about love, lust, relationships, betrayal, and a generalization about some, but not all, facets of human sexuality and desire. It covers a period of several years and follows four people who all start as strangers with one another, but end up tightly connected (and disconnected) over and over again. It's a good concept, and a lot of it works, but I feel like this was better as a stage play sense it really doesn't come off as all that cinematic in its execution. Also, it's rather pretentious and I'm not sure if this is quite what it really could have been.It makes some good statements about the human condition, but I was left a little underwhelmed.I will give this film a lot of credit and say that it does have some sharp writing, great dialogue, and some fantastic performances. It has a few scenes that are just absolutely fantastic and rather devastating, but I also feel like this film could have been far edgier, scathing, and really do the topic justice.As I mentioned above, the acting is great. All of the four mains are firing on all cylinders, yet it's the two women who really shine here, mostly because they are each playing characters that help them shed certain images and reputations they have acquired. That's not to say that the men don't excel, because they do. The men just don't have the better roles (but each does get a few really good moments with their roles).People seem to love this movie, but I just can't get onto that bandwagon. It's good, really good at times, but I feel like it's a watered down version of what it could have been. I was left underwhelmed, slightly dissatisfied, and hoping that the statements the film tried to make would really blow me away instead of being mostly interesting but not much more. Still, the film does have its moments, so that's why I'm still giving it a mild pass.