Closer



"It's a lie. It's a bunch of sad strangers photographed beautifully, and... all the glittering assholes who appreciate art say it's beautiful 'cause that's what they wanna see. But the people in the photos are sad, and alone... But the pictures make the world seem beautiful, so... the exhibition is reassuring which makes it a lie, and everyone loves a big fat lie."

Closer is a 2004 film- based on a 1997 play by English playwright Patrick Marber- starring Natalie Portman as Alice, Jude Law as Dan, Clive Owen as Larry, and Julia Roberts as Anna. Its most famous scene is arguably the one where Natalie Portman is a pink wigged stripper. Basically, it's a romantic drama set in contemporary London about two opposing sets of couples: Dan and Alice, and Larry and Anna, and their infidelities and heartbreak in a classic love square. It's better than it sounds.

This film exhibits examples of:
""Have you ever seen the human heart? It looks like a fist soaked in blood.""
 * Adaptation Distillation: Patrick Marber wrote the screenplay based on his own play, trimming off a lot of the fat in the process. Pity about the ending though...
 * A Good Name for a Song: Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy both took inspiration from the film: The songs "Lying is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" and "But It's Better if You Do" form a quote from the aforementioned stripping scene. The line "He tastes like you, only sweeter" in "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" is, in the film, Anna's response to Larry's question of what Dan's ejaculate tastes like. The line "I love everything about you that hurts" in G.I.N.A.S.F.S is taken from the aforementioned pink wigged stripper scene.
 * Betty and Veronica: Both men have the choice between the wise, steady photographer Anna and the vivacious, flirtatious 'waif' Alice.
 * Between My Legs: In Alice's scene in the club, while she's putting on her outfit.
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Book Ends: the movie opens with Alice walking down a London street to "The Blower's Daughter", and ends with her walking at the end.
 * Brutal Honesty: Everyone at one point or another, but Larry almost all the time.
 * Country Matters: Larry plainly and forwardly asks Alice what her cunt tastes like. She replies "heaven".
 * Deadpan Snarker: Everyone, pretty much. It's that kind of script.
 * Downer Ending: The original play's ending.
 * GIRL: The spark that sets Larry and Anna's relationship is Dan masquerading as Anna in a cybersex chat room.
 * Line-of-Sight Name: takes  name after a person commemorated in real life in Postman's Park.
 * Love Makes You Crazy: And evil, and bloody stupid...

"Larry: Oh Christ...when I was in flares, you were in nappies."
 * Love Triangle: Repeatedly.
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Alice tries very hard to be one of these.
 * May-December Romance: Larry and Alice.


 * Only Sane Man: Anna, most of the time.
 * Stalking Is Love: Dan tries this with Anna, for a whole year. It works.