Being Roger Ebert
I saw 2 similar movies this past week. It’s amazing how I came across 2 films of the same themes without really knowing what they were about initially.
Closer
The San Francisco Chronicle’s review of this film was a bit harsh on Julia Roberts, but in some ways, I can see why. I wouldn’t say she ruined the whole movie, but she proved once again why she doesn’t belong in relationship dramas. This film was about complex characters and Julia Roberts seem totally out of place and lost.
As far as the other actors, they were pretty good at their roles. And the reason I say this is that this movie was about unhappy people who don’t know the concept of love and who couldn’t see the difference between intimacy and lust. The characters were too unbelievable, but Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen played them very real & convincingly. Speaking of real, there is a nice, simple twist at the end of the film. It’s surprising how the only true sensible character in the film was the one that was pretending to be someone else.
As far as the story is concerned, it was just too cold for my taste. It wasn’t very captivating like most critics said. It was as if I was just along for the ride. And although it had some funny moments (guilt humor), it’s actually a very depressing movie. Definitely not a holiday flick. After seeing this film, I couldn’t wait to get a heavy dose of Love Actually.
Grade: C+
We Don’t Live Here Anymore
This film is the grown-up, suburban version of Closer – a more realistic version as well. I was more intrigued by this story and its characters compared to the over-hyped Closer. Also, the actors in this film gave better and more memorable performances than the other movie. As a matter of fact, these characters were more complex but definitely more believable – give credit to Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Watts, Laura Dern, and Peter Krause. (It would have been interesting if Naomi Watts played the Julia Roberts character in Closer – it would have been more realistic).
I can’t say I really enjoyed this movie. Movies about betrayal, love games, lust, and adultery aren’t meant to be enjoyed, but it was definitely very interesting. The characters and the story had more substance and more developed than Closer … so overall, it’s a cut above.
Grade: B
Closer
The San Francisco Chronicle’s review of this film was a bit harsh on Julia Roberts, but in some ways, I can see why. I wouldn’t say she ruined the whole movie, but she proved once again why she doesn’t belong in relationship dramas. This film was about complex characters and Julia Roberts seem totally out of place and lost.
As far as the other actors, they were pretty good at their roles. And the reason I say this is that this movie was about unhappy people who don’t know the concept of love and who couldn’t see the difference between intimacy and lust. The characters were too unbelievable, but Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen played them very real & convincingly. Speaking of real, there is a nice, simple twist at the end of the film. It’s surprising how the only true sensible character in the film was the one that was pretending to be someone else.
As far as the story is concerned, it was just too cold for my taste. It wasn’t very captivating like most critics said. It was as if I was just along for the ride. And although it had some funny moments (guilt humor), it’s actually a very depressing movie. Definitely not a holiday flick. After seeing this film, I couldn’t wait to get a heavy dose of Love Actually.
Grade: C+
We Don’t Live Here Anymore
This film is the grown-up, suburban version of Closer – a more realistic version as well. I was more intrigued by this story and its characters compared to the over-hyped Closer. Also, the actors in this film gave better and more memorable performances than the other movie. As a matter of fact, these characters were more complex but definitely more believable – give credit to Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Watts, Laura Dern, and Peter Krause. (It would have been interesting if Naomi Watts played the Julia Roberts character in Closer – it would have been more realistic).
I can’t say I really enjoyed this movie. Movies about betrayal, love games, lust, and adultery aren’t meant to be enjoyed, but it was definitely very interesting. The characters and the story had more substance and more developed than Closer … so overall, it’s a cut above.
Grade: B
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