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Closer (Superbit Edition)
Director: Mike Nichols
Actors: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, and Nick Hobbs
Rated: R (Restricted)
Retail Price (not our price): $14.94
Release Date: 2005-03-29
Theatrical Release Date: 2004-12-03
Studio: Sony Pictures
Run Time: 104 minutes
Format: Array
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Discs: 1


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Four extremely beautiful people do extremely horrible things to one another in Closer, Mike Nichols' pungent adaptation of Patrick Marber's play that easily marks the Oscar-winning director's best work in years. Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer who specializes in portraits of strangers; Dan (Jude Law) is an obituary writer struggling to become a novelist; Alice (Natalie Portman) is an American stripper freshly arrived in London after a bad relationship; and Larry (Clive Owen) is a dermatologist who finds love under the most unlikely of circumstances. When their paths cross it's a dizzying supernova of emotions, as Nichols and Marber adroitly construct various scenes out of their lives that pair them again and again in various permutations of passion, heartbreak, anger, sadness, vengeance, pleading, deception, and most importantly, brutal honesty. It's only until you're more than halfway through the movie that you'll have to ask yourself exactly why you are watching such a beautifully tragic tale, as Closer is basically the ickiest, grossest, most dysfunctional parts of all your past relationships strung together into one movie. Ultimately, it falls to the four actors to draw you deeper into the story; all succeed relatively, but it's Law and Owen whose characters will cut you to the quick. Law proves that yet again he's most adept at playing charming, amoral bastards with manipulative streaks, and Owen is nothing short of brilliant as the character most turned on by the energy inherent in destructive relationships--whether he's on the giving or receiving end. --Mark Englehart

2) Description
The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 3.0 out of 5

1) Closer: a movie about the gritty side of love   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This movie is not your typical love story but it is a love story. It shows the complexity behind our relationships and what makes some work and some not. Honesty, even when painful, is depicted as the key ingredient as well as fearless love in the face of rejection and being willing to fight for someone rather than walk away. It has so many great lines..Natalie's charactor gets the majority of them. Like when she tells her cheating boyfriend who tries to say he couldn't help it that there is always a moment when you can draw the line and you choose to or you choose not to...it is one of my favorite movies...other favorites include French Kiss and Pulp Fiction...if you share that taste...good chance you'll appreciate this movie, too. It is at least original unlike all the remakes Hollywood has taken to putting out and has the beauty of being written with those fabulous smart witty lines that the old movies always had.

2) Ah, sweet deceit...   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Deception has always been an interesting theme, but hardly as well presented as in "Closer", and in spades. Other reviewers were put off by it, but in the hands of Master Mike Nichols, this is only another classic in the history of the subject (Shakespeare, Oedipus Rex, Lysistrata, etc.). This kind of deceit involves a bunch of pretty people, which may not include you nor I; still, similar things have probably happened to us that we can relate to.Naysaying reviewers might be in denial, but, fact is, the brilliant cast and author (and director) have presented a brutal and honest slice of ugliness that is difficult to ignore. We can only hope to learn, listen and grow from this. Jude Law, Clive Owen & Natalie Portman were applauded for their roles. I've always been a fan of Julia Roberts, and I thought she was their equal. All are appalling people, and there's no love to be lost for any of them. The change in time-frame was confusing, but added to the angst. A thoughtful, thinking-persons film.The references to Mozart & Rossini throughout are appropriate.

3) close enough   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
This movie is originally a playwright. And it hasn't been film-ized, so it feels like you're watching a play on screen. I think that's how you should watch this film rather than expect a conventional film. As mentioned in other reviews the film is explicit in its sexuality and yet there are no sex scenes. It's only in conversations you find out about the sex, lies, and betrayals. Yes, the time frame is confusing as the change of scenes can mean the movie has moved forward a day or three months, but I think we're all smart enough to follow. Personally I think the subtlety is what makes this movie brilliant. We, as audience, aren't told what we're supposed to think but rather given the opportunity to actually think for ourselves.This movie stands in its own league and really shouldn't be compared to your average romance movies. The movie is lead by the four actors who are flawless in their performances and I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a unique film experience.

4) Sex, Lies, and Natalie Portman   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
I must confess, I've never quite understood all the hoopla surrounding Julia Roberts. She is, to me, at best only slightly above average looking. I've never been particularly floored by her acting, either, since she seems to always be playing the same character: Julia Roberts. In this movie, it is beyond my comprehension that anyone would leave Natalie Portman for her. What is her overwhelming appeal supposed to be here, exactly? With that said, I was initially unsure if I even liked this movie. However, as it went on I found myself pulled into the tangled web of lies and deceit surrounding the lives of these people. Then there's Natalie in a highly erotic scene as a private dancer for Clive Owen... This scene is so steamy you'll need to run a dehumidifier while watching it! Love, lust, lies, loss... Life. If there wasn't something here that felt basically true, both about relationships and what they reveal about ourselves, the movie would have failed. But there is something -- indeed, much.

5) Prepare to be floored by this movie   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
All about sex, yet there is no sex scene in it. It's verbally shocking and towards the end of the movie you may feel like you've gotten older and you may feel like you've shed all of that "fairytale love story" innocence. Hopefully, you won't see that as a negative thing.