Tão Longe, Tão Perto

This is a wonderfully sensitive and human film, well scripted, well acted, superbly directed. And so what if the women come out as the winners. It's a delightful story of sexual awakening, done in a charming, cheeky Irish style. Provocative yet tasteful. Funny yet serious. One of those rare films in which everything works!

I liked it...kind of Waking Ned Devine part two..not heavy but worth while if you're into Irish films. The accents are sometimes hard for Americans to understand but not a big problem. Maybe a little predictable but good character developement, and there are some characters!!

It's an interesting premise but the execution is poor. This is a well-made bad film, which is quite frustrating.

If I had to single out anything it's the story. Sometimes a very poor predictable plot will be successful (witness the Full Monty from the same producer) but this time it is devoid of charm and flops badly.

I don't need formulaic traditional three-act structures but the characters need to be solid and true. The three main relationships at the centre of the film offer conflict but no drama because the characters are under-developed and so their actions are unconvincing.

Ideally the accents would be more accessible for an international audience while still being authentic. I say accents but it's really only one actor I had a problem with.

There were a couple of laugh out loud moments in the film and it generated a few smiles but I was surprised to see it described as a comedy on IMDB. I honestly don't think it was written as one.

I'm afraid I can't think of a single reason to see this film and I've really tried to, honestly.

A beautiful and worthy film, set in a small and fairly isolated village in Ireland, yet, like the village and its inhabitants, the film is also, sadly, rather forgettable. The people living in this tiny community, whilst optimistic, charismatic and full of life, also realize the dead-end nature of their situation. The men long to travel and meet beautiful women in exotic places. They put an ad in an American publication hoping to attract women to join them for a local dance, but the women fare rather better by attracting the local Spanish fishermen.

The movie could easily have degenerated into Hollywood-style unbelievability but it resists the temptation. The characters, their lives, and how they develop are convincing and moving. The title refers to missing what is important (in love and life) when it is under your nose.

A lovely feelgood movie.

Even though my most favorite movies are thrillers and drama's, I must say that from time to time I can really look forward to a comedy. Life is more than misery or thrills alone, there should be time for laughter as well, so why should my choice of movies be any different? But when looking for comedies, I do have certain standards. I hate toilet humor and the story may be silly, but still has to be of a decent quality. If I'm honest, than I must say that I don't find that too often. The latest (often American) comedies are all full of those dreaded jokes about pee, vomit, sperm,... and too often I end up very disappointed in them. That's also the reason why I prefer British comedies. I like their, often very dry, humor and their jokes don't necessarily have to be about some kind of bodily function.

"The Closer You Get" is situated in an isolated village in Ireland. Because the girls in their village aren't to their taste, a bunch of young man send an ad to the Miami Herald, inviting fit and enticing American women between the ages of 20 and 21, to come to the local dance. But when the girls they all hoped for don't come and the local girls seem to have more success with men from outside the village, the local men start to realize that some of their 'own' girls might not be that bad after all. Others however chose different solutions like ordering a lot of porn...

Like so often with comedies, I'm sure that there are many people who don't like it all that much. Humor is one of the most difficult parts of the entertainment business and not everybody has the same taste. Personally I had a really good laugh with this movie, but when I see some other comments on this website, it's getting very clear to me that not everybody thinks about it like that. I guess this is a comedy that will appeal most to the people who love the typical British humor, so if you aren't into that kind of jokes, you better don't give this movie a try. If you are looking for a very special, deep or touching story, than this isn't the best movie for you either. The story is quite simple, but efficient. It doesn't really know any extreme highs or lows, but it works. The characters are believable, the situations are still recognizable...

All in all this is a very decent comedy with some good acting and an OK story. But most important is the amount of laughter that it offers and for me that was more than enough. I had a really good time with this movie and that's why I give it a 7.5/10.