A sensitive and soulful man earns a living by writing personal letters for other people. Left heartbroken after a long love affair ends, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes fascinated with a new operating system which reportedly develops into an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. He starts the program and meets "Samantha" (Scarlett Johansson), whose bright voice reveals a sensitive, playful personality. Though "friends" initially, the relationship soon deepens into love.. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Spike Jonze
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara, Amy Adams
Release Date: Dec 18, 2013
Rated R for language, Brief Graphic Nudity and Sexual Content
Runtime: 1 hr. 59 min.
Genres: Romance
Review:
Spike Jonze Her is a beautifully told love story that’s about as dense as week old muffins. Jonze’s, who also wrote the script, film is set in the hipster populated near future where a lonely man falls in love with a sentience operating system but it’s all a proxy for a myriad of themes and ideas. It’s delicate and harsh at the same time with the emotional journey ringing true throughout. You could say this film is about increasingly detached world or about journey we go through in relationships or the evolution of a person as they grow and learn. Any one of those would be correct in my opinion and there are still other thematic elements at play throughout. Joaquin Phoenix turns in an awards caliber performance, especially when you consider the fact that he was acting by himself for the better part of the film only with Johansson’s voice to work with. It’s an impressive turn from the start were we sense the character’s loneliness and the emotional journey he goes through. It maybe his best work to date. Johansson’s voice work is equally impressive. She creates a tangible character with emotional weight which is quite a trick since she’s just a disembodied voice. They both have a discernable rapport together which makes the emotions feel real. It’s a strangely impressive feat for the film. There are some issues albeit minor ones. The allegory does occasionally veer into pretentious territory by taking things into silly extremes. Additionally, the story is overlong, needlessly meandering for portions of the 2nd act before moving to its inevitable conclusion.
A-
Nice review... I think we had similar feelings about Her!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tanner, I think we are very much on the same wave length.
DeleteI didn't want to see this movie just from the trailers, but after reading reviews, I may consider. Thanks for your POV on this.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very worthwhile since there is so much going on outside of facevalue. Thanks for reading!
Deletethere are myriad of themes and talking points that this movie has inspired. i can literally talk about it all day. such a wonderful, honest film that explores the state of modern relationships today--the disconnect--the fear, the expectations, the digital dependence. it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed by how dense the film was, I really could watch it various times and find some other theme I missed on the first viewing, very impressive.
DeleteHer sounds like a good movie, and being an IT major, I am interest in any commentary on technology and AI. I look forward to renting the movie when it comes out.
ReplyDelete-James
Check it out James, it's really a great film!
DeleteGreat concept, wonderful art direction and a terrific performance by Phoenix, Scarlett and especially Adams. Unfortunately, there were many scenes that bored me (beach, computer ghost) and the ending is not only extremly predictable, but also frustratingly unoriginal. I wanted to love this movie so much more, but I couldn't
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, there was some fat that could have been cut off to make it a sleeker experience. That being said, I think the conceit was good enough to let me overlook some of those issues.
DeleteLucky you ;)
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