Movie Review: Her

Movie Review: Her

Rated R
120 minutes
Directed by Spike Jonze

Before I begin, I guess I should say that I had my top 10 list (coming tomorrow) pretty much figured out before seeing this. There were 1 or 2 slots that had kinks, but all in all, it was pretty well figured out. Now, since I've seen Her, which, by the way, makes for a very awkward experience with one or more members of family, I had much more of a difficult time. Spike Jonze ruined everything. Again. 

Her is very well done. I don't flat-out love it, but it was a memorable, charming, melancholy look at love. It was beautiful in terms of a theme of love, which is that we have a hard time connecting with our fellow humans, so we turn to technology to do it for us. This is symbolized perfectly by where Theodore, our main character, works. People pay him to write out emotions because they can't connect. The direction is great, as well as the writing, which proves that Spike Jonze, co-creator of the Jackass franchise, is one to watch. It's so funny yet at the same time so hard-hitting that you can't help but wonder how Jonze did it. It also has what could be quite possibly the best scene of the year.

The acting is wonderful. Joaquin Phoenix plays the lovesick person who can't seem to commit and is perhaps rather arrogant, but at the same time, he's sympathetic. Scarlett Johansson makes the character of Samantha human without a body to express it. She gives such an affecting performance that I rarely imagined Johansson's body to accompany her voice. Amy Adams was very good as the counterpoint to Theodore. And even the gorgeous Olivia Wilde is great in it, displaying a range of emotion in her very limited screen time.

The feel of the film was very good, as it seemed warm and inviting. I liked the color palate the film displayed, especially in Theodore's office. The score from Arcade Fire fit the film rather well, as it was the perfect accent to what was going on in the film. And even the production design was pretty good, giving a nice feel for the future. If I were to have a huge problem with the film, it would be that at the end, it seemed to really be beating you over the head with the fact that Samantha was a computer. It didn't need to be that heavy-handed. It worked in the films final moments, but if the film had toned down the whole dialogue that was basically just "I'm a computer and you're human," I probably would've felt a bit better walking out.

So, even though I had some a definite problem with the film, it was still great. One reason why I didn't unpack it more was because it feels a bit spoilery to do so. I want people to see this film not having it already been unpacked for them, but with a full box, so they can enjoy the wonderful gift they're about to receive. 

4/5

B+