Her - Analysis and Review

Yes, this is the best original story of 2013

Spike Jonze definitely knows how to make an original film. Sure, his most well known work is Where the Wild Things Are, but he has made some incredible films. By films I'm talking about short films as well. The guy creates worlds that can only be compared to the quirky worlds of Michel Gondry sans Green Hornet. Yet in each of those films he does have a message that he wants to convey. And the strongest point of an original film is the subtext. Although this one is obvious, the emotions of what he's trying to say can truly be felt.

The Plot

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is an introvert who works as a letter writer for people who can't seem to write letters to their loved ones. After updating his computer's OS system to a new form of A.I. called Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) the two of them become emotionally close and inevitably fall in love. It is the story about a man and his computer, and what it really means to love someone. No matter who or what they may be.

Analysis

In a technological age, it is not too far fetch of an idea that something like this would happen. While the concept may not be as inventive as his other work Being John Malkovich the real inventiveness is the world that he created for this story to inhabit. I'm aware that Malkovich and Adaptation were scripted by Charlie Kaufman, but it takes a filmmaker like Jonze to really make these work as commercial films. I've always admired his films as being off or far out, even though this film is not too far out there. It still holds his touch just from the world building and how true to the nature of our world that this film touches.

The fact that this film may be a weird idea yet is not too far from being believable does tell us something about our world. Jonze sees this and it is definitely clear that this is a real commentary about the nature of love. What is it? How do we know we're feeling it? What is this emotion that draws individuals to others? That's something that he explores very deeply in this story. And the relevancy of this film is very much appropriate for the time that it was made. This is the technological age where we live on the internet. Some may even find love on the internet without actually seeing the other person's face. Is that real love or is it fake because it is not physically real? If we were to simplify it as that, then yes it is not. But love is not simple. It is complex. And with this film, the complexity level just shoots higher.

Review

It is hard to believe that a man can fall in love with an Operating System that is really just a voice on one's phone or computer. Yet in this film it is very easy to believe that such a thing is possible. Phoenix and Johansson give an incredible heartfelt performance as the unlikely couple. Phoenix is lovable as the introvert Theodore but the person who really shines here is Johansson. To top it all off, she's never seen in the movie once. Only her voice. It is a credit to a voice performance to make us believe that an OS can actually think and feel like a person. When she speaks it's almost as if she is present. Because we know what Johansson looks like we may even picture her standing there next to Phoenix. Her voice acting in this film is incredibly top notch and gives me some excitement knowing that she might voice Kaa in the new Disney adaptation of The Jungle Book. 

The rest of the cast does a pleasant job as well. Amy Adams is charming as a game designer and documentary filmmaker who serves as someone that Phoenix's Theodore can talk to about his relationship. Rooney Mara and Olivia Wilde play pivotal roles as Theodore's soon to be ex-wife and potential new love. Mara's character offers a look at the reality of the situation that Theodore is in while Wilde's offers a reality of his inner desire to just want someone physically rather than emotionally. Everyone of the supporting cast just adds something that shapes Theodore's perception of his relationship as well as build up Samantha's advancement beyond just being an A.I.

Also, not since Looper have a I seen a pretty realistic depiction of the future. While Looper is more depressing but not too post-apocalyptic, her instead shows a future that seems more optimistic and can come into existence in a matter of days instead of years. It is a testament to Jonze for selecting a mixture of different clothing styles from the past with tech from the present to make it feel like a tangible future.

The story may be what one would expect, but the emotional journey that the story goes through is definitely anchored by both Phoenix and Johansson. An interaction between an actor and a voice could easily fall apart, but luckily for them and Jonze brilliant directing it solidifies the film. 

Final Thoughts

It is very easy to see why this film won the 2013 Best Original Screenplay award. It really is an original film that feels not so original because of the world that we live in. It is a poignant love story that deals with the very nature of love and what it really means to love someone. I can say though that this movie is not for everyone. It is original and new, meaning general audiences may be turned off by its slow yet poetic pace or its large use of dialogue. But that is what this film is. If you believe you're incapable of sitting through something like that, then I don't recommend watching this film.

SCORE: 8.7/10 - A truly incredible original love story