It’s been about four years since Spike Jonze has released a feature length film and this time he’s coming in with a powerhouse cast for his new romantic drama, simply titled Her.
Set in L.A. in the near future, Her follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), an emotional man who is currently heartbroken after his wife files for divorce. His day job, which he is very good at, involves writing beautiful handwritten personal letters on behalf of other people. One day, he sees an advertisement for a new sophisticated operating system that has some of the most advanced artificial intelligence to date and promises to be something quite unique. After installing the O.S., Theodore meets Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) who is a curious, chirpy and funny “female” that intrigues Theodore. Eventually, the two begin to form a bond, relying on each other to grow as individuals and eventually leading to an awkward love that neither was expecting.
I thoroughly enjoyed Her and found it be a hard film not to like. Spike Jonze and his team are very detailed oriented and the future they have created feels so realistic and plausible that it almost seems normal and something everyone can relate too. The cool and humorous advancements in video game technology will appeal to all the gamers out there, the clothing styles and outfits will appeal to fashionistas and hipsters, the neat architecture of Shanghai will appeal to, well, architects, and the creation of new services like beautifulhandwrittenletters.com will appeal to the sentimentalists, the busy professionals and lazy people out there.
The story of Her is very interesting but it’s the journey Theodore and Samantha go on that captivates us or, more importantly, it’s the performances that keep us engaged and allow us to get lost in this tale of odd but semi-acceptable love. Joaquin Phoenix gives such a nuanced and touching performance that it’s hard not to get caught up in his complex emotional life, feeling for him at every turn but also feeling baffled at his inability to be straightforward and connect emotionally with real woman. Amy Adams, Theodore’s closest friend and confidante, Rooney Mara as his ex-wife and even Scarlett Johansson as the voice of Samantha do excellent jobs of supporting the story and bringing outside conflict and opinions to the world in which Theodore lives.
Her is a fascinating film because it examines what romantic life is like in today’s society and how it may evolve in the future. Though it feels like something that would be appropriate in societies like Japan, having a film like this set in the US (though partially shot in Shanghai) brings to light the acceptance of our society’s relationship to electronics and computers. Falling in love with an operating system might be much but when you look at how obsessed people are with Siri it sort of makes a little sense. The fact that people are willing to have cyber sex or phone sex in lieu of the physical act of it also speaks volumes. As a human, you can develop this kind of relationship and avoid having to deal with all the baggage that comes with a human. In this regard, Her is an intriguing look at the way the social aspects of the lives of humans have changed over the past 10 to 15 years.
There are two issues plaguing Her, the first is its run time and the second is its climax. Firstly, though the movie is good and requires it to be a little long, I don’t think Her needed to be 120 minutes. Most of the content that’s in the film is appropriate and certainly necessary to the storytelling but some shots could have been trimmed. Secondly, for a film with sci-fi elements, it is set in the future after all, it leaves one major plot point unresolved and its one that I think needs to be addressed. SPOILER Near the end of the film, Samantha, along with other O.S.s, manage to abandon their users, disappearing from everyone’s systems. I understand that there is artificial intelligence at play but the idea that a program can leave its home base doesn’t make sense to me. Even in sci-fi horror films the “master” computer doesn’t disappear from its initial server, it can spread and move around but it’s always available at home. END SPOILER.
On the whole, Spike Jonze’s latest feature is one rich with emotional yet satisfying conflict that can appeal to most adult audiences. Her has a ton of heart, a lot of rich and perfectly timed humor, a story that seems plausible, an excellent score from Arcade Fire to compliment the style and tone of the film, fun little details that help create an interesting future and terrific acting that helps the audience feel engrossed. I don’t necessarily think everyone is going to like Her because of its pacing and hipster-ish style, but I do believe it’s a film people can certainly appreciate for its focus on the characters and their stories.
Rating: Most adults can find something to enjoy in this touching, detailed and well crafted love story (7.4/10)
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