By Isaac Mathewson
Directed and Written by: Spike Jonze
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, and Rooney Mara
Spike Jonze has had a reputation as being one of Hollywood’s most interesting directors. His films Being John Malkovich and Adaptation have been hailed for being very bizarre while telling compelling stories that balance comedy and drama. However, this is his first screenplay and that is a much bigger stretch for him than just simply being the one who brings this film to life.
Luckily, he proves to be just as capable of writing as he is directing.
Her tells the story of introverted writer Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) in the futuristic (about 10 or 20 years from now) Los Angeles, who after divorcing his wife Catherine (Mara) purchases an artificially intelligent operating system (or OS), which has the unique ability to develop its own personality. The OS, named Samantha (voiced by Johansson), becomes friends with Theodore and their relationship begins to grow from friendship to love. However, things start to get really complicated between the two because she is a computer and not a person. Things get even more complicated when Theodore realizes Samantha’s secrets.
Over the course of the film, there is a subplot involving Theodore’s neighbor Amy (Adams) who is also going through a tough time in her life and is too dating an operating system. She serves as the secondary female protagonist in the film.
One of the most impressive qualities about the film is its depiction of the not-so-distant future and a world that is run by technology. What separates Her from other films of this kind is that it shows us what it would be like if a computer could not only develop a personality, but also feel and possibly love. This would be the equivalent of Siri being able to love.
The film looks really nice. Its cinematography and visuals make it seem like we have been transported to this time period. Apart from the OS’s, there are virtual simulators that people can purchase and they act as games and there are appliances that you can operate without buttons.
The acting in this film is superb. Phoenix has always been one of my favorite actors and he has shown that he is capable of both drama and comedy in the same film. Adams and Mara are also very good and they provide the audience the chance to know other characters and not just technological ones. Johansson is especially good. It is a shame that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not give Oscar nominations to voice actors because she sure would be a good candidate if they did. She seems to be much more than a simple computer, but her own likable person with a good personality.
One major criticism I have is the ending. Without giving anything away, it is very sudden and there is not a lot of buildup to it. This prevents an otherwise good film from being a masterpiece, but it does not make the film bad, just not perfect.
Despite its flaws, I highly recommend this film. Fans of Jonze and Phoenix, or any of the other actors will probably get something out of it and even if you aren’t, its themes and ideas will probably fascinate you. This film will likely be a big contender for this Oscar season..
Motion Picture Rating: R
Strong language and brief graphic nudity
My rating: A