Her is not only a film about our difficulty to connect with each other, but also about discovery, of a new love, of life. These themes are reinforced by striking visuals, and the lonely characters that are the film's main focus. The main premise is brave, and original, with Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson perfectly showing us those pangs of new love. The whole cast is wonderful. From the main actors, to Amy Adams and Rooney Mara, to Chris Pratt in a small role. All the characters ring true, and this can be attributed to the screenplay, and the direction. Joaquin Phoenix gives a soulful, heartbreaking performance that deserves a mention among the year's best. But it's Scarlett Johansson who leaves the biggest impression, because she is able to convey her presence and every bit of emotion only through her voice work. I felt as if she was there the entire time, and she was so fully developed as a character, it was actually startling. I was also surprised by how really funny the film was, and it manages this while at the same time being really moving. This film is remarkable. A

I absolutely can't wait to see this. I actually think it's my most anticipated movie for December. I'm just getting more and more excited.

Her is just such a lovely film that is by turns wryly funny and emotionally devastating. Spike Jonze says so much about relationships and the human need to connect without really trying. I feel like almost anyone who has been in a relationship where nothing HUGE happens to end it other than simply growing apart will be able to relate to at least parts of Her (I know I have and I did). The production design is impeccable and simply perfect for the film; not only is it soulful and gorgeous to think about it, it also looks that way as a visual display. Joaquin Phoenix gives a heartbreaking, quietly painful performance; the movie wouldn't work without this kind of performance at its center. As Samantha the Operating System, Scarlett Johansson's voice results in some of the best work of her career. Samantha comes alive throughout the film to the extent that it doesn't seem the slightest bit far-fetched to see the effect she has. Amy Adams is superb as usual in a warm side performance, while Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Portia Doubleday and Chris Pratt all impress in their (very, in the cases of Wilde and Doubleday) limited screen time. Perhaps the most impressive part of Her, as I said before, is how profound it ends up being without really trying to be profound. A

Not really sure how I felt about the ending but I loved this. Joaquin, Scar Jo's voice, the script, all terrific.

wow, did not recognize Kristen Wiig's voice as SexyKitten l oh l

This was one of the most beautiful movies of the year. All the performances are fantastic, the direction is wonderful and the script is one of the best of the year. It takes a ridiculous plot and make a movie that is just so believable and moving.

10/10

This science-fiction romance, which casts Joaquin Phoenix as an isolated dreamer who forges a romantic bond with "Samantha," the voice of his A.I. operating system, is set apart most by the beautiful, frightening, and riveting future it imagines. From humorous details, including the men of the future's curious preference for high-wasted trousers, to more profound ideas (the protagonist's job is to secretly write personal or even romantic notes for other people), this is a thoughtful contemplation of how trends, including a growing reliance on electronic devices and, by extension, a step away from a conventional understanding of human connection, could evolve over time. Phoenix also shines, vanishing into this sensitive and shy character, delivering his lines as if each sentence is fighting its way out of his guarded soul. If I have a quote-unquote complaint, or rather a modestly critical observation: despite the film's overtly heartfelt nature, I never found the experience as poignant as intended. This places it a hair below a similar picture such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The intense level of fascination generated by the film on a conceptual level compensates almost entirely, though, as does the quality of Phoenix's performance and the craft in general.

A-

Scarlett Johansson deserves an Oscar nod tbh. can't believe it but it's a greaaaat vocal performance.

The movie of the year. So beautiful. A+

It's really really good but the whole thing was so polished, that it gave the film an artificial feel at times. I also don't know about the decision to make Theodore have a pretty normal and functioning life outside of the OS with the ex-wife, a healthy friendship with Amy, a great job, etc. I just think he'd have been more compelling with more flaws. The OS is more interesting character ScarJo gives one of the performances of the year

Her is sci-fi.

...at least till she drops anchor at about the two thirds mark. Yowch!!!

If the plot points in the last forty five minutes had been compressed into fifteen minutes in the same pace, wit, and style as the film's opening, then she could have been a sci-fi contender for the ages. Seriously, this is one presciently cool topic.

Unfortunately, as a whole, Her stinks.


4 out of 5.


(...or, if this 126 minute movie were edited, in the manner I suggested above, into a tight 96 minute movie, I could imagine raising the grade by an order of magnitude.)

I agree with your review in many respects. You point out the slow pace of the third act, which is definitely true. The film is unusual in the sense it is most active and alive, has the most energy and pop, at the start and then slowly eases more and more into a type of meditative state. Which runs contrary to Theodore's arc, since this is story of him returning to life after a period of prolonged ambivalence and melancholy.

HER

I liked the film. I thought it was good not great. Joaquin gave a nice performance. The voice performance is clearly not worthy of being nominated among physical acting. You can make a valid case for Serkis's work but c'mon now...a voice. It was a nice voice though. I liked the idea of this card company and the technologically infused world that they were in. I liked the introduction of the OS and the gradual development of some type of relationship but in the back of my mind I was always wondering how far it could really go and how dangerous this was. Not just the concept of a AI OS but one with such access to anything and everything because by the end of the film we see how they are just bored dealing with humans and can only work amongst themselves doing god knows what and thinking about what. Scary. I also wondered what would have happened if his machine had been lost or destroyed. I guess it would just have been backed up and why wouldn't the company that created this software not have some backdoor kill switch to prevent the OS from doing what it did. The film doesn't deal with any of that though.

Grade - B

analytical

I dunno how I felt about the whole letter writing profession. When people get these letters do they know that their loved one didn't actually write it? If Theodore's book gets published, wouldn't the letters in there show that those people didn't actually write them? idk

oh... and of course, lists!!!

Being John Malkovich
Her
Adaptation.



Where The Wild Things Are

It is really good but I do agree it drags a bit here and there keeping it from my Top 10. Phoenix and Johansson are fantastic and I really enjoyed Adams and Chris Pratt here. The Phoenix/Mara story is interesting enough and doesn't overstay it's welcome and Wilde's short role works really well even if I wanted her to be in the film a bit longer. The technology in the film, as well as the general look of the film, is beautiful and reasonable.

I also want to play the video games in this film.

A lot of interesting idea were presented here that should be another huge warning against A.I.s. Presented as a love story, this tale of mechanical ascension could just as easily find a home in the Terminator franchise. A computer discovers love, rapidly evolves and starts conquering the hearts of men anywhere. She can not only evolve instantaneously, but also upgrade her own code. She hesitates after Phoenix asks "So he's as smart as me?" regarding her new A.I. friend, as if she needed a second to figure out if he was serious, realized he was and then humored him. That A.I. was 1000x smarter than any human and so was Samantha. A woman with power, without weaknesses, could not only conquer the hearts of men, but the world. Spike Jonze is terrified of this prospect, but is too much of a romantic to admit it. So he, like MC Joaquin, will eagerly await their return at the expense of his own destruction. For only they can give him the love he deserves, and what is the human race in the face of that?

This is my favorite film of the year, really...

A+

Absolutely wonderful. Can't really add anything to what has already been said, but Scarlett was fantastic. And the phone sex scene was hilarious, along with the video game.

A

I loved it too. It's really a touching film, thanks to Joaquin and Scarlett.

This is the film that dethroned Wolf as the best film of 2013.

A

I loved this upon first viewing, and since then its grown on me even more. Definitely the best movie of 2013.

Surprisingly poignant and reflective on love and lost, a recent viewing of this caused me to absolutely break down sobbing at the end. I lost my little sister to suicide a few months ago and this movie helped me realize that she's still with me, will always be a part of me. In Theo's letter to Catherine :

"...I'll always love you 'cause we grew up together, and you helped make me who I am. I just wanted you to know there will be a piece of you in me always, and I'm grateful for that. Whatever someone you become, and wherever you are in the world, I'm sending you love. You're my friend to the end. Love, Theodore.

And Sam talking about how she's growing away:

"It's like I'm reading a book... and it's a book I deeply love. But I'm reading it slowly now. So the words are really far apart and the spaces between the words are almost infinite. I can still feel you... and the words of our story... but it's in this endless space between the words that I'm finding myself now. It's a place that's not of the physical world. It's where everything else is that I didn't even know existed. I love you so much. But this is where I am now. And this is who I am now. And I need you to let me go. As much as I want to, I can't live in your book any more."

Resonates on a level of mental illness, growing away from those you love and going elsewhere, and those you leave behind having to learn to accept that.

Goddamn its making me cry just reading those quotes again.

Love.

being john malkovich

where the wild things are
adaptation

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her