One of the films I missed in 2013 was Her, Spike Jonze’s flick about a man getting into a relationship with his phone. I did manage to see it several weeks ago … but hadn’t really been able to put together a worthy opinion of a review. With the film scheduled to hit DVD sooner than later I figure I’ll con Travis Leamons into getting me a review copy to do a proper review on it. But something popped up in my Facebook feed that Jeff Richards, husband of First Lady of Inside Pulse Film Jenny Sherman Richards, and I ended up talking about.
The article was based off an interview Jonze did that went off the rails on a number of profound ways. You can watch it below.
There’s a lot to be said about this, from journalistic integrity and so forth, but that isn’t what made me want to write about Her. It’s about the power of connection and one of the reasons why I enjoyed Her on a number of levels. This film is about Spike Jonze exploring the power of connection in the modern era, which is much more profound in any number of ways but also a lot more isolating.
It’s the one thing that made me continue watching the film despite the sort of creepiness factor that Joaquim Phoenix gave off. With that moustache and that sort of sensitive puss-cake of a character that made me kept thinking “Is he going to have sex with a small child at some point?” Seriously … he looked like a recruiting poster pedophile. It was kind of disconcerting for a bit bur I’ll give Phoenix and Jonze credit: they took this profoundly awful look for a talented actor and made me care about the character in a number of ways.
The one thing that the film really took a lot was the issue of connection and the modern world. There’s something about the nature of the way we communicate, about how we have an intimacy with the world without having to experience it in a way we’ve never had before. It’s the one thing I think Her focuses on in such an interesting and profound way. It’s why while I made fun of Theodore any number of times throughout the film, mainly for being kind of a pudwhack, I can sympathize with him on a number of levels.
We all want to feel connected to someone else at some point in life. I understand why Her was a film that Spike Jonze, and he alone, could make. This is about trying to connect with someone and Theodore is such a goof that his artificially intelligent operating system manages to be the only thing he can connect with. It’s why the interview with Jonze bothered me on more than the “interviewer is just a moron” level.
Jonze isn’t trying to discuss the ideal female for the modern man, blah blah blah. Whether you thought he did it in a brilliant way or not, and I’m still not sure I can give a grade to the film just yet, he tried to do something special. I can appreciate a filmmaker who at least goes out of his way to provide a look into the human condition.
You can dislike this film for any number of reasons; Phoenix does cross that line from interesting to creepy on any number of level at any number of times but this isn’t about modern man and his quest for a companion in the modern era. He’s trying to get at the heart of the human condition in the modern era, which is about our inherent lack of connection with people without the power of something electronic providing part of the basis for it in large ways.
I wish I had some hilarious, insightful thing to say about this film but I’m still trying to process it a couple weeks after having seen it. So, as I occasionally do, I leave the floor open to you regular readers. What did you think of this film?
Stuff for General George S. Pimpage, Esq
From elsewhere in the Inside Pulse Network:
I reviewed Baggage Claim and The Counselor on DVD. Give me some clickage.
Mike Noyes makes fun of Justin Long right here.
And now on MMC … we GET ANIMATED!
If you want to pimp anything email it to me with a good reason why. It helps to bribe me with stuff, just saying ….
A Movie A Week – The Challenge
This week’s DVD – Being Flynn
Paul Dano is an unemployed electrician trying to become a writer. While he’s doing so he works at a homeless shelter and living with some wacky roommates in a former strip club. Along comes his father (Robert De Niro), a homeless cab driver with delusions of grandeur as a writer himself. Thus begins the setup for Being Flynn, based off the novel “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City” by Nick Flynn.
It’s an interesting role for Robert De Niro as the elder mister Flynn, who’s slowly starting to get back the credibility he’s pissed away with any number of roles spoofing his tough guy image. He’s not brilliant, merely pretty good, but this isn’t his film. This is another high quality role for Paul Dano, who should be a much bigger star than he is. He isn’t because he likes working in the indies for most of the year, which is not the way to become a celebrity but a way to become known as a great actor.
It’s a solid film, a total RedBox rental if you’re on the fence.
Recommended.
What Looks Good This Weekend, and I Don’t Mean the $2 tall boys of Red Fox and community college co-eds with low standards at the Fox and Hound
Son of God – Yay, Jesus? I think. Have seen absolutely nothing on it so far.
Skip It – I’m not a religious man … and as such I have no desire to see a religious film.
Non-Stop – Liam Neeson does “Die Hard on a plane” or something.
See It – It may be a low rent Executive Decision but Neeson isn’t the worst guy in the world to play a John McClane type.
Scott “Kubryk” Sawitz brings his trademarked irreverence and offensive hilarity to Twitter in 140 characters or less. Follow him @ScottSawitz .
