Movie Review

I have been a Spike Jonze fan for years - “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation” are two of my favorite films.

Spike Jonze films are filled with off-color humor and insane story lines. They’re the kind of films that viewers either love or hate. I love them. And I loved “Her.”

“Her,” set in the not-too-distant future, tells the story of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely, depressed man going through a divorce. He buys a new operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) that is unlike anything we’ve seen. The system can communicate with Theodore and can evolve, just as a human can. She names herself “Samantha.”

Samantha can do almost anything – edit papers, send e-mails, read books – all in milliseconds. Theodore and Samantha find themselves falling in love. This brings up a lot of issues, as Theodore’s girlfriend is an operating system. His soon-to-be ex-wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara), laughs at Theodore’s new-found love. On the other hand, his friend, Amy (Amy Adams), can relate to his connection with Samantha, as she has befriended another OS.

Theodore becomes extremely reliant on Samantha – just as today’s society is reliant on technology. For example, walking the halls of Delta College, many people have their cell phone pulled out. I have been guilty of this as well. If your cell phone could talk back to you and understand you, wouldn’t that be kind of amazing?

The performances in “Her” were excellent. Phoenix really made the viewer care about Theodore and his situation. Wilde, Adams and Mara turn in fantastic performances as the women in Theodore’s life. Johannson, using just her voice, was absolutely mesmerizing.

“Her” is a lovely mix of science fiction, comedy and drama – the overlying theme being loss. It’s not a film for everyone, but if you enjoy complex, thought-provoking films, I would highly recommend checking it out.