[Movie Review] Her (2013)

Posted on December 24, 2013 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

Plot Summary: A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

Director: Spike Jonze

Writer: Spike Jonze

Runtime: 120 min

Main Cast:

Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly
Amy Adams as Amy
Scarlett Johansson as Samantha (voice only)
Rooney Mara as Catherine

Review: by Anthony and Lee

We were very excited to see Her because of its famed writer/director Spike Jonze and intriguing subject matter.

What We Liked:

The story was as interesting as we thought it would be, and the entire movie made us feel like we were flies on the wall, there to see and experience the intimate twists, turns, ups, and downs of Theodore Twombly’s life.

The technology of the future world depicted in the film looked amazing. The voice command enabled computers and bluetooth super Siri were enviable, and the interactive video games made us wish we could play them.

The plot was very plausible as well. As technology excels and computers become smarter and smarter, a smart artificial intelligence isn’t that far out of realm of possibility. Initially used as an assistant, organizing and replying to emails, adjusting calendar events and setting reminders, an A.I. would develop a very intimate relationship with its user.

It was interesting to see how the A.I. Samantha explored the “feelings” she was feeling and questioned whether it was at all real or just another thing she was programmed to do.

The film did a good job of character development, effectively showing Theodore’s many facets through his interactions with Samantha, Catherine, and Amy as well as his career as a handwritten letter writer.

The writing would have been nothing without Joaquin Phoenix, however, who was fantastic. Since he was only speaking to his A.I. for majority of the movie, he did all of the heavy lifting on camera, and he handled it with ease. Tasked with doing scenes where he was just sitting or walking around, having a conversation, he somehow ensured that it wasn’t dull for a moment.

While Joaquin Phoenix was great as the main actor on screen, Scarlett Johansson brought much more than her voice to the role of Samantha. She captured the excitement of somebody in a brand new world where every experience is an adventure. As their relationship progressed, you could really hear and believe the emotion in her voice.

What We Didn’t Like:

Due to the very intimate feeling of the movie and how it was written and cinematically shot, certain scenes were cringe inducing-ly awkward, making us squirm in our seats, hoping for the scene to hurry and be over.

3.8

Summary

Her was a very interesting love story, told in a future setting between a man and his artificial intelligence operating system. If this technology ever comes to be, we could easily see this becoming a true story for many.

You can purchase Her on Blu Ray from Amazon here:

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