Theodore falls in love - and you can, too.

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2014)

I wasn't in the best frame of mind when I began to watch this movie. I was tired from a long week and irritated at the 45-minute delay at the theatre to fix a faulty projector. But very quickly I was mesmerised, emotionally involved and completely immersed in this fantastic sci-fi romance from Spike Jonze.
Her tells the story of Theodore (Joachim Phoenix), and employee for a company that ghost- writes personal letters. He is depressed, lonely and in the middle of a year-long separation and divorce. One day, he buys an operating system with a difference: it talks to you, learns, grows, laughs, cries, and loves. 'She' is Samantha, brilliantly voiced by Scarlett Johansson. And Theodore falls in love with her.
Although this movie is set in Los Angeles, it really isn't obvious (and in fact I understand that much of the filming was done in Shanghai). Jonze creates an environment that is familiar, but different enough to be new and interesting. Theodore lives in a upbeat, sun-drenched, cultured super-city of the near-future. At the same time, it feels retro; men have moustaches, wear yellow shirts and brown trousers, and computers come in wooden boxes (think Apple I). Technology is ubiquitous; commuters are almost permanently connected to their mobile devices. I often felt like I was watching a feature length commercial for the latest smartphone/tablet/whatever (sans the inevitable acoustic guitar/whistling soundtrack). I think it works, though. I'd like to live there.
I really enjoyed this movie. I was taken on the emotional roller coaster that is a relationship - good, bad, and everything in between. I think this was because although one can hear Samantha - hear the emotion in her voice, take a guess at what she is 'thinking' - you can't see her. She's an OS. This means it is up to you to create the woman. It could be somebody you know, a present or past lover, or a complete fiction - it's up to you. In this way, it's not just Theodore who falls in love with Samantha - you do, too. I didn't expect that at all.
Go in with an open mind, and I hope that you too will be pleasantly surprised.