Go in with an open mind and leave asking questions about our society.

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2014)

I don't really like Scarlet Johansson. In fact, she's one of my least favorite actors in the business. So when I heard about this movie coming out, I was somewhat disappointed that she'd be in it. But needless to say, I still went. After all, I was intrigued by the plot line and the idea that someone could fall in love with a robot because who does that?
So going into it, I didn't expect to like it, and honestly I didn't expect it to make any sense. But it did. And it made me think and reflect a lot about our society today and how it functions.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
In the movie, the main character Theodore works for the company, Beautiful Handwritten Letters. His job is to write letters for people who don't feel like writing their own. At first, I was doubtful that people would really do this; I mean who is so lazy that they would rather pay someone to write a personal letter for them than do it him or herself.
But then I thought about my life and realized that hey I would and I know tons of other people that would to. I mean how many times have I really not wanted to write a thank you note to someone or some other kind of letter. Hell, I would send the address book with the list of gifts right now! But that's the point! That's what the director, Spike Jonze, is trying to get you to see. That this isn't really all that far-fetched! Our society today, is heading in this direction. We're freaking speed racing towards it. We are constantly looking for the easy way out. I mean I updated my computer today and now I don't even have to use my phone to text and I don't have to get up to answer my phone because it's all connected! The meaning behind gifts and feelings is all for show nowadays. It doesn't matter if you wrote it or not, it matters if someone thinks you wrote it- if it makes you look like you're that person with their life in order enough to sit down and write a letter. It just matter what people think.
So that's the first big red flag for our society.
But that's not the movie- in fact, that's the best future portrayed in this movie, because later on, Theodore falls in love with an operating system. And no, you didn't read that wrong, an operating system. Is this normal? No. But is this crazy? At first yes, but now I don't know. Think about it. How many times have you told someone that you just don't have the energy to talk or do something with him or her that day, that you just need a break? I know I have! Multiple times! So why wouldn't you just date an operating system? The operating system never talks back, it tells you what you want to hear, does anything and everything you ask, and is always readily available at your beck and call. I mean the system even hired an escort to sleep with the man while she talks in his ear! It's brilliant! Or is it?
To me, life in this movie is a scary place, in which humanity has completely lost touch with the important non-materialistic qualities of life- true love, true meaning, true happiness. In the movie, no one spends the time on the little things and people are just too busy and swept up in their own lives to make meaningful and lasting relationships with one another. And to me, that's sad and upsetting.
So, I came out of it with a new outlook on my life, a new way of looking at the things that seem petty or nonessential. I recommend people see it, but go in with an open mind and leave asking questions about our society. Then decide if you want to accept that or do something about it and change it. The decision's yours.