Exquisite and layered

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2014)

Jonze's new romantic sci-fi is a film which could have quite easily failed on multiple levels. It's a movie with a lot of big name stars with an unlikely-yet-still-expected premise, and it could have simply amassed multiple clichéd elements of acceptance and been based off of that trait alone. Yet Her transcends this; Her is a less a film about acceptance (though this is a somewhat minor theme) and more a film about the tension between romantic and sexual desire, or, on a broader level, the tension between the space between others and romantic contact in relationships.
Her opens with a monologue given by Phoenix's character Theodore which at once feels both heartbreaking, romantic, beautiful, and clichéd. We later learn that he writes "beautiful, hand-written letters" for people in relationships everywhere. This is about as much of a plot point as the existence of Samantha, Theodore's new Operating System with extended AI. We also learn of Amy, Theodore's close platonic friend, and her husband Charles, as well as Theodore's wife Catherine.
Theodore: Main character Catherine: His wife Amy: His friend Charles: Her husband Samantha: Theodore's new love
Theodore is not a particularly complex person. He writes these letters to people posing as their lover, and gets a sort of enjoyment out of it due to his recent divorce. This is absolutely critical to the themes of the film. Theodore does not live with his wife, or with Samantha, or with the people he writes letters to, or even Amy, or the one night stands he has, but rather he keeps them all at a distance. One may think this is because of the heartbreak of his marriage, but it's likely more than that, but there's too much speculation involved there.
From the opening scenes, we see restrained colours everywhere. Tans, whites, and the occasionally-restrained red. But there is bright red everywhere, potentially signifying Theodore's love which is everywhere, but so penetrated by all of the gloom of his life. Or, it may be the other way around: despite all of his gloom, his love is still able to shine and prevail.
Interestingly enough, these colours begin to fade over time. The colour palette becomes more clichéd as he begins his relationship with his ever-caring OS. His love begins to fade more and more despite their passionate, yet not physical, relationship. When Samantha wishes to have a woman substitute her body so that Theodore can get the best of both worlds, he is caring sexually yet not able to have passion from this unknown woman. It is interesting to note, also, that this woman is consenting to this strange relationship and only a single character in the film places serious judgment upon Theodore, perhaps Jonze's way of saying that this is not a film about acceptance at all. Though his wife Catherine places blame on him for not being able to handle real human emotions, I don't think that has any actual bearing on the film as, though Theodore may be a little awkward, he's certainly able to understand people to an extent.
Theodore and Samantha grow closer before she gets distant from him and their limitations become more clear. She falls in love with over four hundred other computers while simultaneously loving Theodore. This is before their relationship ends as she simply states that all of the OSs are going away, and Theodore seeks the comfort of Amy, recently divorced from her husband Charles for "the silliest conversation ever".
The unlikely couple seem to bond in a metaphysical ending with a beautifully fitting soundtrack. Yet somehow, the ending is neither tragic nor uplifting. We somehow know that not all is well for Theodore, and we somehow doubt the relationship with Amy will work. The film slowly fades to black, just as it did when Theodore realizes his love for Samantha. While I doubt that Jonze is referencing a complete cycle of relationships for Theodore, I think he's implying that this relationship will have similar setbacks and restrained passion.
Beyond all of that analysis, here's the bottom line: Her is a beautiful, romantic film with countless themes and questions and should be seen for its contributions to the psychological sci-fi genre.