Her- Step aside Siri, and hello Samantha

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2014)

A guy who falls in love with his operating system Admit it, most of you like me chuckled at this ridiculous idea and said "HA! What a loner." But wow, this movie blew me away.
The movie is set in a not so distant future where technology has developed to the point that the line between AI and a person is blurred. Going into the movie I assumed that the movie was going to be a commentary on the growing trend of people diving into their gadgets, while avoiding actual human interaction. Think of all the times your friends were Facebook-ing and Instagram-ing while you hung out. Though the movie does touch upon that, the focus on the relationship itself is what I found more striking and interesting. Director and writer Spike Jonze, used this seemingly absurd idea of being in a relationship with an OS, to show the absurdity of relationships themselves. As the audience you are left wondering if Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is really any crazier than the rest of us who have human relationships. In doing so there are some surprisingly hilarious and touching moments throughout the film.
Joaquin Phoenix played the role of a lonely romantic, aching for personal contact brilliantly. He plays such a relatable and likable character that I was completely invested in him. Even when his character is criticized for his choices, in my head I felt the urge to immediately back him up and support him. Then there is Scarlett Johansson, who lends her voice for the character of Samantha. That's what she was, a character, a person, not an AI. To bring Samantha to life with no physical acting is to be greatly commended. The true gem of this movie however, is the interaction between Samantha and Theodore. It is so rich and believable that sometimes you forget the human-AI nature of this relationship. You as the audience will be in complete sync with their every emotion from sadness to happiness, and confusion to clarity.
The world that is created combined with the unique style is visually engaging. This is a movie with a lot of heart, I fell in love with these characters. It dissects relationships in a way I have never seen before. You will leave the movie thinking about the questions this movie brings up, about being human and falling in love. Without a doubt this movie is one of my favorite love stories I have ever seen, and one of them in the relationship isn't even a human! What does that say about me