Magical, if polarising, film-making

Rating: 9/10 (3 August 2016)

Granted, 'Her' is not for everybody, likewise with Spike Jonze films in general, people may find the slow pacing a turn off and the premise while unlike any other premise is weird and may be ridiculous for many.
However, this reviewer was one of those who loved 'Her', while acknowledging that it has imperfections. 'Her' did feel longer than it needed to be, which meant that the pacing did drag a bit in the second half and lost tightness, it could easily have been 20-25 minutes shorter.
The ending is also very predictable and easy to figure out early on. While the cast are exemplary, Kristin Wiig felt a little out of place in her role.
Flaws aside, while polarising and a love it/hate it film, 'Her' this reviewer found to be magical film-making. For example, 'Her' is a gorgeous-looking film with the cinematography, with a lot of use of extreme close up, some of the most beautiful of any film in recent years and maybe ever (and there are a lot of films with beautiful cinematography) and the scenery and colours positively eye-popping.
Also present are one of the best music scores personally ever heard (and music in film and television is very important to me to look out for, as a classically trained singer and cellist myself), it has such a wonderful dream-like hypnotic quality and complements the film's mood perfectly. As well as a beautifully crafted screenplay, with a deft balance of the hilarious, the poignant, the charming and the thoughtful. The story's pacing is deliberate, but this was necessary, making the most of the premise, the weirdness slightly alienated at first but turned out fascinating when stuck with and there is genuine emotional impact and a well-done message that doesn't feel too heavy-handed.
Jonze's direction is superbly adept, while the characters are interesting and apart from Wiig the performances are exemplary. Particularly good are Joaquin Phoenix, in a towering performance that is almost on the same level as his spell-binding performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master', and Scarlett Johansson, who voices Samantha with sultry sexiness. Amy Adams and Rooney Mara are charming and affecting in sympathetic female roles.
In conclusion, will divide and has divided viewers and has its flaws (especially the length) but a magical piece of film-making. 9/10 Bethany Cox