Oozes wit and creativity

Rating: 8/10 (15 September 2014)

I am really a huge fan of Joaquin Phoenix and (slightly less) Scarlett Johansson, but from Spike Jonze I had only seen "Where the Wild Things Are", which left me unimpressed, and the short film he made with Andrew Garfield, which was okay. So I was curious about how much I would like "Her". I was not disappointed at all. Phonenix is the movie. If you like him, you will have a great time here with his character Theodore. I thought he was even better than in last year's "The Master".
I'm quite happy that Jonze got the writing Oscar for it in a close race against David O. Russell for "American Hustle". On a random note, both films feature Amy Adams. David O. Russell and his muse Jennifer Lawrence are the epitome of Hollywood mediocrity these days and I don't understand at all how everything they touch gets so much awards recognition. (Shame on you BAFTA!) Back to "Her": Phoenix carries the film from start to finish, for over two hours. The supporting cast includes some of Hollywood's most desired actresses playing the women in Phoenix' life. There is a very much talked-about scene in this film, in which Phoenix' character has sex with a voice. Their decision to completely blacken out the screen while it happens is a great one. It makes everything so normal and natural. In contrast to that, this film also offers some criticism about how people don't accept what they do not know, no matter how happy it makes the other person. People are scared of things that they do not know and show a great deal of intolerance. Here it refers to the character played by Mara as the character played by Adams accepts the new girlfriend in Theodore's life and tells a bit of an inside story about other people that she knows and who are in similar situations, even more extreme cases that she does not judge them for.
The ending is a difficult one. I think I liked it and there is no denying it makes you think a lot. Technology constantly moves on and it does not know or feel true faithfulness, monogamy or emotional connection to one single person. I will not go further into detail though. This film is an experience you will have to make for yourself. Don't miss out on it. I'm so glad Phoenix' involvement with "I'm Still Here" was just an act, because otherwise we would be missing out on wonderful movies like "Her" and everything else he may come up with in the next decades. I am not a huge sci-fi-buff at all, but his very own kind of science-fiction that Jonze comes up with here is one that I find extremely captivating. "Her" is together with Michel Gondry's "L'écume des jours" probably the most creative and inventive film of 2013.