Her is a carnival of emotion and creativity

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2014)

This Review Contains Spoilers
Written and directed by Spike Jonze, Her tells the story of introvert Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Pheonix) and his growing relationship with an artificially intelligent operating system named Samatha (Scarlett Johansson). Her is a unique, alluring and tantalizing film; it pulls you in with provokingly realistic takes on human relationships and the joyride they can be yet also keeps you pleased with it's colorful production design, cinematography, music and originality.
Theodore is a reclusive and creative individual; besides his recent divorce he is contempt with his life but is looking for companionship. After discovering Samantha, an artificially intelligent OS, he finds that she fits his every need and together they form an unusual but surprisingly believable relationship. It seems silly to have a man fall in love with a machine; but plenty of things make it work. Joaquin Pheonix brings Theodore to life in arguably his best performance to date; his mannerisms and thought process seep with sympathy and likability. Theodore isn't the same recycled hermit you've seen before and you can't help but be hypnotized into believing in his character. His OS, Samatha, has a conscience all her own; she conjures up music on the spot and can even read hundreds of Theodore's emails at once. But the best thing about her is throughout the movie she becomes more fascinated with our world and it's wonders as her bond with Theodore grows. It's amazing how human-like she becomes. The dialogue is so seamless and at times it can be hard to forget that these are fictional characters in a fictional world. The production design is tight and shows purpose; even the video game Theodore plays is interesting and creative. Theodore and Samantha take up most of the screen time, but lack of supporting characters is not imminent. Amy Adams also makes a fine addition as Amy, a good friend of Theodore's with a fiery attitude and purpose. While it is a great film, I do believe some of the dragged on shots with Theodore and Samantha could have been trimmed to keep the movie under two hours, but that is a minor gripe.
There are a lot of things to like about Her, it is quite a remarkable picture. It has been a long time since I've seen a movie with a screenplay and direction by the same person that was so sharp. I hope it takes home a few Oscars this year, because it deserves them. You can skip Walter Mitty, but not this one. Don't miss this film.
from http://bbman94.wix.com/brandonsmoviecorner