Refreshingly original, breathtakingly moving, non-demanding, and amazingly profound at the same time

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2014)

I'm not an average movie watcher. I don't go for the usual Hollywood and try and avoid clichés at all costs.
Then again, some of my favorite movies are ones you can't really see every time. Ingmar Bergman's Persona, Shutter Island are demanding, and some of the extreme ones like Primer and Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror need every ounce of your attention. These are amazing experiences, but not really movies you can relax with.
Occasionally though, there are some movies which combine the best of a romantic comedy/thriller, with beautiful cinema; a movie you can come home and relax to without making any effort- into beautiful art.
'Her' falls in that category. The premise is so simple, and then the filmmakers explore it to piercing depth with stunning direction, backed by actors that became the actual person, so that you really feel that look, that sharp intake of breath, that hesitant reply, and that exultant expression.
I've seen Dallas Buyers Club and True Detective, and I'm a huge fan of Matthew McConaughey. IMO, Jaoquin Phoenix has only been competent in his previous movies, but this time he owned it. He was on screen for most of this two-hour long movie, and not a second was wasted. In my eyes, he should have comfortably won the Oscar this year (though I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave yet).
Another mention for Scarlett Johansson. We don't ever seen her, and again, she isn't been outstanding in anything I have seen. Here, her disembodied voice becomes a separate entity, one that connects with us all. Fantastic stuff
Every other member of the cost did an excellent job as well. The conversations, the music, the sets, and the locations, without being complicated or expensive, fit in seamlessly for an evocative and a thought-provoking whole. There are profound thoughts and keen philosophical insights on AI, what makes us human, and other stuff, and I think the ending was really well-rounded.
We all have our tastes, and preferences, and this one should be decent for almost all, wonderful for many, and extraordinary for some. It was extraordinary for me.