Joaquin Phoenix
Amy Adams
Rooney Mara
Olivia Wilde
Scarlett Johansson

Spike Jonze

126 mins.
Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
December 18, 2013

Rated R for language, sexual content and brief graphic nudity. (MPAA)

I really wanted to love “Her.” But its concept is much better than the film itself, and it has a lack of narrative momentum. Spike Jonze, who directed this film, seems to lose momentum in his storytelling when he takes a gentler route (as he did in “Where the Wild Things Are”). This may be simply due to the screenwriting, though. Jonze’s best directorial work was the result of his collaboration with Charlie Kaufman as his screenwriter. Together, they created “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation.” – two wonderful films.

The screenplays for this film and for “Where the Wild Things Are” were written by Jonze himself. (Dave Eggers, author of “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” co-wrote “Where the Wild Thing Are” with Jonze, by the way.) Kaufman and Jonze are a dazzling duo, but they’re much weaker separately. (Kaufman wrote and directed “Synecdoche, New York” by himself; I wasn’t a huge fan.)

I get that Jonze wants to capture a gentler feel in “Her”; it’s a gentler feel that’s married with frequently explicit moments – an interesting combination. However, that doesn’t mean that the audience shouldn’t be taken on a journey. And momentum doesn’t mean that the film needs to move at a feverish pace. The point is that almost all films must build toward something. This film is no exception.

I fully appreciate that Jonze’s ideas are strong, yet restrained, in this film. The operating system referenced by the title is a stroke of creative genius. Also, the little differences between our current world and this near future world are well planned (pants worn at men’s actual waists, for instance). This future seemed like a logical destination for our current society, eerily so at times. But beneath those subtle differences is a familiar story of love found and love lost. That’s nothing new, really.

The newness of “Her” comes from the introduction of an operating system, with seeming free will, as a possible love match for a human. Outside of that, this is a familiar meditation on identity, relationships, and belonging.

I did think a lot about how we create our own reality as I watched “Her.” Its ability to do that is one of its strengths. However, its simple story (regardless of this film’s seeming innovations) doesn’t support its two-hour runtime. That’s where narrative momentum comes in.

“Her” is a mildly interesting film with a tender performance by Joaquin Phoenix and great voice-over work by Scarlett Johansson. Amy Adams does a good job, as usual, in a supporting role. Olivia Wilde and Rooney Mara have brief but solid performances, as well. But, ultimately, this is a missed opportunity.

Verdict: Somewhat Good

About: (Source: her)

Set in the Los Angeles of the slight future, “Her” follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other.

From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze comes an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.