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Spike Jonze' Oscar-winning screenplay and a dazzling lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix anchor 2013's Her, a riveting and manipulative romantic drama that truly is "a love story for the computer age."
Phoenix plays Theodore Twombley, a soon-to-be-divorced writer and techno geek who gets a new organizational system installed into his personal computer that has a female voice (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and Theodore actually finds himself entering into a relationship with this new system, who named herself Samantha, that defies explanation.
Jonze, one of the creative forces behind the brilliant Being John Malkovich has once again tread where no filmmaker has tread, creating one of cinema's most unique love stories that has you rooting for the protagonists even though you know in the pit of your gut that there is no way this will work.
And it's not for lack of trying or imagination...Samantha even manages to somehow convince a woman to act as a surrogate so that she can actually touch Theodore, but it doesn't work for Theodore.
Jonze' story is sparkling with originality and I expect nothing less from him and Phoenix delivers a performance of pathos and empathy, creating a character of such depth and likability that we can't help but pray that he and Samantha get together. Fans of Being John Malkovich will definitely have a head start here, but if you're looking for something completely different, give it a chance. I should also mention that I think the title of the film is perfection.
Spike Jonze' Oscar-winning screenplay and a dazzling lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix anchor 2013's Her, a riveting and manipulative romantic drama that truly is "a love story for the computer age."
Phoenix plays Theodore Twombley, a soon-to-be-divorced writer and techno geek who gets a new organizational system installed into his personal computer that has a female voice (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and Theodore actually finds himself entering into a relationship with this new system, who named herself Samantha, that defies explanation.
Jonze, one of the creative forces behind the brilliant Being John Malkovich has once again tread where no filmmaker has tread, creating one of cinema's most unique love stories that has you rooting for the protagonists even though you know in the pit of your gut that there is no way this will work.
And it's not for lack of trying or imagination...Samantha even manages to somehow convince a woman to act as a surrogate so that she can actually touch Theodore, but it doesn't work for Theodore.
Jonze' story is sparkling with originality and I expect nothing less from him and Phoenix delivers a performance of pathos and empathy, creating a character of such depth and likability that we can't help but pray that he and Samantha get together. Fans of Being John Malkovich will definitely have a head start here, but if you're looking for something completely different, give it a chance. I should also mention that I think the title of the film is perfection.