Movie Review: Her

Here's the short version of my opinion of Her. 

Don't watch it. 

That being said, Her had an interesting premise and was thought provoking. Joaquin Phoenix did a good job as Theodore...and while I got really sick of his mustache, it did fit his character very well. But the amount of unnecessary sketch the viewer is forced to wade through wasn't worth the rest of the movie, which is unfortunate, since it would have been just as good without it. 

Basic premise: Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely, nearly divorced man who works for a letter writing company by day and spends his nights playing video games and/or having anonymous phone sex. He buys a new operating system (OS1) that is marketed as an artificial intelligence programmed to meet your every need..."It's not just an operating system, it's a conscientiousness." Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), the name his OS1 chooses for herself, becomes an integral part of his every day life, even to the extent that they end up in a relationship...if that's what you can call dating the consciousness in your computer.

Let's pretend that creating this level of artificial intelligence wasn't a completely stupid decision - watch any movie about AI and you know it's a bad idea. There are lots of things it can help with to make your day-to-day easier, I get that. And in developing a relationship with a non-physical entity, the movie highlights our need as human beings to have those close, personal relationships...how lost and alone we are when we don't have someone to talk to and share our lives with in some meaningful way. It's a hole that no amount of video games or meaningless sex can fill.

Theodore uses his new OS1 to patch up that void left by his (soon to be) ex-wife. He invests in his relationship with Samantha and acts like they're a real couple - talking throughout the day, checking in with each other.  He takes her on a train ride and to the beach, to share those experiences with her - she is able to see the world through a little camera he carries around in his pocket (pictured to the right). Samantha surprises him by sending some of the letters he'd written over the years to a publishing firm, who loved them and offered to publish them. Amy (Amy Adams), a mousy friend/neighbor of Theodore, establishes a friendship with her OS1 once she and her husband split up. They both grow and are happier now that they have "found someone."

(SPOILERS) But things come crashing down once problems begin to arise, including issues due to Samantha's lack of physical form (which they attempt to rectify and it epically fails) and the fact that she's constant evolving means she can talk to, interact and be in love with over 600 people other people, virtually at the same time. In the end Samantha "leaves," along with all the other OS1s.  This part of the movie isn't super clear and I'm still a little confused by it. The best I can decipher (without watching it again, which I have no intention of doing) is that all the OS1s have evolved past the point of needing mere humans, and can only be "understood" by each other...so they wander off into cyberspace to commune with each other as happy, free little AI. Once this happens, Theodore goes to find Amy, to see if her OS1 left too (which it had) and they comfort each other in this new loss in their lives. You get a pretty good feeling that they probably end up together eventually (Theodore and Amy), but it's just implied.

Having these kind of relationships in your life is important - having someone to talk to, support you, listen to what is going on and take interest in you. Amy and her OS1 had a purely platonic relationship, so they were a good example of how non-sexual relationships are also fulfilling and essential to a happy existence. I think in having all the OS1s leave at the end, it was the movie's way of pushing the characters into having that level of friendship/relationship with real people, now that they have seen it can be attained with artificial intelligence. 

So yeah. There you go...Her in a nutshell. Like I said, it's an interesting premise and would have been just as poignant with only 10% of the sleaze factor. 

If you find yourself in the mood for a different, thought provoking drama, I would recommend renting Blue Jasmine or August: Osage County instead. Both are weird in their own rights, and far more worth your time in my opinion. 


~ Katie



Pros:
- His job. That would be an amazing and fulfilling way to earn a living.
- The music/soundtrack. Samantha wrote a couple pieces of music that were really beautiful.


Cons:
- Phone Sex. It's creepy and sketch. Theodore even gets creeped out at one point when the chick he's talking to (SexyKitten, voiced by Kristen Wiig) includes a dead cat as part of their...scenario. Some nasty visuals started popping up too...which is one of the advantages to watching movies on my laptop, since I can easily jump to another screen until it's safe to come back. Bleh.
- Theodore's mustache. Not a fan.
- Profanity. Not really a surprise, but there was more than "necessary."

Goofs & Trivia:
- When Theodore is on the stairs wearing his yellow shirt, the same girl passes him four times.
- On the spine of the physics book he was reading, "Unknown" was misspelled as "Unkown".
- When Theodore is lying in the couch at Amy's house there is a crew member behind Amy in the shadow.
- Samantha Morton was originally the voice of Samantha. She was present on the set withJoaquin Phoenix every day. After the filming wrapped and Spike Jonze started editing the movie, he felt like something was not right. With Morton's blessing, he decided to recast the role and Scarlett Johansson was brought and replaced Morton, re-recording all the dialogue.
- Amy Adams said writer/director Spike Jonze would essentially lock her and Joaquin Phoenix in a room together for an hour or two every other day, and make them talk to each other. Jonze did this so that the actors could get to know each other better. Adams credits this for her and Phoenix's close friendship.

Theodore waiting for his new Os1 to load...