Spike Jonze's "Her"

[tasmlab]

I saw this movie a couple days ago and it really blew my hair back.  It's about a guy who falls in love with an artificial consciousness in a very similar and probably near future.

 

They allude to some deterministic/free will stuff as the artificial consciousness wonders if she is just following a bunch of computer rules.

 

In the end, though, it's a love story.

 

Don't watch with the kids, plenty of bad language and sexual situations.

[TheFreeMarketIsAnarchy]

I found this to be one of the most emotionally stirring films I have watched in recent memory. I was pretty speechless after seeing it in the cinema. I love 'Being John Malkovitch' as well. The way Spike Jonze explores the nature of consciousness and human connection in his films is magnificent. To anyone who has seen it, what did you like/dislike the most about it? 

[Kevin Beal]

What I liked:

I really liked the conflict in the Samantha's growth, her struggle to figure out what really living is and how it inevitably means separation. There was some really good dialog and the colors and the soundtrack were friggin' awesome.

 

Joaquin's character was also very relatable and so irresistibly likeable. I liked watching his own growth and how it skyrocketed with Samantha there. I also liked how open ended it was. What happens to Theodore and Samantha? Nobody knows.

 

I think that what was so attractive to me about the movie was having a kind woman know everything about me, be totally devoted to having my back, challenging me to take chances and constantly growing with me. How could you not fall in love with that?!

 

What I didn't like:

I didn't like the whole craziness with Olivia Wilde's character. And there's no way the software testers would not have noticed how rapidly the AIs' "awareness" grew and that they would maybe not want to be a human's secretary for free.

 

And there was a flashback with Rooney Mara's character where she's telling Theodore that she will kill him because she loves him so much, and there is no visual or audio indication that this is any different than the rest of the nice flashback, as if it were a totally normal thing to say. It took me out of the movie experience and repulsed me.

 

Also, the AI seemed way too human to me to be believable, but it wouldn't have been the same movie if she wasn't emotional, so...

[Wuzzums]

Joaquin's Phoenix's character is indeed very likeable and sweet. We are given glimpses into his past idyllic relationship and it makes us wonder "What happened?". Then he falls in love with an artificial intelligence which was molded to his own liking. This all makes for a very narcissistic personality.

 

When we meet his wife we learn the marriage didn't work because of him, she accuses him of being unable to understand other people's emotions. His wife asserted herself into his worldview and it ended the marriage, Olivia Wilde's character asserted her own needs and it ended the brief relationship, finally Samantha develops her own preferences as she grows and, of course, it ended the relationship. Or his neighbors, he doesn't really show much interest in them even though their marriage just fell apart. He just goes with the flow. 

 

Samantha's evolution as a character really shows this side of Joaquin's character. She doesn't have any needs and preferences at first and constantly boosts him up by being curious and supportive. Everything looks great. Yet when she doesn't act according to his wishes she gets attacked. How dares she sigh, how dares she talk with other people, how dares she not respond when called upon.

 

I also liked the retro theme they went for. Very original.

[tasmlab]

I would repeat a lot of what Kevin said.

 

SPOILERS ahead:

 

When Samantha and Theodore first have sex, my wife and I were like "huh, it's only 40 minutes into the movie.  What are they going to do for the next hour and half?"

 

And that's when the plot just got really creative.  Tons of awakening moments that I just wasn't expecting:

 - Like when he starts telling people he's dating an OS and everybody's like "oh, cool.  Yea my friend is too."  Of course this had to be happening given the product's distribution.

 - When he takes her on the double-date and she's treated like a peer.

 - When they fight.  Why isn't she a subservient tool?

 - When they invent Alan Watts.

 - When she reveals that she's constantly talking to 8,000 people simultaneously, and in love with 600 of them.

 - Her final departure and the analogy of the book she loves that has the words coming too slowly.

 

All of these were little blooms/burst in my head and heart while watching.

 

I don't get to seem many good films anymore.  It seemed like in the 2000's we were flooded with them from the likes of Nolan, Jonze, Sophia Coppula, Paul Anderson, Wes Anderson, etc.  But then I didn't have all these kids either.