Her (2013)

[nymusix]

I just got back from Spike Jonze's Her. I highly recommend it - it's absolutely terrific, very thought provoking, and easily his best and most accessible movie so far (which, admittedly, isn't saying much considering he's most well known for Being John Malkovich and Adaptation). 

Joaquin Phoenix is great, as is Scarlett Johansson, and it was surprisingly comedic for a movie that I've been heard lauded as a big dramatic frontrunner. I don't think it was by any means the best movie of the year, but I wouldn't be too surprised at it's getting nominated or winning in the Best Original Screenplay category. 

Who else has seen it? What did you think?

[David T. Cole]

My friend Wendy (Bob's Burger writer and wife of PTV writer and EHG guest Jeff Drake) said my favourite thing about the movie on Twitter:

Imagine the movie Her if he fell in love with a talking stick of butter & then admit that that's the exact same movie.

I enjoyed the vision of the future tech it laid out. I thought it was pretty smart though maybe too rosy. Otherwise I only got through it pretending it was the backstory to The Matrix.

[TravisNelson76]

About 2/3 of the way through, my friends and I all glanced at each other and burst out laughing at how absurd the whole thing was.  Especially the pants.  The pants were a PROBLEM.

[That said... I still liked it quite a lot.  Especially the design stuff.]

[notacrackpot]

I liked it a ton. Basically felt the same way you did Dave. Thought it was a great prequel to THE MATRIX or TERMINATOR. A little too rosy vision of AI for my tastes. Great filmmaking -- beautifully shot. Loved the exploration of what relationships are -- are they a projection of what's inside us? Is it inevitable that they break up when they stop being that, and the person takes on their own consciousness/interests and are no longer just a reflection of us? And then there's the layer of -- where does the love go when you break up with someone .... lots of layers in this piece, which is why I liked it a ton. Not my favorite film of the year, though, which it was for a lot of people.

[Cranberry]

I found it scarily plausible. I liked how the movie didn't come right out and say much about what was going on in the world at large, but you could see that more and more people were becoming attached to their OSes and that all kinds of related services were springing up. You could see that the OSes were rapidly changing, forming groups, resurrecting the great minds, bonding more with each other as the human mind started looking too limited to them. I expected it to go to a much darker place in the end, although I was satisfied with the ending. And I'll never complain about two hours of listening to Scarlett Johansson talk.

[KarenClassic]

I enjoyed this movie, and enjoyed seeing a vision of future Los Angeles that includes lots of great public transportation.  I loved how they used the Disney Concert Hall.  

I found the end a little underwhelming.  I would have liked more information about why they were leaving. But otherwise, I did find it funnier than expected.  And I third or fourth on the PANTS, I never have to see those again. 

[Tara Ariano]

Ever since Molly Lambert described Samantha as, essentially a digital prostitute (on the Girls In Hoodies podcast), I haven't really thought of it as a beautiful love story! Not that I particularly did before. But it's true that Samantha is tech that Twombley acquires, who has no other official function beyond meeting his needs.

[AuntiePam]

This movie played nowhere near where I live, so I'm just now seeing it. Thanks, HBO! 

 

Like notacrackpot said, I saw it as an exploration of relationships, more than just a love story. 

 

I'd like to see a "His" version.  Not female-male, but male-male.  Is that unrealistic?  Do men care as much about their friendships with other men as women do about their friendships with women?  If an average man could have one friend for life, would he choose a man or a woman?  Silly question, I guess.  We'd have to leave sex out.

 

Here's a fifth on those pants.  Interesting that other men were wearing them.  That's what made me realize this movie was set in the future, even moreso than the technological advances.  

 

What was Theodore putting in that machine when he left his office?

[Betweenyouandme]

I really wanted to see it, but I got very bored during it.

[Janet Snakehole]

I watched this on HBO last night. I really liked it and found it very touching. I missed the beginning, I turned it on during Theo and Samantha's sex scene, so I will have to catch it again.

Scarjo did a great job as Samantha's voice, which I thought was kind of surprising. I like her for the most part, but she tends to be kind of monotone and blank. So her being so emotive and being effective with just her voice was something I was not expecting. Kudos to her.

It is kind of interesting that she and Chris Pratt were in this, and she and Anna Faris were in Spike Jones' ex-wife's Lost In Translation. Seems that Her and Lost in Translation really are both interpretations of the Jones/Coppola divorce.

[AuntiePam]

Some reviews mention scenes in Shanghai.  I don't want to watch it again so soon, but I don't remember seeing anything that looked like Shanghai.  What did I miss?  When was he in Shanghai?

[Luckylyn]

Ever since Molly Lambert described Samantha as, essentially a digital prostitute (on the Girls In Hoodies podcast), I haven't really thought of it as a beautiful love story! Not that I particularly did before. But it's true that Samantha is tech that Twombley acquires, who has no other official function beyond meeting his needs.

I don't see Sam that way.   She's more like an assistant who ends up dating her boss than a prostitute to me.   The romantic relationship doesn't read as a business transaction to  me.

[xls]

I finally had to watch this out of curiosity, and it was better than I though it would be but still pretty dumb. i could buy him falling for the computer voice if it wasn't so straight forward customer service-y like The Kindle Mayday Amy-remember her?

I laughed ,actually, when the screen went dark and you could hear them making love. 

He really made enough money writing fake love letters to afford that luxury apartment? Must pay well.

I guess its a satire about people who can relate to computers more than they can people.

Love the tree elevator.

[jcin617]

Some reviews mention scenes in Shanghai.  I don't want to watch it again so soon, but I don't remember seeing anything that looked like Shanghai.  What did I miss?  When was he in Shanghai?

 

Parts of Future Los Angeles were filmed in Shanghai, digitially altered to look more futuristic.

Edited January 26, 2015 by jcin617

[Betweenyouandme]

I liked the movie where the man falls in love with a sex doll way more.

[Rick Kitchen]

I liked the movie where the man falls in love with a sex doll way more.

 

Lars and the Real Girl (with Ryan Gosling) is a really, really, good movie.

[TrininisaScorp]

You all just made my husband's day!  He couldn't get past the pants.  We spent half the movie talking about the pants and that a dude was into his OS.  My husband pretty much gave up when the screen went black and they were having "having sex".

 

I also liked Lars and The Real Girl better too. 

[Scarlett45]

Lars and the Real Girl (with Ryan Gosling) is a really, really, good movie.

It was. Her is on my list for movie rentals in the upcoming month.

[AuntiePam]

There must be a directorial reason for those pants.  Theodore wasn't the only one wearing that style. 

 

I liked Lars and the Real Girl too.  I mentioned that movie to the woman I was watching Her with (an unwelcome houseguest, distant family) and she was all "Ewww!"  I explained that Lars was about accepting the differences in people, friendship, yadda yadda.  She remained grossed out.  And she left the room about thirty minutes into Her.  "This just isn't my thing", like it was some kind of perversion. 

[Schweedie]

I liked Lars and the Real Girl too.  I mentioned that movie to the woman I was watching Her with (an unwelcome houseguest, distant family) and she was all "Ewww!"  I explained that Lars was about accepting the differences in people, friendship, yadda yadda.  She remained grossed out.

 

Lars and the Real Girl sounds weird to a lot of people on a different level than Her, I think, probably because of the 'sex doll' part. But I'm with the rest, I love that movie - I liked Her quite a bit, but I definitely prefer Lars.

 

I still think Joaquín Phoenix deserved a nomination for this performance, though. He was really good.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Schweedie

[Janet Snakehole]

As someone who has not seen Lars, the concept seems kind of gross me compared to this. Sex doll is an object, so I picture some dude who just is into a soulless body that looks, well, doable, for lack of a better term. Her, at least to me, is the guy being attracted to just personality and voice, which seems sweeter to me.

But I am sure I am wrong on this, since you guys seem to know what you are talking about and have actually seen the movie! I am sure that there is a lot more to Lars that I don't know about. Just adding my two cents :)

Schweedie, I missed your original comment, but yeah, that is kind of how I see it.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[cpcathy]

Lars was a lovely little movie, but its premise is misleading to people who haven't seen it. And Gosling was fantastic in it. I think it's easier accept Lars and the Real Girl than it would be for Her, when we saw Her the couple behind us walked out midway through.

Edited January 27, 2015 by cpcathy

[JBC344]

As someone who has not seen Lars, the concept seems kind of gross me compared this this. Sex doll is an object, so I picture some dude who just is into a soulless body that looks, well, doable, for lack of a better term. Her, at least to me, is the guy being attracted to just personality and voice, which seems sweeter to me.

But I am sure I am wrong on this, since you guys seem to know what you are talking about and have actually seen the movie! I am sure that there is a lot more to Lars that I don't know about. Just adding my two cents :)

Schweedie, I missed your original comment, but yeah, that is kind of how I see it.

I would urge you to see Lars. Like other posters have said the premise is very misleading and trust me there is nothing gross or seedy about how it is presented.  As the movie progresses you realize why Lars can only connect to a female doll.  There is even a heartbreaking scene at the end where Ryan's character comes to the realization of what is happening to him.  Very sweet and touching movie.

[xls]

I would urge you to see Lars. Like other posters have said the premise is very misleading and trust me there is nothing gross or seedy about how it is presented.  As the movie progresses you realize why Lars can only connect to a female doll.  There is even a heartbreaking scene at the end where Ryan's character comes to the realization of what is happening to him.  Very sweet and touching movie.

I will have to watch it the next time I see it listed.

[AndreaK1041]

I really wanted to see it, but I got very bored during it.

Me too. I think I hated it. It was super creative and I can see why people would enjoy it, but it was not for me.