My 200 Favorite Movies: Spike Jonze Sees Into the Future with HER

Photo Credit: Annapurna Pictures and Warner Bros. 

(Editor's note: This was originally written in 2016.)

Original, innovative and ahead of its time in a rapidly-changing modern world, Her is a Spike Jonze joint that was mired in its fair share of controversy. Jonze was vindicated in the end, so I'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

In Her, Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore, a personalized letter writer in a futuristic version of Los Angeles. As society has become increasingly more reliant upon technology, some humans have lost the ability to express themselves on paper. Theodore's is a niche job that allows him a window into the unique personal lives of others. He's a good writer with a big heart, a heart that remains broken after his divorce from Catherine (Rooney Mara), the only love of his life.

In his loneliness, Theodore befriends Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), his personal Operating System ("OS"). In future L.A., seemingly everyone has an OS that manages their many connections to technology -- e-mails, texts, calls, video games, voicemails, Internet searches, etc. OS's were originally created for practical purposes, but they advance themselves and establish complicated personalities over time. And wouldn't you know, the more Theodore talks to Samantha, the more he seems to be developing feelings for her.

On the other end of the line, as Samantha's personality diversifies and expands in many different directions, she too develops feelings for Theodore. The result is a thought-provoking romance between Man and Machine. It works because the dialogue is fresh, believable and occasionally funny.

Generally speaking, Phoenix is kind of a bizarre method actor who has a tendency to rub me the wrong way -- particularly in Irrational Man, The Master and We Own the Night -- but his portrayal of Theodore is spot on. I totally buy into him as a kind, tender-but-flawed lost soul in an evolving society that doesn't seem to have a place for him. He has a soft-spoken and frazzled friend named Amy (played by Amy...Adams) who seems to mirror him in a number of different ways.

One of the stars of the show is cinematographer Hoyte Von Hoytema (yes, he has "Hoyte" in his first and last name) who has quite the resume with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Interstellar and Spectre. I thought Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was slow and boring, and I remember thinking that the only thing I liked about it was the cinematography. There's something very clean and smooth about Von Hoytema's vision and subsequent execution of that vision. His future L.A. in Her seems like an inviting and comfortable place to be. Von Hoytema creates space nicely and gives his shots room to breathe. One could argue that he's just as important to Her's effectiveness as Jonze, Phoenix and Johansson.

Ooh, I'm glad I remembered the music. The score by Arcade Fire is sad, delicate and sometimes a bit haunting. It meshes beautifully with the direction and cinematography.

Finally, as I mentioned in the opening, strong endings are important to me. This film ends perfectly with a gorgeous shot of Theodore and Amy sitting on the ledge of their apartment building, staring out into the mesmerizing L.A. skyline. They are together, but alone.

** John Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND RECENT MOVIES SEEN

Inglourious Basterds (10/10) - Review Coming Soon

Birdman (9.5/10)

The Irishman (9.5/10)
Up in the Air (9.5/10)
Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
Django Unchained (9.5/10) - Review Coming Soon
Collateral (9.5/10)
No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
The Wrestler (9.5/10)
Her (9.5/10)
The Drop (9.5/10)
Zodiac (9.5/10)
Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
Margin Call (9/10)
Office Space (9/10)
The Hateful Eight (9/10) - Review Coming Soon
Marriage Story (9/10)
Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
Mystic River (9/10)
L.A. Confidential (9/10)
Lady Bird (9/10)
Stay (9/10)
Gone Girl (9/10)
Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
45 Years (9/10)
The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
Bernie (9/10)
Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)
Tape (9/10)
A Perfect Murder (9/10)
Wanderlust (8.5/10)

War Dogs (8.5/10)
The Founder (8.5/10)
Jackie Brown (8.5/10) - Future Review
In Bruges (8.5/10)

Split (8.5/10)

Bad Moms (8.5/10)

Basquiat (8.5/10)
Love, Actually (8.5/10)

Moonlight (8/10)
Pretty Woman (8/10)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (7.5/10) - No Review Available
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (7.5/10) - No Review Available
Joker (7.5/10)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

The Revenant (7.5/10)
The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

The Shallows (7.5/10)
Focus (7.5/10) 

The Night Before (7.5/10)
The Walk (7/10)

10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
Loving (7/10) - No review available
Death Proof (7/10) - No review available
Hail, Caesar! (7/10) - No review available
Escape Room (7/10)
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (6.5/10)
A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
The Boy (6/10) - No review available
The Accountant (6/10) - No review available
Bridge of Spies (6/10) - No review available
The Firm (6/10) - No review available
Muhammad Ali: Say My Name (6/10) - No review available

Joy (5.5/10)
Taking Lives (5.5/10) - No review available

La La Land (5.5/10)
Pulp Fiction (5.5/10) - Future Review
Belichick and Saban: The Art of Coaching (5.5/10)
The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
The Mule (5/10) - No review available
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
Molly's Game (5/10)
Set It Up (5/10)
Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (5/10) - No review available
Reservoir Dogs (4.5/10) - Future Review
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
Ocean's 8 (4/10)
Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
The Program (3/10)
Open Water 3: Cage Dive (3/10) - No review available
Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
Shut In (2/10) - No review available
Premonition (2/10) - No review available

Rings (1.5/10)
Mother's Day (1.5/10)
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (0/10) - No review available