A Socially Acceptable Form of Insanity

You’re the most important person in the world, aren’t you? I know I am. Given the nature of the human condition – the ravenous “I” at the center of any individual’s perception – the survival of romantic love, with its inherently self-sacrificing nature, has begun to seem downright miraculous in our increasingly narcissistic 21^st century culture. We’re living in a moment where the notion of “service” is more and more about how we can get the world to more efficiently work for us, and less about serving the needs of others, so the idea that true love means putting someone else’s needs before our own is beginning to feel both truly heroic and even a little quaint.

Doesn’t it make sense, then, that a near-future homo sapien, with his increasingly entitled need to be taken care of amidst an exploded population and a growing isolation, would find the seemingly perfect lover in an artificial intelligence that’s created and programmed to be all about him? And if that enables said human to (seemingly) sidestep the messy painful complications that come within the matrix of a traditional human-on-human love affair, is this necessarily a bad thing?

That Spike Jonze’s magical existential mystery trip Her has got me thinking about the nature of romance in the modern age is indicative of the kind of depth charge resonances the film can set off in a viewer. This love story between a man and his operating system, an instant classic, pushes you into a profound contemplation of both the now and the next, and I’m only fixating on the rom-com nature of the questions it raises because, look what blog you’re reading.

 

“Falling in love is a crazy thing to do,” notes a character in Her, “It’s like a socially acceptable form of insanity.” Yes, and there’s more in Jonze’s philosophy to be pored over by those with scientific, semiotic, and even architectural interests (e.g. the Los Angeles of Her’s future, as critic Manohla Dargis has noted, is vertical and rail-driven). The issues involved in our relationship with technology get a provocative workout here, and everybody wins: the little alien avatar who stars in the film’s video game sequences is hilarious, while the humans (e.g. a truly wild Olivia Wilde, and Amy Adams, virtually unrecognizable next to her turn in American Hustle) are just as compelling.

The best films transcend genre, because the power of their storytellers’ imaginative capacities dissolve the notion that any story must be all one thing. Defining The Godfather as a gangster movie is reductive, just as calling Psycho a love story (it’s “Mom” tattooed on a particularly bloody heart) is disingenuous. Her, a sci-fi romantic dramedy comedy horror social satire movie, is all these things and simply original.

 

As a love story, Her provides us with a unique perspective on the stages of a romantic attachment. Artificial intelligence Samantha, the self-named O.S. (Operating System) voiced by Scarlett Johansson in a remarkable, marvelously nuanced performance, grows and develops over the course of the story, and as her involvement with Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) deepens, the classic phases of a love affair are freshly enacted in bold relief.

The story’s arc echoes that of Annie Hall (and Pygmalion before it): be careful what you wish for when you try to mold a lover’s mind and bring her up to speed. Even as she’s handicapped by such obvious disadvantages as not having a body, Samantha’s lightning fast learning curve gives her an unfair advantage over her hapless human lover, and… It’s hard to talk about the movie without giving too much away, so I won’t say more, nor spill, as many reviewers have, some of Her’s best lines, riffs, gags, and insights. I’ll just say, see it. 

Jonze’s work with Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malcovich, Adaptation) has clearly rubbed off on him (as has, in subtler ways, his time with former wife Sofia Coppola, whose Lost in Translation this film recalls at moments in its air of wistful melancholy), but he’s wholly come into his own with this beautifully crafted piece of work. It’s quirky in the best ways - sad, funny, often bravely teetering on a tightrope line between pathos and absurdity – and its minor flaws pale next to its considerable achievement. In the future, many of 2013’s highly touted Oscar-season movies may fade from our collective memory, but I know I’m never going to forget Her. 

Comments

[Shawna]

I just watched the film this evening, and it's the first film in quite some time that compels me to watch again, and PDQ. There's a lot to take in -- not just the story, but the world -- I was fascinated with the people around Theodore and how they lived in this near-future world. Amazing stuff.

[mernitman]

Shawna: There are such passionately split opinions on so many of the big movies this year - so I'm really glad you felt this way. I'm excited to watch it again, too.

[Bradford Richardson]

Billy, you're writing is exceptional. HER, is now definitely at the top of my, Must See, list. Thank you.

[Bradford Richardson]

Ugh... "your"

[E.C. Henry]

Knew you'd do a post on this film. Haven't seen it yet, and kinda was thinking of skipping it, as I like my rom-coms about the character arcs of men and real, FLESH AND BLOOD, women. But "Her" sounds like one of those high concept, warning films, that provokes debate with the issues that you nailed in your post, Billy: isolationalism, narcissism, laziness, and the loss of human contact.

But those "issues" have a stigma with me; as I tend to want to go see a rom-com to get my belief in romance rekindled vs. squashed further down into the realm of unreality in light of how our society is trending.

Though "Her" strikes me at an emotional level of, stay away from this -- a lot like "Don Juan" does, I'll probably go see the movie "Her" JUST to broaden my horizons. After seeing "The Master" and considering Joaquin Phoenix roles in last few years, he's definately peeked my interest; I like his choices as an actor, Joaquin's interesting... And Amy Adams in ANYTHING is always a treat. So okay, I'm getting there... just not in microwave fashion.

Billy, you've got one of most adventerous, romantic souls I've ever come in contact with. You're very daring, which contrast against my nature which tends to be pensive, slow to trust, and rooted in old-fashioned beliefs which afects the way in which I precieve the world.

[Judith Duncan]

Hey Billy,
I've been M.I.A. for a while, working at adapting one of my screenplays into a novel and doing classes at UCLAext online, while doing the dreaded 9-5.So basically working my bum off. It is wonderful to come back and read through the posts I've missed. Love Actually is one of those films that always makes me feel a little prickly. I think the Prime Minister with the tea lady storyline lost me. Considering the class system in England...puhleese. However I do love Richard Curtis.The dialogue in the opening scenes of Four Weddings and a Funeral is a joy. Never has an expletive been used so wonderfully. I went to the movies for the first time in ages during the holidays and saw Thor(full of sound and fury signifying nothing). Don't know why,perhaps just the lure of Chris Hemsworth's chest after months of hard work. As I left the theatre I saw the poster for Her,reading your thoughts on it now I know I have to see it. Thanks for the interview with the Nicholls winner, that's always been a big dream and it's good to know how people get there and that the script was worked on at UCLA. On the strength of what I've worked on at UCLA,I've been accepted into a workshop at The Djerassi Artists Retreat in June 2014 to work on my novel.About to get stuck into crowdfunding to raise the money to get there.Have a wonderful New Year and all the best for 2014.
Cheers,Judith

[mernitman]

Thank you, Bradford - hope you enjoy it!

EC: Thank you for your heartfelt and illuminating "sharing" - I get where you're coming from and I support your willingness to maybe, maybe step outside your comfort zone. I think Her may strike a chord with you (more than Don). At any rate: Happy New Year!

Hi Judith: Thanks for the update, and congrats on the Retreat! Best to you in 2014.

[zach]

As a romantic comedy, I wholeheartedly agree. I really liked this movie. But in terms of the bigger picture, even with the beauty and the laughs I also find it somewhat horrific. I need to find a place to talk about the damn thing without spoiling it. But I will ask this: what did you think of the dolly track they left (without digitally erasing) in the last scene of the film? I find it hard to believe that a movie with such a nuanced eye would let that slide. It's driving me bats!

[zach]

I laughed out loud at Alan Watts, though. I was like "fucking Alan Watts! Always screwing shit up!" (That can't possibly be a spoiler, can it?)

[mernitman]

Hey Zach: Embarrassed to confess (there goes my True Cinefile status, right into the dumpster, and at New Year's, no less) that I didn't notice said tracks! Too absorbed in the moment - though I'll go back and look. I would imagine that there must have been something about that particular take (and perhaps there were only a few, 'cause of sunrise magic hour issues) that Jonze really loved, and so he just went, Fuck it, only Zach Chassler will notice. The Alan Watts bit was genius, and I laughed out loud, too. Meanwhile, I kind of think it IS a horror film, in a way, only skewed to be benign, i.e. he left out the ending where the AI hive returns to enslave humanity, etc. (not a spoiler, kids, I'm just making shit up).

[zach]

I don't know. He could have scrubbed those tracks easy. I think it has to be a comment on the artificial nature of everything. I was hesitant because Jonze isn't known for his writing chops, but the guy can write. Also, I totally thought of you for a lot of the movie. I was like "Billy is going to love this." It's so weirdly traditional while being cutting edge at the same time. Can wait to talk about it in person and bother the hell out of everyone back in the bullpen while doing so.

[mernitman]

Totally. Looking forward to it (I'm on lot Thursday and Friday) and in the meantime, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! to you and the family.

[Bob]

In the future, dolly tracks will be left on roof tops in memory of the obsolete art of making films.

[Connie Josefs]

Key scene - along the lines of your spot-on intro re: narcissism - was the restaurant scene where Theodore and his ex-wife are signing papers. Hilarious and profoundly cringe-inducing. Notable that the "invisible" waitress is, I believe, the only non-white (or Asian) character in the movie. Her parting line something like,"Just let me know if you need anything." Multi-layers abound.

[mernitman]

Bob: In the future Dolly Tracks will release their first E.P. "I Dreamed I Had a Blog" about the obsolete art of online film criticism.

Connie: It's a marvelously multi-layer meta-movie.

[Rob in L.A.]

I just came from seeing "Her," and I loved it from its opening shot (honestly). I was a little bit worried (based on snippets that I heard about the film) that the story might veer into third-act sci-fi melodrama, and I was relieved that this didn't happen. (Great screenplay! I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie Kaufman gave it a polish.)

Since we didn't see Scarlet Johanson's pulchritudinous bod and foxy face on the screen, we pay closer attention to her voice. And I was amazed at all of the subtle inflections that she was able to give it. I was amazed at all the nuances — and hints of tenderness — that she conveyed with every line she spoke. By the end of the movie, *I* was in love with Samantha!

"Her" isn't a rom-com (in my book), but it's certainly a film that every rom-com scribe should see (at least once). Well done, Mr, Jonze!