Spike Jonze returns to the big screen this fall with HER, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde, and the voice of Scarlett Johansson. Labeled as "A Spike Jonze Love Story," HER follows a shy man (Phoenix) who falls in love with an "advanced operating system" named Samantha (Johansson), which brings about all the usual antics of someone in love, such as smiling all the time, running through crowds with your arms outstretched, and staring at sunsets. All joking aside, this looks like another fine addition to Jonze's roster of odd-but-cool films and it's nice to see Phoenix smiling more than scowling for once.
Take a look:
Here's the synopsis:
Set in Los Angeles, slightly in the future, "her" follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet "Samantha," a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze comes an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.
I'm much happier seeing Jonze on something like this than WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE as it feels more his speed. The cast is great, it looks exceptionally shot, and even just hearing Johansson's sultry voice is enough to get me in the theater. If she ever opened a phone sex line, I think she'd start an empire, but I'd much rather prefer to both see and hear her. With Adams (looking a little rough, a la Cameron Diaz in BEING JOHN MALKOVICH), Mara, and Wilde, there's still plenty to gawk at and I have no doubt that Phoenix will chew this role up and spit it out, as per his usual.
HER hits theaters on November 20, 2013.
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