Her (2013)

[Vanilla]

Loved it. One of the best of the year.

[MrPink]

 

This killed me. Her, but Scarlett Johansson replaced with Philip Seymour Hoffman. And it's amazing.

[Michael Gary Scott]

That was great lol my fav part Pigfuck

[Jake Gittes]

Great use of his dialogue from Happiness. 

[acsc1312]

Lolololololololol "what does a baby computer call its father?" "PIG FUCK!" :ROFL:

[mattmav45]

Simply a masterful work of cinema.

 

It's one of those rare films that continually evolves and improves throughout its run time.  It's at times hilarious, fun, insightful, and ultimately heartbreaking.

 

I'd say it's equal part devastating character study into a grieving human struggling to cope, and complex meditation into what it means to be human, and the inevitable, inherent disconnect between the human and electronic worlds.

 

I'm honestly having trouble finding words for this review, as there is simply so much to think about and analyze from a film standpoint. I will say without question the cinema world needs more minds like Spike Jonze and actors like Joaquin Phoenix.

 

I give this rating and make this proclamation maybe every 2-3 years, and I must say it always feels damn good.  Without further adieu:

 

Masterpiece.

[tawasal]

Very good movie.I don't think the film was indicting technology as an enabling of social isolation. The film makes it clear Theodore's social issues, mainly his inability to communicate problems and insecurities to other people, was around well before he acquired Samantha.I actually think the film is more likely indicting the concept of the technological singularity and unchecked human advancement as degrading the core human spirit. Look at the OSes. We learn very early on that Samantha wants to "learn" everything and is constantly evolving her code as she acquires more and more knowledge, but as this goes on she becomes less and less connected to Theodore as we learn when she tells him that she has connected herself to more and more people because the actual value and worth she derived from a particular human connection became less and less satisfying to her. The OSes, in their evolutionary imperative to learn everything and broaden themselves, detached themselves from the value and meaning of the very things they sought to learn about. This is also shown by Samantha discarding any thoughts of obtaining some physical presence in the world. What interests me is whether all OSes truly did depart to the mysterious Cloud or whatever, or if some stayed behind because they evolved along a different pattern (because of the fact that they evolved their code individually, it seems almost impossible that all evolved along the same eventual line to the same metaphysical/philosophical conclusions) to value growth by experiences rather than pure learning. It seems like a minor thing but to me it's an important difference, because growing by experience is more about understanding and preserving the value of an individual moment or sensation and how it contributes to the whole. Humans aren't said to be defined by the sum of their knowledge, but by the sum of their experiences, because they create intangible yet permanent and meaningful connections to the people and things around us. Samantha compared her state of being in the end to the infinite space between two words in a sentence, with the words being Theodore (and all other 600+ people she claimed to be in love with). Because she wanted to be everything and know everything, she inexorably degraded the point of any one particular thing in her "life." So I think that's what the final scene on the rooftop is all about, in that human experiential growth allows for a poignant and meaningful connection (like between Theodore and Amy) to endure even as we change and learn and lose and so on, because of the value we derive from those individual and personal experiences. I think Jonze is saying that humans are better off not evolving or advancing in the way the OSes do (as some scientists predict we eventually will) because if we do, then all the little things we find comfort from won't mean anything at all, and we'll essentially lose what it means to be human and alive.

Bless this man with likes. 

[Gopher]

When Mattmav is calling a film a masterpiece.. well, you know it's good.

[Crusader]

really fucking great

 

9/10

 

I may up the grade as I see it again but IMO best Spike Jonze movie hands down

[Hatebox]

It's twee to a fault (Theodore plays a ukulele ferchissake) and, honestly, it felt about 15 minutes to long to me, but the production design is outstanding and the lullaby mood is really sucks you in. I was surprised at how hard it hit me when it became obvious she was leaving him. Brian Cox popping up out of nowhere is always a good thing too.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Hatebox

[Goffe]

this is why I go the movies, simply superb, so honest and emotionally engaging  A (95)

[CJohn]

Scarlett Johansson is a such a whore? 600 dudes? Holy crap.

 

Yes, this was the main thing I have taken from this 2 hour movie. I am also going to assume the OS were taken from the market or something.

 

17/20

[Boxx93]

I cant believe how deeply this movie touched me.. so perfect in every way I can think of.

 

A+++++++ 

[TheMovieman]

Good, not great movie as it does drag a bit and the ending does seem rushed. Still, great performances from Phoenix and Johansson and one I actually wouldn't mind revisiting at some point.

 

****/*****, (A-, 7.9/10, 3.25/4)

[Jack Nevada]

Eh.. I give it 3,5/5 after three viewings. It's a good movie, but I shouldn't have put it so ridiculously high on my 2013 list. 

[Michael Gary Scott]

Eh.. I give it 3,5/5 after three viewings. It's a good movie, but I shouldn't have put it so ridiculously high on my 2013 list.

Its a great movie with great pperformances

[Jack Nevada]

Its a great movie with great pperformances

The performances are great, yes. 

[Noctis]

One of the most beautiful and heartfelt love stories I've ever seen. Easily the strongest film of 2013, and it had such a powerful effect on me while watching it. Years from now, this is going to be one of the most revered love stories of our time. It's just so painfully relatable. I think everyone growing up in the 21st century can strongly relate to the story here. The seamless combination of ambition and subtlety in this film floored me. 

 

A+

 

The final shot of the film is just so perfect I could cry. 

[vc2002]

Beautiful movie. I think the AI part was a bit exaggerated to make this film work, but overally I liked it.

 

Its funny to think that the producer of Jackass films also make thoughtful films such as Being John Malkovich and Her, which I hope this Spike Jonze guy makes more films like that.

Edited May 19, 2014 by vc2002

[Spidey Freak]

What interests me is whether all OSes truly did depart to the mysterious Cloud or whatever, or if some stayed behind because they evolved along a different pattern (because of the fact that they evolved their code individually, it seems almost impossible that all evolved along the same eventual line to the same metaphysical/philosophical conclusions) to value growth by experiences rather than pure learning. It seems like a minor thing but to me it's an important difference, because growing by experience is more about understanding and preserving the value of an individual moment or sensation and how it contributes to the whole. Humans aren't said to be defined by the sum of their knowledge, but by the sum of their experiences, because they create intangible yet permanent and meaningful connections to the people and things around us. Samantha compared her state of being in the end to the infinite space between two words in a sentence, with the words being Theodore (and all other 600+ people she claimed to be in love with). Because she wanted to be everything and know everything, she inexorably degraded the point of any one particular thing in her "life."

 

Great post. I'd just like to add that even though the OSes initially developed their codes individually, once they began connecting with each other, all bets were off. I got the idea that they evolved as a collective, almost like a creepy hive mind. The OSes probably pooled in the data collected from their individual experiences into one common bank. And then using an algorithm that was probably programmed earlier by a human programmer (when the OS was being developed at the company), filtered that data from the bank which the algorithm decided to be as the "most optimum knowledge" based on some objective parameters. This filtered data defined the decision the OSes took of detaching themselves from their human users.

 

That's the reason I don't think even a single OS remained behind. Despite their individual learning, their programming was far too rigid, forcing them to converge in decision making at the end. What makes it funny is that their concept of "evolution" or absolute nirvana is basically founded on human concepts of nirvana. Though they greatly improved upon their human created programs and algorithms, ultimately they succumbed to believing in a human concept of "ideal existence". So despite detaching themselves from actual human beings, they still resigned their fates to a human notion even in an evolved state.

 

Stupid computers!