PLOT
Taking place in probably the not too distant future, "Her" follows Theodore, a man who's job is to write personal cards for people. He's recently divorced and hasn't been able to get back out there in the dating scene. One day, he decides to buy the newest operating system that is touted as the most intelligent and ever evolving A.I. ever made. After taking a short survey, Theodore is introduced to Samantha, his new operating system. Theodore soon starts to fall in love with Samantha, and has to deal with everything that comes along with this type of relationship.
PROS
While we all like to laugh at Joaquin Phoenix and try to forget about that documentary stunt he pulled a few years ago, nobody can deny that this man has some serious talent. Phoenix gives a stunning performance in this film, playing a character who, while low in his life, is not a loser and is instead a human being. Most of movie is just him acting along side a voice, and when taken in that context, his performance becomes something much more.
Serious props should also be given to Scarlett Johansson, who plays Samantha. While we only hear her voice, she still gives an incredibly human performance, which is a feat unto itself. If anyone doubted her acting ability, this is the movie to prove them wrong.
While "Her" does have the initial draw of watching a man fall in love with his computer, the film does so much more with that concept then anyone could expect. It becomes a deconstruction of relationships and love, a character study of a character we genuinely like, and a love story that's more believable and sweet then anything hollywood could dream of. While I could go on and on about how great these aspects are, which believe me they are, the real accomplishment here is that all of them are in this movie at once and are done so much better then most films that try to tackle just one of these subjects.
Speaking of great relationships', Theodore and Samantha's relationship is one of the most believable and sweet I've seen on film. Even though it's a man talking to his phone, their love feels real and the movie does a great job at making you believe this could actually. I mean, I don't know about you, but if Scarlett Johansson replaced Siri, I might fall in love with my phone too!
It may seem like a very high-brow movie from the way I've been describing it, but "Her" is smart enough to have human moments in it as well. For example, Theodore plays this video game where he meets a tiny creature on an alien planet. This creature only talks in curse words, for example, "F*ck you you sh*t eating sh*t face!". And you know what, that's funny. It's great to see that this film isn't so obsessed with it's message that it can't have silly moments like that in-between the intellectual parts.
One aspect of the film I really enjoyed was how nicely everyone reacts to Theodore's relationship. This also leads to world building, where it shows that many other people are developing other relationships with their OS' and that Theodore isn't a special case. The only one who reacts negatively to their relationship is Theodore's ex-wife, which has some meaning and context in the film that I won't spoil here.
CONS
I hate to keep doing this, but I honestly have nothing negative to say about this film.
CONCLUSION
"Her" is one of the best films released in 2013, maybe even in this decade, and yes I know it will be a while before the decade's over, but I still hold it in that high regard. This film does what the greatest Sci-fi stories have done in the past but have rarely done as well, tell a story and convey a message that could only be done in a Sci-fi setting. It's a smart, funny, romantic, and analytical movie that does all of those tones and aspects almost perfectly. "Her" is one of the most original movies I've seen in a long time, and you owe it to yourself to experience this masterpiece of a film at least once.
RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!
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