A Blog All About the Heart

Mrs. ShuGar Reviews: Her

February 7, 2014

Hello, hello! I hope you are all excited about the weekend because I sure am. This weekend is my sister’s bridal shower so I just can’t wait to celebrate her next journey with her gal pals. Before I continue, I would like to announce the winner of the ShuGar Love Hearts You Giveaway. And the winner is……

Allison Myers

Allison – please check your email for further details. Thank you to each and every one of you who participated in my first ever giveaway! It was lots of fun and I will have more love stuff planned for this year. This one was extra special since it was to celebrate my 1-year blogiversary. I appreciate all of you who took the time to participate and share the love. I heart you all!

Now, let’s talk movies. Every once in a great while there comes a film that is like no other. It reminds us of nothing in the past because it is truly a creative piece of art. This movie is Her.

Her stars Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, a couple who fall in love in the most unconventional way. Written and directed by Spike Jonze, the story begins with Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) living a lonely, mundane life as a letter writer (reminded me a little bit of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Day of Summer) in some future version of Los Angeles. In this future, everyone is connected to technology in their every day lives. You see people walking on the street with ear pieces because they are having their emails read electronically, they are being read the latest news, or they are checking the weather. Ironically, you don’t see anyone using the ear piece to talk on the phone.

Theodore stumbles upon the latest technological operating system (OS), which utilizes artificial intelligence to “serve” the needs of the client. But, this OS ain’t no ordinary computer system – it is designed to evolve, act, and feel like a human, sort of. Theodore decides he will pick a female OS and behold we are introduced to Samantha, brilliantly played by Scarlett Johansson.

If you could choose any voice to be your OS, wouldn’t you also be attracted to Scarlett Johansson’s? I mean, it just doesn’t get sexier than that. I have a huge girl crush on her. And so begins the courtship between Theodore and Samantha – all conducted via the computer system and an ear piece. At first, Theodore appears to be hesitant about Samantha’s sweet responses. After all, she says and does everything he has ever dreamed of in a woman. Little by little, Theodore begins to let his guard down and open his heart to the possibility of actually falling in love with an OS – a mere voice in his ear.

The chemistry between the two is beyond apparent. Just look at this scene in which Samantha serenades to Theodore – so sexy and sweet!

Without giving you all the juicy details of the film, I will tell you that Theodore and Samantha develop a strong bond, ripe with the complications of any relationship. Does (s)he love me back? Are we in an official relationship? Who were you talking to on the phone just now? However, an obvious additional obstacle clouds the relationship and this is the fact that they can never touch and see each other….ever. Can a relationship survive without human interaction? You’ll just have to watch it and see!

In case you haven’t picked up on any of my previous clues, I adore this film. By far this is the best movie of the year and I am glad it was nominated for The Academy Award’s Best Picture. Frankly, I don’t think it will win because it’s too unusual for the Oscars, but I certainly believe it deserves the win. The ingenuity in the writing and the direction of the film is like nothing I have ever seen before. I respect and admire those artists who push the boundaries and challenge the status quo. During several sexual scenes (yes, there is sex involved), I thought to myself, “Wow, Spike Jonze is really going there!” That deserves accolades and I am glad to see the film is getting the buzz it deserves.

That being said, this film is not for everyone. I have seen two extremes of people who have watched this film – you love it or hate it. Spike Jonze is a visionary, no doubt about that. If you look back at what he has done, you get an idea of his style. He co-wrote and directed Where the Wild Things Are and directed the indie gem Being John Malkovich. Her is actually his first solo feature film writing attempt. So amazing!

The film shows his version of Los Angeles in the future, but it’s not your typical robotic, The Jetsons sci-fi depiction of life many years from now. Jonze uses these soft hues of orange, red, and pink throughout the movie that gives it a romantic and less harsh view of the future. If you look carefully, Theodore is always wearing some version of red in the film and these art direction choices fascinate me.

The acting must also be acknowledged. I am not a big Joaquin Phoenix fan, but in this film he plays a more vulnerable character. He dances, sings, cries and all in the name of love. I can’t believe he wasn’t nominated for best actor? The Academy gets it wrong some times. Scarlett Johannson should also be lauded. It must not have been easy to only use your voice to depict every human emotion. She rocked it!

Mr. ShuGar concurs that it is the best film of 2013. We want to see this movie again and study it. For film lovers, it just doesn’t get better than this. You leave the film with a lot of questions and a sense that you just saw something special. Spike Jonze broke the mold with this one and I hope you go and see it with an open mind. I’d love to hear what you think of it!

Mrs. ShuGar Gives Her 5 out of 5 hearts.

What makes a relationship succeed? Can a relationship work if you cannot see or touch the person? Is physical interaction the most important aspect of a relationship? If that were the case, sex would solve everything.

Finally, below is the movie trailer and some of my favorite minimal art posters of Her. As you know, I am obsessed with minimal film art and I am hoping to have an entire gallery wall in our house one day of the ShuGar’s favorite films. Happy weekend, sweet loves!