Her 2013
This was a movie I wanted to see and never got around to. It is kind of hard to watch as a man falls in love with an artificial intelligence operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson. There’s just an ick factor there even though it is handled well. And really, why not? All the romances in movies are artificial, just actors playing parts, and this is no different. Really not at all different since there isn’t really any artificial intelligence to speak of. The movie explores all kinds of issues regarding humanity and love and the performances are all very good, primarily Joaquin Phoenix who has to carry most scenes by himself, but also Johansson who succeeds in giving depth and emotion to a disembodied voice. The whole movie is a guy carrying on a relationship via speakerphone. There is also a good supporting cast, all set in a future where everyone wears horrible pants. Still, Phoenix’s character is a real oddball which makes the movie kind of hard to like. Amazingly, the movie was nominated for Best Movie and, not that surprisingly, won for Best Original Screenplay given the mostly groundbreaking subject matter (there have been boy meets robot movies before). This is definitely a good movie but will still make you squirm a little even while it makes you think and root for romance.
Written: 04 Feb 2017
Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital