Romantic comedies are supposed to represent all the aspects of love in a light-hearted way. There's a definite story structure to every romcom you've ever seen: Boy meets girl, boy courts girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl, boy learns life lesson, boy gets girl back. Boom. Done. The end. Happy new year. They're escapes from the drudges of real life, but there are hardly any romcoms that accurately depict what it's like to be in a REAL LIFE relationship. Some kind of get there, but substitute the ultimate realism for humor and sticking to the structure. Films like Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Love Actually. These are top of the class for the romcom genre, but their ability to show real life relationships are a little bit skewed. Two films come to mind, and strangely enough they would be dubbed indie films, that have come the closest I have ever seen to being the most realistic depiction of love and what it means to go through a relationship with another person: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 500 Days of Summer. Both of these films were so well-written, so well acted, the characters had such chemistry that it felt like anyone watching it was able to put themselves in the shoes of the actors and see the same situations playing out before their own lives. Well, the indie world has done it again with Her. A movie about a weirdo and a robot voice has joined the ranks of the aforementioned romcoms as being one of the most real depiction of love ever on film.
So, after the spiel about realism, here's the plot of the film: In the distant future technology has advanced... again. Now available are artificial intelligence operating systems in order to help people keep their lives organized as well as provide company to those who are lonely. Enter Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) an awkward, semi-creepy divorcee who works at a fascinating futuristic company called beautifulhandwrittenletters.com where he writes the most amazing love letters to people pretending to be them. He surrounds himself with love everyday, though he's experiencing sorrow from his recent, and surprising divorce. This is when he meets his new operating system, Samantha (Scarlett Johannson). She's sweet, she's inquisitive, she wants to get to know everything about Theodore and he's unable to anything but fall in love with her.
Okay, wait, dude, I thought you said this was realistic?? It is. In a way. The way that Theodore's and Samantha's relationship blossoms is identical to the way any one of us connects to another human. There's the awkward meeting period, then once you become comfortable with that person there's the cheesy jokes and fake laughter and real laughter and flirting and butterflies and wanting to talk to that person 24/7. Then, there's the moment where you have sex for the first time and even though it's a little awkward (even more so if you're doing it with a computer voice) it's still an exhilarating moment. There's the honeymoon phase, the first fight, the romance, the realization the honeymoon phase is over, the misunderstandings, the jealousy, the beautiful moments, and sometimes a happily ever after, sometimes a bitter end. Even though Spike Jonze deals with love between a human and an artificially intelligent voice, there is nothing fake about Theo and Sam's relationship. It's brutal, it's honest, and anyone who's ever been in love will be able to recognize this in the film. It's sweet, it's touching, and it's very funny, but at times it can even be a bit heartbreaking.
It's wonderful to see Joaquin Phoenix in a role so tame and honest like Theodore. He has to carry the movie with his face and his voice. 95% of the film he is reacting to someone who isn't even on screen. But, for some strange reason, we care about his relationship. We long, like Theodore longs, for Samantha to become real and for them to ride off into the sunset together. On the other hand, we feel pity for Theodore as the only person he's able to make a romantic connection with is a computer, while he's missing someone right under his nose (Amy Adams). His acting is fantastic and real. Theodore is a real person with parts of himself missing or ripped away from a devastating break up. His connection with Samantha is about learning to love again and picking up the pieces and putting himself back together again.
The strangest thing about the movie though is the "acting" from Scarlett Johannson. It is her voice that steals the show. She knows just the right way to say everything, the right way to giggle, the right way to moan, the right inflection when trying to be cute or when trying to be firm. You will fall in love with her just as Theodore does. I doubt it, but this could quite possibly be the first time someone receives an Oscar nomination for an acting category while never actually being seen on screen, and it wouldn't be unjustified at all.
Her was a beautiful and funny film. One of the best of 2013 and a great movie for anyone who's ever had someone special in their lives, whether lost or kept. It transcends the romcom genre, with a little sci-fi mixed in, and it's refreshing to see how any one of us could be a Theodore falling madly in love with a Samantha. This is a highly recommended film.
A
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