Her

After Spike Jonze’s win for best screenplay in the Golden Globes, I decided to check to the movie out. Set in just a slightly more futuristic environment, Her is a pretty believable concept – with the theory of a growing codependency on technology, which some would argue pushes us further away from other humans.

Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who writes personal love letters for other people, is faced with an impending divorce from his long-time love, Catherine (Rooney Mara). To alleviate his loneliness, he purchases an operating system with artificial intelligence, who identifies as Samantha (Scarlett Johansson).

Theodore is excited by Samantha's curiosity in the world around her, her progression of emotions, and her appetite for learning. As the two engage in a relationship, Theodore’s excitement for Samantha’s desire to become more and more human begins to dwindle when she begins to surpass the human sphere.

Overall

I found the concept engaging, the characters intriguing and some of the writing spectacular, but lost interest in several scenes that dragged along, and some parts of the movie just felt like overkill. Though some parts of the movie underwhelmed me, I appreciated why Jonze wrote them in the first place. The movie was very raw and true to life: filled with a fair share of awkward, sometimes boring, and sometimes really beautiful moments.

Her shines a bright light on the things we fall in love with and whether or not those “things” are real. Jonze wrote an incredible movie, giving a very interesting, if perhaps unintended, insight to the world we live in today.

As or whether or not it struck me as a lasting love story or really freaked me out, I have to say - I thought the ending was what kept me from thinking of Her negatively. But you'll just have to watch it and decide for yourself.