R,126 minutes

Starring- Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams

5/5 Stars

This is a very strange and wonderful film, that’s for sure. Her is set in the distant future when man is obsessed with all things technology based, so really present day. Theodore (Phoenix) is a lonely man who is morbidly depressed after his recent divorce and divides his time between his work as a futuristic “persona;” letter writer, playing immersive video games, and watching internet pornography. Until, Theodore meets the love of his life, who just so happens to be a computer program named Samantha (Voiced by Johansson).

This is indeed strange, but with its strangeness and unusual idea that is abundantly creative and delightful, we, the audience, fall right in line with believing this could happen. Today, we are already so involved and attached to our technology and people kill over little terabytes of information, could we not also deeply love and have a connection with those inanimate, virtually nonexistent objects as well? Strange, but not that much of a leap it seems and we embrace the notion of falling in love with a sensitive, evolving, program that is always there for you and loves you no matter what qualms you may have. Isn’t that the sole reason to actually be in love? To find someone who accepts you for you? And in Her, Theodore finds this in a computer.

The sensitive and surprisingly complex relationship between Theodore and Samantha is some of the best onscreen romantic chemistry I’ve seen in years. With incredible wit and wisdom, director Spike Jonze has created a uniquely tangible love between the two people, if you could call it that. Phoenix does a phenomenal job as he rides an emotional roller coaster throughout the film and can make you laugh one second and cry the next with such subtlety; it is sublime and deserves more recognition. And guiding Phoenix is actually Johansson who only delivers lines and is never seen, only heard, but with breathtaking sincerity and whimsical liveliness in her voice, she also deserves recognition. I feel now, in this age of technology, a new category should be created for the Academy Awards; Best Off Screen Acting which would honor voice actors such as Johansson and even Andy Serkis for his motion capture work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

In a year that is filled with morbid, yet hopeful, tales of dark, agonizing twists of fate such as 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and All is Lost, Her brings a refreshingly original and gentle, heartfelt, and uplifting choice to the menu of films. Her is beautiful.