It's complicated

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tom, a likeable guy who strongly believes in things like “true love” and “the one”. Summer, charmingly portrayed by Zooey Daschanel, is of course just the opposite – a bit of a free spirit, Summer believes in living life as it happens and insists that constructs such as fate and destiny are nothing more than simple fantasy.

The movie plays out in very non-chronological fashion. Beginning on day 488 it continuously jumps around until the final third of the movie when it settles down on the final days of “Summer”. The rather broken storyline does begin to grate on the viewer after awhile and probably could have benefited from a little more fluidity, but it’s difficult to hold this one small complaint against such a spectacular film.

The soundtrack does an excellent job of capturing the ups and downs of the onscreen relationship. Musicians such as Hall & Oates, The Smiths, and Regina Spektor all contribute. Even French first lady Carla Bruni makes a musical appearance. She & Him’s “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” and Spektor’s “Us” make for particularly memorable points in the movie.

Although the story lacks an antagonist for much of the film, there is no lack of clever storyline to go around as the characters attempt to sway us towards their differing points of views in regards to “true love”. In this regard, an instance where Tom’s expectations play out in contrast to cruel reality play via split screen is probably one of the best bits of cinematography seen in quite some time. Not to despair, the twisty ending will leave you with a smile even if it’s not quite the conclusion we were hoping for.

In conclusion, this anti-love story has a little something for every facebook relationship status. In fact, I’m guessing the single crowd will find the most meaning buried in between the lines. In the end, Webb’s message for the viewer in regards to true love and destiny is: “it’s complicated”.

Max & Carol share a solemn moment (again)

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Spike Jonze’s vision of Sendak’s classic children’s book is anything but childish (if you haven’t heard – consider this your warning). Instead, Jonze has chosen to spin a depressing tale detailing the woes of childhood. The only saving grace for parents of children unfortunate enough to see this film is that the dark, moody undertones will fly miles above the young ones heads.

The story begins with the fatherless Max violently acting out as he struggles to cope with his weary mother and self-absorbed sister who have little time to indulge in his imaginative play. Soon after, Max throws a gargantuan tantrum in which he bites his mother in front of her new boyfriend before fleeing into the night, finding a small boat at the new by dock, and sailing to an island inhabited by giant, “hugable” monsters.

The wild things are beautifully represented in all their shaggy glory as is their drab, brown enviroment. It’s certainly not the kind of place you’d expect to find a children’s movie, but as already addressed – this is no children’s movie. Upon meeting the creatures, Max spins a tale of his past exploits with vikings and is quickly pronounced king of the dysfunctional family of monsters after he promises them happiness and a magical shield against loneliness. Although never mentioned, the creatures themselves are subtle representations of Max’s own conflicted emotions, from Carol, the dreamer who acts out violently when his plans fail, to K W who has abandoned the tribe in favor of her imaginary friends.

As the movie progresses, things begin to slide downhill for Max and his friends as he is unable to bring the damaged family together with the exception of several brief, joyous scenes. Overall, the cute, kid friendly moments are shockingly few and gloom quickly follows in each instance. Perhaps the most poignant moment arises as Carol takes Max on a tour of the kingdom that culminates in a cave where Carol has created a scale model of a majestic land where “everything you want to happen always happens”.

As the film nears its conclusion, one of the creatures goes on a murderous rampage following yet another failure. This scenes succeeds quite magnificently in bringing things full circle but also adds immensely to the gloom and doom feeling. If you’re still following along with the psychological storyline at this point then this is will be your “ah ha!” moment. In the end, no solution is offered leaving older viewers in a funk and younger viewers – well, they fell asleep around the thirty minute mark (blessing in disguise?).

To wrap things up, Where the Wild Things Are is top-notch both visually and musically and the storyline itself is a well thought out commentary on the sometimes overlooked issues children must cope with. Unfortunately it seems to lack a target audience as children will be bored out of their minds and it’s hard to imagine many parents of small children relishing the deeply depressing psychological undertones. Unless you’re a fan of sombering, soul-searching films that don’t really apply to where you are in life, I’d reluctantly advise you spend your hard-earned cash elsewhere. Oh, and whatever you do – don’t bore your kids with this film!