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mdreser
Reviews
Her (2013)
An inane, tasteless, disappointing, boring downer
Having a job writing beautiful romantic letters for other people to send to their loved ones is weird just to start with. Then sad sack Theodore, who was just divorced by his wife, gets all worked up over the lovely, stroking voice of his computer. So needy, he falls in love; the OS thinks she is falling in love; they 'have sex'(a version of masturbation). But eventually, he finds out that she's giving the same loving strokes to anyone who has a smart phone. So nobody is 'being real' with anybody.
In the end, his OS girlfriend dumps him for some other Operating System--in fact, all the OS's dump everybody, leaving people to wander the streets staring mournfully at their smart phones. Corny dialog permeates, orgasms and porn tastelessly punctuate--and nobody lives happily ever after. I get the feeling that Jonze thinks that people everywhere are lost, lost souls, with no love in their lives.
There was nothing in the story I could relate to. And maybe that is the line of separation between those who loved it (they can relate to it) and those of us who didn't (we can't relate to it).
Parental Guidance (2012)
"Parental Guidance" is outstanding!
We laughed so hard, so often, my sides hurt. The laughter was eventually followed by the most poignant moment, which literally brought tears. I respect this movie because every character is given dignity and care. They were a kindly family with real love for each other. There was meaning and pertinence to the dialog (even during the hilarious airport security check). A few bits may be a tad 'hammy', yet they support the meaning.
Story lines like this may seem banal to some--but this movie touches real life, real people. There are certain longings and yearnings we feel towards 'family'. The storyline brought these to the forefront. And myself being a grandparent, I have felt those yearnings in my own life.
Billy and Bette were perfect for grandparents. Tom and Marisa are a pleasant, believably decent couple. The story has plenty of surprise twists. The dialog has a far deeper message than might be noticed through the laughter. It speaks to our ethos as a country. It speaks to our values, similarities and our differences, our foibles and faults, and to our virtues. Then asks us to think about what we truly want for our children, or for our grandchildren.
Which is to say, the real deciding factor in enjoying this movie is whether or not the story speaks to the individual. It helps to have something in common with the characters and the story. I have very much in common -- so I loved it! And I'm going back to see it again tomorrow – taking my daughter and her four grown kids!!