Review of Her (2013) by Steve L — 16 Aug 2014

I catalog and star-rate every movie I see on my own private database, though I seldom actually write reviews. I finally decided to watch "Her" though I was a little ambivalent about whether I'd appreciate some seemingly silly concept of falling in love with one's computer. I thought it must be a quirky, light-hearted little sci-fi comedy poking fun at today's society, and in the back of my mind I still had a rather soured perception about Joaquin Phoenix from his rather annoying ingenuous publicity stunt from a few years back. Now after watching the film, I realize it is all that to an extent ...yet so much more as well.

It's a commentary on loneliness, the human condition, and our increasing dependence on social media and computer technology that are all dealt with honestly, realistically and non-judgmentally, yet not intentionally comically. I would say it's all really more "ironic" than "comedic". Most movies I see are ones I think I'll like so I do end up giving them 3, 3.5 or 4 stars out of 5, although there are a few disappointments. I sometimes scan over my collection of classics that I rated five stars and am reminded why. How nice it is now to, surprisingly, be so moved in ways I never expected that I can gladly give it a full 5 stars. Its relevance and emotional honesty says so much of what I've been thinking about life in today's world as compared to when I grew up. I am at once appreciative that I was and am still young enough to continue to witness all the amazing and rapidly advancing computer technology in recent years and in those sure to come, yet oh so grateful that I grew up in a time not so advanced that we unwittingly sacrificed genuine human interaction and a sense of real community for the enticing, exciting yet somewhat isolating allure of the digital age. I am again reminded to view social media and computer technology as an amazing tool to attain the kinds of real-life connections I inherently desire and not, as I see happening more and more, as a substitute for them. Unfortunately nowadays, it's far too easy to fall into that comfortable trap.