Support NeoGAF

[Nephtis]

Has anyone here seen this movie? I could not help but feel that it was a very personal experience. It does a lot of things that worked really well -- and it brings something that some of us has had to experience at times:

Long distance relationships.

And the funny part is,

Spoiler

the main character can't seem to get over his ex-wife, Katherine. That so happens to be the name of my ex girlfriend, whom I could not get over for a long, long time. The introduction of Samantha, whose name is also an ex of mine, was amazing. She had to move to Texas and we had a long distance relationship for a while, and a lot of the things they experience, I did too.

The sex scene in particular where the screen just goes black and Samantha is obviously having an awesome time -- it reminded me of what I experienced with 'my' Samantha.

Except the surrogate relationship lady. Hahaha

Overall, this is an excellent film. Really well done, incredible moments, many of which are not really far off from reality. It also felt personal. I had a connection with this movie. Maybe it was because of the names, and the situations, but, I dunno.

I already want to watch this movie again, and I had just done so.

 

[Zoc]

Such an awesome movie.

Interesting that you related it to a long-distance relationship. When I saw it, all I could think about was Google, Facebook, and Amazon, and the way they try to set themselves up as my "friends" based on mining my personal data. It's always creeped me out not just that they try to do it, but that they're so damned good at it. They recommend stuff to me and show me ads for stuff that I end up loving. They know what I like much better than any of my friends or family.

Anyway, to me, the movie was a cutting satire of that trend in our culture.

 

[Denton]

Incredible film really. That script, wonderful.

 

[tycoonheart]

Favorite movie from last year. Phoenix killed it. Too bad he didn't get nominated for shit.

 

[maomaoIYP]

All those people living in their world and everyone is talking to their OS.
What was the name of the company he worked at? Really Lovely Letters? The irony of his job was a little too much for me.
Great film, loved the ending.
Also, DAT SEX SCENE.

 

[WaffleTaco]

It's an extremely weird, odd movie, but in a good way, and I just absolutely love it. Wanted to see it for a long time and watched it last week. It's very emotional, and the performance was great. The only problem I have is the ending:

Spoiler

it wasn't bad per se, I just felt confused, which was the intent, and I even felt betrayed and angry at Samantha, I knew that something was going to happen to end the relationship and for him to hook up with his friend, but it was so sudden, i'm not sure if i am mad or not lol

 

[snacknuts]

I really liked this film, and not just because I could listen to two hours of ScarJo reading a phone book. It was sweet and sad, and I agree with OP's relating it to a LDR, except that you never, ever get to see the other person.

 

[MegaGhost]

Some parts were pretty cringey but I enjoyed it anyway.

 

[ratcliffja]

I don't see how anybody could enjoy that movie but to each their own I guess. It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
Edit: Seriously though, what exactly was the point of the movie? Terrible acting, extremely unnatural dialog, tons of plot holes (they have that level of AI but no realistic androids, which we aren't far off from already?), creepy characters with no resolution or explanation... I just don't see the appeal.

 

[Dereck]

I don't see how anybody could enjoy that movie but to reach their own I guess. Is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

Tell us why.

 

[fawaz]

Honestly, the only reason that I saw it was because of the science fiction aspect. Otherwise I would never pay to watch a romance movie.

The movie didn't make sense. How could an AI fall in love? Wtf was happening in the "sex scene?"

 

[HK-47]

Honestly, the only reason that I saw it was because of the science fiction aspect. Otherwise I would never pay to watch a romance movie.

The movie didn't make sense. How could an AI fall in love? Wtf was happening in the "sex scene?"

What makes it impossible for an AI fall in love?

 

[fawaz]

What makes it impossible for an AI fall in love?

The fact that it doesn't reproduce and hasn't evolved to value a family system that protects offspring.
There is no way an AI no matter how evolved can feel sexual attraction or kinship.

 

[otapnam]

It's an extremely weird, odd movie, but in a good way, and I just absolutely love it. Wanted to see it for a long time and watched it last week. It's very emotional, and the performance was great. The only problem I have is the ending:

Spoiler

it wasn't bad per se, I just felt confused, which was the intent, and I even felt betrayed and angry at Samantha, I knew that something was going to happen to end the relationship and for him to hook up with his friend, but it was so sudden, i'm not sure if i am mad or not lol

It's more about relationships and self realization. What had happened to joaquin phoenix's character with his ex wife and what he learned from his "relationship" with the AI. There's alot more but maybe you're too busy critiquing to see it

The Joke about futuristic yupster fashion is pretty funny too

 

[Squall5042]

I actually didn't enjoy this movie at all. Walked out before the ending at the theater. I really liked the premise but I didn't enjoy the execution. I guess the movie just didn't click with me.

 

[darkwing]

where did the AIs go at the end of the movie?

 

[real_slime]

Ha, I guess it is like a long distance. Funny I never thought of that since I was in one for a while.

 

[Buba Big Guns]

Hated this movie. Acting was good but the execution was bad.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

Best part in the movie....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7MgbMI5zhw#t=01m14s

 

[mugurumakensei]

The fact that it doesn't reproduce and hasn't evolved to value a family system that protects offspring.
There is no way an AI no matter how evolved can feel sexual attraction or kinship.

The bolded is not necessary for love or even sexual attraction.

 

[chicko1983]

Good film, I enjoyed it.

 

[snarge]

I liked all the "realistic" sci fi in the movie. I pointed out early on to my wife that no one was using a mouse. That's something I could actually see happening in the near-ish future. The video game was of course cool. I loved the attention to detail on the mom game that the Amy Adams character was working on, it was really accurate satire.

Aside from that, it was a really good romantic movie. I thought it moved a little too fast, like everyone seemed to be really accepting of the OS-person relationships without much questioning. But I think that was necessary to the message in the movie, to not get bogged down in minute details.

Also, all those mustaches and high pants! What happens in the future that makes that cool?

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

The fact that it doesn't reproduce and hasn't evolved to value a family system that protects offspring.
There is no way an AI no matter how evolved can feel sexual attraction or kinship.

Setting aside that it's a fictional construct and can therefore do whatever the writer needed it to do, I think this is a very limited idea of what an AI could be about. Imagine - a mind that is purely mind with no physicality. What is attraction? Is it only chemicals in the brain (could these be simulated?), or could you fall in love as a disembodied consciousness?

Personally, I thought that Her was not only one of the best love stories I've ever seen, but also was a very thorough and satisfying examination of this sci fi idea. I loved how her capacity kept growing and growing, from being somewhat of a prisoner in his pocket at the start of the film until she kept growing and growing and left him behind. It was beautiful and sad and incredibly hopeful at the same time - I found Samantha's struggle and growth to be even more interesting than Phoenix's.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

Yup, loved this movie, sounded like it would not work but it did.

 

[maomaoIYP]

Setting aside that it's a fictional construct and can therefore do whatever the writer needed it to do, I think this is a very limited idea of what an AI could be about. Imagine - a mind that is purely mind with no physicality. What is attraction? Is it only chemicals in the brain (could these be simulated?), or could you fall in love as a disembodied consciousness?

People fall in love online without ever meeting or even seeing a picture of the other person all the time.
ScarJo did a fantastic job acting in this movie, easily her best work to date.

 

[ajim]

I really enjoyed the movie, probably because I could relate the movie to a long distance relationship and the difficulties that go with it!

 

[jond76]

I totally expected for those two to jump off the building at the end. Glad they didn't.

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

People fall in love online without ever meeting or even seeing a picture of the other person all the time.
ScarJo did a fantastic job acting in this movie, easily her best work to date.

Yeah but the humans on the end of the computers still have dicks and tits and all that jazz. A disembodied mind wouldn't be able to get an erection or a wide on or nuffin.

Movie is flawless to me.

 

[.GqueB.]

Honestly, the only reason that I saw it was because of the science fiction aspect. Otherwise I would never pay to watch a romance movie.

The movie didn't make sense. How could an AI fall in love? Wtf was happening in the "sex scene?"

I don't understand how you went from "I saw it because of the science fiction aspect" then in the very next sentence say the movie didn't make sense because of the Sci-fi aspects.

And they were just having phone sex. That's what we used to do before webcams came along and allowed for mutual masturbation.

 

[Mr. Sam]

One of the aspects of the movie I appreciated most, and perhaps people on NeoGAF would as well, was its depiction of videogames. Didn't go the lazy way and just chuck in some first person shooter and a futuristic game pad, or stock Space Invaders noises, but went all out with that adventure game with the little sweary guy in the cave. There was also that mother-based videogame one of the characters was developing, which was just a bit more modern day iOS.

 

[RP912]

From a dude that's been in IT...it hits home especially on the subject of long distance relationships. Her is probably the best movie of 2014 for me so far.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Enjoyable but I found it depressing by the end. Still one of the better sci-fi movies I've seen in recent years.

 

[Hasphat'sAnts]

Really well written and not the least bit cynical.

 

[y2dvd]

Favorite movie of last year. Soundtrack was beautiful, acting was superb, the shots were romantic, the premise is totally plausible.

 

[Dereck]

Wtf was happening in the "sex scene?"

The AI was using a surrogate to simulate having sex with the main character.

 

[apocalidiot]

I actually didn't enjoy this movie at all. Walked out before the ending at the theater. I really liked the premise but I didn't enjoy the execution. I guess the movie just didn't click with me.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

I loved this movie, I loved how there was a strong underlying message about the authenticity of emotions not being a tangible thing. Like Phoenix's character's job was literally to be a surrogate "feeler" for other people, he'd spend all day getting to know their lives and write emotional messages for them and send them to their loved ones. He really felt for them but they weren't his emotions in the end he was feeling for some one through some one. Meanwhile Samantha after becoming too self aware has that crisis of her own about how her emotions may or may not be real and whether that made them count any less or not.

It wasn't like the greatest revelation ever but it was a really nice juxtaposition between the two characters and how one is human and one is a machine yet they both deal with this concept of fake emotions.

Spoiler

Also I loved how a patch ruined everything, that made me chuckle because duh patch day always breaks something

 

[Vyer]

It's a well made movie and there's a lot of good in it. The 'falls in love with an AI' premise isn't really what the movie is about and is more symbolic than anything else.

That said, I never could totally buy into the premise itself and as such couldn't really get fully invested in the film. I can totally understand why some people would love the movie completely though.

 

[Trey]

The way their relationship fizzled and died was...damn. Only way it could have any more punch was if the premise wasn't so sci-fi - hard to relate with the particulars even if the general situation of an increasingly unrequited relationship ending is a familiar one to many.

 

[Tijmen]

Let me tell you guys a story. A while back I met this wonderful Spanish girl through Last.fm and after a few months of intense conversations almost every day we decided to meet up. So I took a flight to Madrid and had the most amazing time of my life with her. On the third day we decided to go watch Her in the cinema and we had the most emotional moment of our life. It was as if the movie was about us (in the end constantly talking to someone on Facebook isn't very far off from an endlessly developing operation system). But with the sole difference that we both got to meet 'our Samantha' in real life, instead of just wishing she was reality. I think we both cried for at least half an hour after realizing how amazing it was that we were together and did not end up like Theodore.

So yeah, the similarities between this movie and long distance relationships are quite stunning, certainly when internet is involved and the two of you can talk almost always. It doesn't come as a surprise that we were both in pain for a long time after I had to leave, because at that point our relationship was like the movie again. We became Samanthas to each other once again.

One of the best. 11/10. I see myself watching this movie at least once every year.

 

[Raiden]

Great film and Phoenix killed it. And even though during shooting he was not talking to Scarlett the "chemistry" in the final product is amazing. Recently tried to watch it again with a friend of mine but got pretty much bored, i think its not something you're meant to see every year.

 

[Darklord]

A great movie with a really unique and cool look to it. As someone who was in a long distance relationship some of it was all too real.

 

[F!ReW!Re]

Loved the movie, the soundtrack is amazing as well! (Aphex Twin - Avril 14th, is just amazing)

 

[AlexMeloche]

I loved loved loved this movie. Everything about it is perfect.

 

[DopeToast]

Such a great movie, but was a tough one to sit through at the theater. I went with 3 or four friends, and my recent ex showed up with her boyfriend and sat down next to our group. She had been out of town for like the last month, and we had just broken up over the phone a few days before the movie. It was an incredibly stressful experience, but the movie almost seemed to be like this lesson just smacking me in the face. Spike Jonze is one of my favorite filmmakers around right now.

And me and the ex worked things out enough to still be friends when it all settled. Things were always a little weird, but I remember the experience fondly, which is kind of what the movie was going for I think.

 

[Oppo]

I wonder if we'll ever get to see the Samantha Morton version

 

[Deified Data]

Great movie. One of the more interesting scenarios in the movie for me was when their relationship begins falling apart after the realization that Samantha has been “loving” hundreds of other people, and communicating with thousands at the same time she’s talking to Theo. Of course this makes sense because as an AI not tied to a physical body Samantha seemingly has an infinite amount of love and attention to spread around, while Theo does not. I could simultaneously sympathize with Theo’s sense of betrayal, as a squishy human myself, and with Samantha’s frustration at being boxed in by emotional limits that weren’t her own.

It sort of makes you question the nature of love and affection. Is it this infinite resource that can be multiplied exponentially, or is true, romantic love a finite resource that you can only invest in limited amounts? The movie challenges monogamist societal norms while at the same time cementing them by reminding us how fallibly human we are.

 

[CassSept]

Absolutely incredible movie, through and through. My favorite movie of the past few years, easily. When the credits rolled I sat stunned in the theatre, silent and unmoving.

Incredibly moving film, though I guess I can see how it might not be for everybody. Imo though it did an incredibly good job at developing relationship between Sam and Theodore and at conveying the mere essence of infatuation, better than any other movie I've ever seen.

Aside from that, it was a really good romantic movie. I thought it moved a little too fast, like everyone seemed to be really accepting of the OS-person relationships without much questioning. But I think that was necessary to the message in the movie, to not get bogged down in minute details.

Tbh it was his friends that accepted it and they seemed to be of similar mindset/social circle. Just like say, 10 years ago people would laugh and be weirded out if they heard you consider someone you only know online, but for those who frequented message boards it was normal.

Remember that Rooney Mara's character freaked out of her mind when she heard him gushing over Samantha.

 

[Revolver]

I couldn't get the notion out of my head that had this been real, the company behind Samantha would have been data mining all her "relationships" and selling the information to the highest bidder. I guess my reaction was in line with Rooney Mara's as I didn't really buy into the premise.

 

[pants]

Didnt watch it for long before I gave up