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Mary and Max (2009)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Adam Elliot (writer)
Release Date:
9 April 2009 (Australia)
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Plot:
A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
3 wins
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NewsDesk:
(46 articles)
‘Up’ Will Beat 19 Other Films for Animation Oscar
(From newsinfilm. 12 November 2009, 10:45 PM, PST)
Breakdown: The Animated Oscar Race Begins with 20 Films
(From FilmSchoolRejects. 12 November 2009, 2:14 PM, PST)
(From newsinfilm. 12 November 2009, 10:45 PM, PST)
Breakdown: The Animated Oscar Race Begins with 20 Films
(From FilmSchoolRejects. 12 November 2009, 2:14 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Witty, well observed and wondrous
more (15 total)
Cast
(Credited cast) | Toni Collette | ... | Mary Daisy Dinkle (voice) |
 | Philip Seymour Hoffman | ... | Max Jerry Horovitz (voice) |
 | Eric Bana | ... | Damien (voice) |
 | Barry Humphries | ... | Narrator (voice) |
 | Bethany Whitmore | ... | Young Mary (voice) |
| Renée Geyer | ... | Vera (voice) |
| Ian 'Molly' Meldrum | ... | Homeless Man (voice) |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| John Flaus | ... | (voice) |
| Julie Forsyth | ... | (voice) |
| Michael Ienna | ... | Lincoln |
| Chris Massey | ... | Additional Voice |
| Shaun Patten | ... | Additional Voice |
| Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen | ... | Additional Voice |
| Leanne Smith | ... | Additional Voice |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
Australia:80 min | Germany:92 min (Berlin International Film Festival)
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Certification:
Australia:M |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) |
Australia:PG (DVD rating) |
Canada:G (Manitoba/Ontario/Quebec)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The postage stamps in the film used by Mary feature an image of Dame Edna Everage, a character played by comedian Barry Humphries, who also narrates the film.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Mary looks through the phone book in the post office, the name reads M J A Horowitz. When she writes the first letter, she writes to M J Horowitz. However, when she mails the first letter, the name on the envelope she posts is "Max Horowitz".
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| News articles | IMDb Animation section | IMDb Australia section |
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I went into this film at the Berlinale with mixed feelings. I knew that Adam Elliot's shorts were great but frankly the last few years haven't been great for Australian films and a number of short filmmakers have made disappointing first features.
But right from the opening frame, this film shattered any of my doubts. It's so refreshing to see a film told with such a strong unique vision and pulled off so effortlessly. This is made even more remarkable not only as it's made using stop motion animation but also because of the characters and subject matter it tackles.
Mary is an 8 year old outcast living in the suburbs of Melbourne. On a whim, she chooses a name at random in a phone book and sends off a letter asking about life on the other side of the world. The letter is received by Max, an overweight depressive in his 40's living in New York, suffering from Aspergers Syndrome. A friendship is born as the pair exchange letters over the next 20 years. offering each other support, advice and the chance to see life through another set of eyes.
While the world is painted in gloomy hues of brown and grey and the characters lead bleak lives, the genius of the script is that the characters never wallow or feel sorry for themselves. The tone is kept humorous and balanced allowing us to be moved by the characters as they stumble through life but also laugh at their foibles and observations of the world they struggle to fit into. Not since Muriel's Wedding has Australia produced so fine a comedy with such rich detail and I probably got even more laughs out of this.
My only criticism of the film would be some of its music particularly its use in one key scene of the Humming Chorus (already used so memorably in the finale of Heavenly Creatures). It meant that in a critical moment I was thinking of Kate Winslet up to no good instead of connecting with Mary & Max. But this is more a personal concern and if that's the weakest thing about the film, it's doing pretty well. I hope this film is seen by the wide audience it so richly deserves.