There's a constant stream of animated films these days, but mostly they're either glossy Hollywood product (Pixar/Dreamworks), or Japanese anime. For adults wanting something different we have to wait for the likes of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Waltz With Bashir, Persepolis, or Aardman's films to turn up. Mary & Max is one of these films that comes as a complete departure from all the others, both in visual and storytelling style, and sticks in the mind because of it. I won't repeat the plot here, so I'll just mention a few pros and cons. The cons are obvious. Some people will be put off by the almost constant narration (which took me a while to get used to), the rather numerous calamities (a lot more than you'd expect if you thought this was just a kids film), and the sadness within some of these people's stories. It's actually a little surprising that the film got made without the people financing it demanding a script that was more tailored to appeal to a wider audience. What we get is something that feels a whole lot more personal than the higher profile animated films. It feels personal, and therefore real, and the explanation is that it was written from life by a director who has a real feeling and sympathy for people who don't quite fit into the world, and feel alienated or are misunderstood by others. Mary was partly inspired by the director's own childhood (and there's a little bit of Toni Collette's Muriel Heslop thrown in I suspect), and Max is also based on a real person he's been pen friends with (but so far has never met in person). The way the film handles his Asperger's Syndrome just feels different to how you'd normally see such an issue handled on screen. There's a constant stream of humour (ironic, black, childish), and I really enjoyed the small perfect touches on growing up in an Australian suburb in the 70's and 80's, and the depiction of grey New York, as it appears to the easily frightened Max. The animation is constantly a joy to watch, and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen where it can be properly appreciated in all it's hand-made glory.
266 Reviews
Masterpiece!
jon-larsen31 October 2010
To say it short, this movie is about a friendless 8 year old girl in Australia who befriends an obese 44 year old male in New York by writing mails to each other.
I'm not a big animation fan, so I wasn't looking forward to see this movie. I am currently working on the IMDb Top 250 list and Mary and Max just entered the IMDb top 250, so I took a look at it.
I watched it with a small screen on my computer while chatting with someone on Facebook. But then I logged out because I got hooked by the fantastic but sad narration mixed with humor by Barry Humphries, so I watched it with a big screen. Thank God that I did that, because this is an unforgettable and heartbreaking cinematic experience! It got fantastic narration and dialogue that will make you laugh and cry!
PS.There are many scenes that will choke you up, so bring some tissues.
PSS.Don't watch this movie with your kids!
I hope this review was useful!
I'm not a big animation fan, so I wasn't looking forward to see this movie. I am currently working on the IMDb Top 250 list and Mary and Max just entered the IMDb top 250, so I took a look at it.
I watched it with a small screen on my computer while chatting with someone on Facebook. But then I logged out because I got hooked by the fantastic but sad narration mixed with humor by Barry Humphries, so I watched it with a big screen. Thank God that I did that, because this is an unforgettable and heartbreaking cinematic experience! It got fantastic narration and dialogue that will make you laugh and cry!
PS.There are many scenes that will choke you up, so bring some tissues.
PSS.Don't watch this movie with your kids!
I hope this review was useful!
Witty, well observed and wondrous
asphodelfilms16 February 2009
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.
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.
So excellent, that I couldn't recommend it more!
ori_6421 August 2009
It's hard to describe just how excellent this film is. The story is great, both very funny and touching. The art-design and animation are a delight, thoughtful, very rich in details, and very consistent in style. The music is great. The storyline and direction... I can't find a bad word to say, except that the story drags a little half- way through, but then picks itself up again toward the end. Truly, a must-see. If you like adult animation, this is definitely for you. I agree with those comparing it to Aardman films, Waltz with Bashir and Persepolis, but this movie's animation is so professional, that only Aardman truly compares.
lovely oddball and admirably complex
manicman8422 March 2010
Coming from Australia, Mary and Max is one of these few films you'll remember all your life. This amazing claymation touches upon an unlikely friendship between two pen pals: a young girl living in Australia and an aging Jew from New York. It's unbelievable what a precisely structured narrative this is. Director-writer Adam Elliot blends odd scatological, yet clever humour with poignant dramatizations to a splendid effect creating one of the best tragicomedies of the past few years. The fact that it's in the form of claymation only helps to enhance uniqueness of the whole experience. The movie was 5 years in the making and this is visible in its every frame. Elliot masterly captures the motion in an endlessly creative manner. Most importantly though, his lovably oddball characters are well developed and admirably complex with all their awkward traits and quirks. Due to its serious themes and dark tone, Mary and Max is an adult movie aiming much higher than its big studio counterparts. It happens to be more contemplative, and intelligent mimicking the real life with all its ups and downs. Calling Elliot's movie an extraordinary piece of art is certainly not an overstatement.
Refreshing and engaging given the home-grown talent involved.
Likes_Ninjas9010 April 2009
In Australia in 1976, a young girl named Mary (voiced by Bethany Whitmore) is a lonely child looking for a friend. She lives with both her parents but her mother is a chain smoking drunk and a thief and her father, who works in a factory putting the strings on teabags, would rather spend time with his collection of dead birds. Mary remains curious about life and finds the address of an American living in New York. She writes him a letter to become his pen pal. The recipient is Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a severely overweight Jewish hypochondriac and full-time no-hoper. Gradually, as they send each other letters, Mary and Max's relationship develops and we begin to learn more about their past and their heartache and insecurities of being alone.
Following the short animated film, Harvey Krumpet, director Adam Elliot has constructed his first full feature claymation picture, displaying as much skill as many of the major mainstream studios. The film has been immaculately designed, with many tiny details and features placed into the sets, all of which would have taken many countless hours to mould. The lighting and colour scheme too are significant to the unique look of the film, ranging from highly saturated to almost entirely black and white, to reflect the self-depreciative and sometimes gloomy tone of the narrative. It is a film made of great patience and craftsmanship.
Yet the strongest asset of the film is the humour of the screenplay. Whereas many mainstream animated films such as Shrek and The Incredibles adopt a great deal of hilarity from their pop culture references, Elliot has an eye for the simpler things in life. From the way Mary and Max share their eating habits of chocolate hot dogs, to how Max describes his past jobs, including a street cleaner and a member of the Communist Party, the humour of the film remains truly original, bizarre and often very witty. Elliot excels in his ability write about the most normal things and then turn them on their heads, or degrade his miserable characters in the most hilarious way. Yet there are moments of poignancy too, such as where Mary describes her difficulty at school as she is teased for the birthmark on her forehead, that provide the film's screenplay with a subtext - no matter how simple – about isolation and the need for friends.
The use of Barry Humphries' voice over to convey much of the story is initially highly annoying and intrusive. In the opening scenes it feels overly used and distracting from the story and the detail of the scenes. Gradually though, as the film moves from its opening exposition, the voice over is used slightly less and its scarcity achieves the storybook quality and poetry that it deserves. Barry Humphries reads his lines beautifully. The rest of the voice actors too are splendid. Philip Seymour Hoffman is again in fine form, adding a slight accent to his voice and the decision to model his voice with a character of a similar physique fits nicely. He is quickly become one of the most diverse actors in the world. Bethany Whitmore as the young Mary is equally impressive too and her voice has a real innocence about it. Toni Collette and Eric Bana also have much smaller roles too. It is a well thought out voice cast and while some of the minor characters verge on grotesque, there is still a real sweetness about this film that carries it.
Elliot has described his film as being suitable for everyone. This is rather optimistic. I don't know how particularly young children, who have been conditioned by the more mainstream animated titles, would appreciate the film. It is extremely funny for the most part, but there is also a real sense of gloom around these characters that might not be as appealing to children. And towards the end, the film, despite being well under two hours, begins to lose a bit of momentum as the characters wave in and out of their depleted lives. Perhaps the films message of learning to live with your flaws and accepting the path life has given you is something that children, even if they don't entirely understand now though, needs to be seen anyway. Regardless, it remains a mostly sharp and funny film that many will find refreshing and engaging given the home-grown talent involved.
Following the short animated film, Harvey Krumpet, director Adam Elliot has constructed his first full feature claymation picture, displaying as much skill as many of the major mainstream studios. The film has been immaculately designed, with many tiny details and features placed into the sets, all of which would have taken many countless hours to mould. The lighting and colour scheme too are significant to the unique look of the film, ranging from highly saturated to almost entirely black and white, to reflect the self-depreciative and sometimes gloomy tone of the narrative. It is a film made of great patience and craftsmanship.
Yet the strongest asset of the film is the humour of the screenplay. Whereas many mainstream animated films such as Shrek and The Incredibles adopt a great deal of hilarity from their pop culture references, Elliot has an eye for the simpler things in life. From the way Mary and Max share their eating habits of chocolate hot dogs, to how Max describes his past jobs, including a street cleaner and a member of the Communist Party, the humour of the film remains truly original, bizarre and often very witty. Elliot excels in his ability write about the most normal things and then turn them on their heads, or degrade his miserable characters in the most hilarious way. Yet there are moments of poignancy too, such as where Mary describes her difficulty at school as she is teased for the birthmark on her forehead, that provide the film's screenplay with a subtext - no matter how simple – about isolation and the need for friends.
The use of Barry Humphries' voice over to convey much of the story is initially highly annoying and intrusive. In the opening scenes it feels overly used and distracting from the story and the detail of the scenes. Gradually though, as the film moves from its opening exposition, the voice over is used slightly less and its scarcity achieves the storybook quality and poetry that it deserves. Barry Humphries reads his lines beautifully. The rest of the voice actors too are splendid. Philip Seymour Hoffman is again in fine form, adding a slight accent to his voice and the decision to model his voice with a character of a similar physique fits nicely. He is quickly become one of the most diverse actors in the world. Bethany Whitmore as the young Mary is equally impressive too and her voice has a real innocence about it. Toni Collette and Eric Bana also have much smaller roles too. It is a well thought out voice cast and while some of the minor characters verge on grotesque, there is still a real sweetness about this film that carries it.
Elliot has described his film as being suitable for everyone. This is rather optimistic. I don't know how particularly young children, who have been conditioned by the more mainstream animated titles, would appreciate the film. It is extremely funny for the most part, but there is also a real sense of gloom around these characters that might not be as appealing to children. And towards the end, the film, despite being well under two hours, begins to lose a bit of momentum as the characters wave in and out of their depleted lives. Perhaps the films message of learning to live with your flaws and accepting the path life has given you is something that children, even if they don't entirely understand now though, needs to be seen anyway. Regardless, it remains a mostly sharp and funny film that many will find refreshing and engaging given the home-grown talent involved.
Unforgettable and Heartbreaking Bleak Tale of Friendship and Loneliness
claudio_carvalho3 September 2010
In 1976, in Australia, the misfit and outcast eight-year old girl Mary Daisy Dinkle lives in Mount Waverley with her alcoholic shoplifter mother Vera Lorraine Dinkle that is addicted in Sherry and her absent father Noel Norman Dinkle that works in the Earl Grey Factory attaching strings in the teabag and spends his leisure time in his hobby - taxidermy. Mary has absolutely no friends and is teased by her schoolmate Benny Clifford. She has a complex because of her brown birthmark in the forehead and she adores her favorite cartoon The Noblets that she watches with her rooster Ethel and condensed milk. Meanwhile, in New York, the lonely forty-four year-old Max Jerry Horowitz has Asperge Syndrome and trouble to sleep and is obese since he eats chocolate hot-dogs to compensate his anxiety. He frequently goes to the Overeaters Anonymous Meeting. Max does not have any friend, only the invisible Mr. Ravioli, and also loves The Noblets. His life goals are to have a friend, Noblets and chocolate. One day, Mary picks Max address out of an American phone-book and she decides to write to him to ask from where babies come in America. Along their lives, they become pen pals and their unusual friendship oscillates due to the anxiety attacks of the unstable Max.
"Mary and Max" is an unforgettable and heartbreaking bleak tale of friendship and loneliness. The story is bittersweet and witty, with an ironic black humor and provokes the most conflictive emotions in the viewers, funny in a moment, and depressive in the other. The excellent animation follows the dark style of Tim Burton and the screenplay is a profound insight in human behavior. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Mary and Max – Uma Amizade Diferente" ("Mary and Max – A Different Friendship")
"Mary and Max" is an unforgettable and heartbreaking bleak tale of friendship and loneliness. The story is bittersweet and witty, with an ironic black humor and provokes the most conflictive emotions in the viewers, funny in a moment, and depressive in the other. The excellent animation follows the dark style of Tim Burton and the screenplay is a profound insight in human behavior. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Mary and Max – Uma Amizade Diferente" ("Mary and Max – A Different Friendship")
Solitude, Isolation & Loneliness...
Xstal25 October 2020
Masterfully directed, edited and animated to pique your interest from the off, it has you falling into the worlds of Mary and Max and sharing their challenging journeys through life, as well as their genuine, realistic and engaging correspondence and gifts to each other. Stuffed full of sad and sorrowful events, the solitude and isolation felt by both characters is palpable all the way through. Not really a film to make you smile but one that will make you think and that, after all, is what the best of storytelling is really all about.
G r e a t.
hyder_sagg200321 January 2010
Just finished watching this, And Loved it. Previously Wall-e was the only animation that I rated 10/10. And this is the second one.
If You have not seen this You have no idea about how good it is.Its very well written (A True Story) , well Directed, narrated and equally good Animation in all respects. You don't Find Much stuff like this.
Its would get a rating of Pg-13 because of sex related material but I think every Children of 10+ should see this because the sex related material is kept very implicit.
I hope It will get Nominated for best Animation for year 2011, Best screenplay and best picture as well.
I have much more to say but since I have to review lot more movies I will just tell ya: I just Love It.
9.5/10. (Better than all animations of 2009) Can't wait to see it in top 250.
If You have not seen this You have no idea about how good it is.Its very well written (A True Story) , well Directed, narrated and equally good Animation in all respects. You don't Find Much stuff like this.
Its would get a rating of Pg-13 because of sex related material but I think every Children of 10+ should see this because the sex related material is kept very implicit.
I hope It will get Nominated for best Animation for year 2011, Best screenplay and best picture as well.
I have much more to say but since I have to review lot more movies I will just tell ya: I just Love It.
9.5/10. (Better than all animations of 2009) Can't wait to see it in top 250.
Depression, Suicide, Drugs, Sex, Death
Marjeez23 July 2010
Mary and Max is a well-crafted film for adults; it deals with depression, suicide, drugs, sex, and death. The plot is basic but the film is anything but. Mary lives in Australia and Max lives in New York. Both have lonely, depressing lives, until one day they become pen pals and their lives change for better/worse. I am excessively surprised how polished this low-budget film is. The attention to detail is unparalleled, and it might be one of the most unique animated film ever created, not based on the plot, but what occurs throughout the film and the themes you'll see. You will be wowed by their relationship and dialog and may even be able to relate to them. My only complaint is that I did not feel the emotion that many others felt. The creators did a poor job of portraying the sad occurrences in the film through screen; no need for tissues. Stop-motion movies are a rare form of cinema, and it is movies like Mary and Max that prove that stop-motion is one of the premier ways to tell a story.
chocolate hotdogs....
FlashCallahan13 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A homely, friendless Australian girl picks a name out of a phone book and writes to him, and sends a chocolate bar.
She's Mary, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distracted father. He's Max, living alone in New York, overweight, subject to anxiety attacks.
He writes back, with chocolate. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence, interrupted by a stay in an asylum and a few misunderstandings.
Mary falls in love, saves money to have a birthmark removed and deals with loss.
Max has a friendship, and tries to control his weight....
This is an oddity of a film. At first glance, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it. The animation is thoroughly depressive throughout, and Humphries narration grates a little.
But as the film progresses, you find yourself falling in love with the titular characters, and really hope that they meet come the end.
You feel Marys desperation when she upsets the Aspergers suffering Max, and hop all seems lost, when he sends her the typewriter letter.
Believe me, come the end of the film, you will be crying like a baby, because its probably the saddest ending to a film I have seen in a very long time.
So all in all, it's a wonderfully written film, which starts off a little slow, but all of a sudden, you really get lost into the two characters.
She's Mary, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distracted father. He's Max, living alone in New York, overweight, subject to anxiety attacks.
He writes back, with chocolate. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence, interrupted by a stay in an asylum and a few misunderstandings.
Mary falls in love, saves money to have a birthmark removed and deals with loss.
Max has a friendship, and tries to control his weight....
This is an oddity of a film. At first glance, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it. The animation is thoroughly depressive throughout, and Humphries narration grates a little.
But as the film progresses, you find yourself falling in love with the titular characters, and really hope that they meet come the end.
You feel Marys desperation when she upsets the Aspergers suffering Max, and hop all seems lost, when he sends her the typewriter letter.
Believe me, come the end of the film, you will be crying like a baby, because its probably the saddest ending to a film I have seen in a very long time.
So all in all, it's a wonderfully written film, which starts off a little slow, but all of a sudden, you really get lost into the two characters.
Great Movie
d-b_tas-126 May 2009
I thought this movie was very well made. I can relate to Max's character, as i work with people who have Asperges Syndrome. The creator showed the audience what it is really like, in society, to have a mental disability of this kind. The use of gray colour with a splash of red when showing the scenes with Max, was very effective, and give the audience the sense of what Max was feeling. I saw this movie with work colleagues who also work with children with this disorder, and we were all curious to see how this disorder would be shown. We were all very pleased.
This movie shows the audience what people with asperges syndrome go through in day to day life, and how they don't understand things that most people would. As well as how they do/do not cope with some issues.
This movie is not for children. It is quite sad, but with some really funny parts. and for those who live in Melbourne, especially, you will understand some of the references.
I give this movie 10/10.
After 5 years in the making it is definitely worth watching
This movie shows the audience what people with asperges syndrome go through in day to day life, and how they don't understand things that most people would. As well as how they do/do not cope with some issues.
This movie is not for children. It is quite sad, but with some really funny parts. and for those who live in Melbourne, especially, you will understand some of the references.
I give this movie 10/10.
After 5 years in the making it is definitely worth watching
Strangely Enjoyable
TheBlueReptile6 June 2012
I wasn't even sure I wanted to watch this film when it came on at 11:20 pm. I was tired and a little let down after having just finished watching Clear and Present Danger (had heard great things about it). But I decided to watch the first 5 minutes or so as the listing description claimed it to be an "Adult Claymation". I was intrigued as I do have quite an interest in claymation myself. The minutes rolled on by and soon half an hour had been and gone already.
Within that half hour I had felt happy, sad, sympathetic, uncomfortable, frustrated, confused the list goes on. This film has a marvellous ability to switch between moods in the blink of an eye in a way that doesn't seem obnoxious or intrusive. The subject matter made me squirm a little at first, however that is quickly accounted for and you are eventually put at ease. All I can say is give this film a chance. It drags on a little in places, well, it drags on throughout the entire film really. There is no action, only one particularly intense scene I can recall and due to the story there is very little character to character to dialogue. Yet somehow it is so gloriously intriguing you can get past that.
It's a bitter-sweet film that may leave some with a bit of a bad taste in their mouth having finished watching it. But to those willing to put a little effort in I can guarantee an enjoyable and incredibly deep watch.
It get's a 7 from me. Whilst there were no major issues there was also nothing that really stood out about this film other than the story. Animation was somewhat lacklustre even despite the gloomy setting of the plot, acting was a little frayed round the edges at times and I did find myself rolling my eyes to a few parts that were seemingly supposed to be emotional. However, it's a good all-rounder on all fronts bar the outstanding writing. If you are going to give this a go, make sure to have some tissues handy. You have been warned
Within that half hour I had felt happy, sad, sympathetic, uncomfortable, frustrated, confused the list goes on. This film has a marvellous ability to switch between moods in the blink of an eye in a way that doesn't seem obnoxious or intrusive. The subject matter made me squirm a little at first, however that is quickly accounted for and you are eventually put at ease. All I can say is give this film a chance. It drags on a little in places, well, it drags on throughout the entire film really. There is no action, only one particularly intense scene I can recall and due to the story there is very little character to character to dialogue. Yet somehow it is so gloriously intriguing you can get past that.
It's a bitter-sweet film that may leave some with a bit of a bad taste in their mouth having finished watching it. But to those willing to put a little effort in I can guarantee an enjoyable and incredibly deep watch.
It get's a 7 from me. Whilst there were no major issues there was also nothing that really stood out about this film other than the story. Animation was somewhat lacklustre even despite the gloomy setting of the plot, acting was a little frayed round the edges at times and I did find myself rolling my eyes to a few parts that were seemingly supposed to be emotional. However, it's a good all-rounder on all fronts bar the outstanding writing. If you are going to give this a go, make sure to have some tissues handy. You have been warned
The most depressing waste of time ever!
haematophiliac5 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Generally, should you ask anyone on the street what they think when you say "animation" the overall answer would be something along the lines of funny, cheerful, entertaining, even the synopsis suggests a sweet story about two pen pals.
However, the choice of genre for this film was completely off the mark, live acting would have suited this script far better.
This film is not only a bleak view into the lives of two very sad, very pathetic people, but also a disturbingly depressing story about how said two pathetic people never attain any tangible form of progression in their lives. What kind of message is there to this film, accept yourself for who you are, even if it means that part of that "acceptance" means being okay with your life when the power to change your circumstances is within your grasp?
I don't see why this film has such a high rating (in the top 250 animated films on this site), there is nothing profound about the story line, you don't take any important lessons from it.
Mary and Max is just another forgettable story which had a lot of potential, but was unfortunately lost along the way.
However, the choice of genre for this film was completely off the mark, live acting would have suited this script far better.
This film is not only a bleak view into the lives of two very sad, very pathetic people, but also a disturbingly depressing story about how said two pathetic people never attain any tangible form of progression in their lives. What kind of message is there to this film, accept yourself for who you are, even if it means that part of that "acceptance" means being okay with your life when the power to change your circumstances is within your grasp?
I don't see why this film has such a high rating (in the top 250 animated films on this site), there is nothing profound about the story line, you don't take any important lessons from it.
Mary and Max is just another forgettable story which had a lot of potential, but was unfortunately lost along the way.
Make a Favour to Yourself and See This Wonderful Animated Feature!
paulo_ljcc6 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
And It happened!!! I don't know how and why, but "Mary & Max" incredibly made me cry... I loved it, to the first frame until the last one!
Well, this animated picture can not be a PIXAR production or even a American movie, but you can bet this is a stupendous Australian animated feature... I only hope that "Mary & Max" get some nominations around the world, like it happened with "Persepolis" or "Vals Im Bashir", its quite possible it reach the 2010 Oscars... And it would be such a pleasure!
The story line is superb, noble and above all it has the ability to describe many rotten realities of our society, so if you didn't see it yet, please, make a favor to yourself and spend a very well done hour lurking this two suffering, sad and nevertheless comic lifes, of an Australian girl and an American middle age man!
"Mary and Max" is not to be missed... 10 out of 10
Well, this animated picture can not be a PIXAR production or even a American movie, but you can bet this is a stupendous Australian animated feature... I only hope that "Mary & Max" get some nominations around the world, like it happened with "Persepolis" or "Vals Im Bashir", its quite possible it reach the 2010 Oscars... And it would be such a pleasure!
The story line is superb, noble and above all it has the ability to describe many rotten realities of our society, so if you didn't see it yet, please, make a favor to yourself and spend a very well done hour lurking this two suffering, sad and nevertheless comic lifes, of an Australian girl and an American middle age man!
"Mary and Max" is not to be missed... 10 out of 10
mary and max
u-3218718 June 2020
When I was young, I wanted to be anyone except myself. Dr. Bernard said: I must accept myself, my shortcomings and all. We cannot choose our shortcomings, they are also part of us, and we must adapt to them. However, we can choose our friends and I am very happy to choose you.
It's a genuine celebration of the value of difference.
jvframe23 May 2009
Oscar winning (and proudly gay) animation artist Adam Elliot's acclaimed clay-mation feature film "Mary & Max" is astoundingly rewarding wonderful entertainment on the big screen.
It's an intriguing tale, starting in the mid seventies, of the ongoing true friendship of two long distance pen-pals, younger Mary in rural Australia and older Max in the rat-race of New York City. A significant element of the story involves Max's experience of living with Asperger Syndrome, knowing painfully full well that he senses the world in a radically different way to most. I've never seen any other project deal so honestly and powerfully with that condition. It's a genuine celebration of the value of difference.
There's lots to laugh and think about - and the attention to detail is staggering. Australia's living legend Barry Humphries excels as the narrator.
I loved the soundtrack which strongly featured two of my favourite Penguin Cafe Orchestra compositions. I've ordered the soundtrack CD already.
It's an intriguing tale, starting in the mid seventies, of the ongoing true friendship of two long distance pen-pals, younger Mary in rural Australia and older Max in the rat-race of New York City. A significant element of the story involves Max's experience of living with Asperger Syndrome, knowing painfully full well that he senses the world in a radically different way to most. I've never seen any other project deal so honestly and powerfully with that condition. It's a genuine celebration of the value of difference.
There's lots to laugh and think about - and the attention to detail is staggering. Australia's living legend Barry Humphries excels as the narrator.
I loved the soundtrack which strongly featured two of my favourite Penguin Cafe Orchestra compositions. I've ordered the soundtrack CD already.
Pretty great
invisibleunicornninja28 September 2018
I hate it when people assume that animation can only be for little kids. Why should an entire medium be relegated to a demographic unlikely to fully appreciate all the work that went into the detail and animation of this stop-motion world? That's not to say that children can't watch this movie - anything "inappropriate" will likely go over their heads - but it is a bit depressing.
I don't have a lot to say about this movie that hasn't already been said. Everything from the animation to the voice acting to the story is absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend watching.
I don't have a lot to say about this movie that hasn't already been said. Everything from the animation to the voice acting to the story is absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend watching.
And you thought Dial-up was slow....
anthonyjlangford4 May 2009
A couple of claymation misfits who are worlds apart, form an unlikely dialog, in a pre-Internet age where it takes weeks to get a reply.
There is a growing trend amongst publishers and in Hollywood, where the writer is strongly urged to rather show the story rather than tell it. This is fine for certain works, especially action films, but I personally believe that the aforementioned edict is a steaming pile of moronic dribble. People are more than intelligent enough to garner rich satisfaction from being provided a story in any form as long as the story itself holds interest. Its worked fine for all the classics in literature, most of which are still being read in droves, but many believe that audiences are stupid and need to shown everything and must capture their attention in the first five seconds. Indeed, most manuscripts are rejected based upon their first page, a ridiculous scenario.
In this case, there is much in the way of telling via the voice-over of the wondrous Barry Humphries and yet the visuals provide us with an extra layer on information, working with the voice-over rather than being hindered by it. Occasionally it goes on too long, but Adam Elliot is incredibly brave in wanting to tell this story his way. Aside from stylistic similarities to his earlier shorts, he has remained true to himself. He thanks a lot of people in regards to his script; its clear he has made the effort to get it right, proving the basic notion in screen writing, is to get right on the page first folks. The script is a gem, finding the humor in a rather grim tale, without ever being patronizing to the characters or their plight. If anything, he manages to reinforce their humanity.
The choice of music is ideal, setting a tone that is complimentary and yet as though these classical pieces were designed specifically for this wide, but often claustrophobic gray universe. I hope audiences embrace it on the big screen as there is glorious detail lurking in the background, providing an extra chuckle or irony for the keen eye. If there was ever a reason to leave the home theater, this is it. Mary and Max is a brilliant, entertaining work of visual art combined with depth and grace.
There was a couple of moments when I raised eyebrows at certain things that didn't fit correctly for the late seventies, such as the mention of Stephen Hawking as well as cigarette patches (which debuted in the early 90's) but otherwise this laugh out loud, tear to the eye unique celluloid experience is one of the standouts of the year.
There is a growing trend amongst publishers and in Hollywood, where the writer is strongly urged to rather show the story rather than tell it. This is fine for certain works, especially action films, but I personally believe that the aforementioned edict is a steaming pile of moronic dribble. People are more than intelligent enough to garner rich satisfaction from being provided a story in any form as long as the story itself holds interest. Its worked fine for all the classics in literature, most of which are still being read in droves, but many believe that audiences are stupid and need to shown everything and must capture their attention in the first five seconds. Indeed, most manuscripts are rejected based upon their first page, a ridiculous scenario.
In this case, there is much in the way of telling via the voice-over of the wondrous Barry Humphries and yet the visuals provide us with an extra layer on information, working with the voice-over rather than being hindered by it. Occasionally it goes on too long, but Adam Elliot is incredibly brave in wanting to tell this story his way. Aside from stylistic similarities to his earlier shorts, he has remained true to himself. He thanks a lot of people in regards to his script; its clear he has made the effort to get it right, proving the basic notion in screen writing, is to get right on the page first folks. The script is a gem, finding the humor in a rather grim tale, without ever being patronizing to the characters or their plight. If anything, he manages to reinforce their humanity.
The choice of music is ideal, setting a tone that is complimentary and yet as though these classical pieces were designed specifically for this wide, but often claustrophobic gray universe. I hope audiences embrace it on the big screen as there is glorious detail lurking in the background, providing an extra chuckle or irony for the keen eye. If there was ever a reason to leave the home theater, this is it. Mary and Max is a brilliant, entertaining work of visual art combined with depth and grace.
There was a couple of moments when I raised eyebrows at certain things that didn't fit correctly for the late seventies, such as the mention of Stephen Hawking as well as cigarette patches (which debuted in the early 90's) but otherwise this laugh out loud, tear to the eye unique celluloid experience is one of the standouts of the year.
After seeing his previous films, I just had to watch this one...
planktonrules1 January 2011
Having already watched several of Adam Elliot's other films ("Harvey Krumpet", "Brother", "Cousin" and "Uncle"), I felt a strong compulsion to watch "Mary and Max". After all, these other films were wonderful and very original and you find yourself hooked when you watch them--though you probably won't know why. Now, with Elliot's latest film, I have a chance to finally watch a feature-length version of his wonderful and very strange work.
The film begins in Australia and concerns a very lonely girl named Mary. Her parents are completely inept at parenting and mostly she entertains herself. One day, on a lark, she rips a name out of an American phone book and writes to a "M. Horowitz"--telling him about herself as well as asking him where babies come from in America. As Max Horowitz is a socially inept odd-ball, his response to her strange letter is amusing to say the least. And, through their ensuing letters to each other they become friends--an 8 year-old girl and a 40+ year-old man and the film consists of showing each writing and narrating their letters.
Where this bizarre business goes, you'll just need to see for yourself. However, without spoiling the film, I can safely say that I never, ever could predict where the film would go next!! Like all of Adam Elliot films, the film is just plain odd--with a delightful strangeness you can't help but like. And, even more than his shorter films, you can't believe how much time and effort he took to make this movie. It's amazing....really. And, fortunately, his work is totally unique and inventive. Aside from his previous shorts, I've never seen anything like it--and I am pretty sure you'll feel the same way if you try this delightfully strange film. Just don't try to understand or make sense of it...it might just make your brain explode. Oh, and do NOT watch it if you are feeling depressed. Although it's got lots of funny moments, the film is VERY, VERY dark--so much so that you should think twice before watching it. And, although the film looks like a kids movie, I would probably think twice before showing it to young kids.
The film begins in Australia and concerns a very lonely girl named Mary. Her parents are completely inept at parenting and mostly she entertains herself. One day, on a lark, she rips a name out of an American phone book and writes to a "M. Horowitz"--telling him about herself as well as asking him where babies come from in America. As Max Horowitz is a socially inept odd-ball, his response to her strange letter is amusing to say the least. And, through their ensuing letters to each other they become friends--an 8 year-old girl and a 40+ year-old man and the film consists of showing each writing and narrating their letters.
Where this bizarre business goes, you'll just need to see for yourself. However, without spoiling the film, I can safely say that I never, ever could predict where the film would go next!! Like all of Adam Elliot films, the film is just plain odd--with a delightful strangeness you can't help but like. And, even more than his shorter films, you can't believe how much time and effort he took to make this movie. It's amazing....really. And, fortunately, his work is totally unique and inventive. Aside from his previous shorts, I've never seen anything like it--and I am pretty sure you'll feel the same way if you try this delightfully strange film. Just don't try to understand or make sense of it...it might just make your brain explode. Oh, and do NOT watch it if you are feeling depressed. Although it's got lots of funny moments, the film is VERY, VERY dark--so much so that you should think twice before watching it. And, although the film looks like a kids movie, I would probably think twice before showing it to young kids.
Escapes its Poo-Faced Limits
tedg15 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Gosh, another Australian project that knows what it is and successfully escapes itself.
The story is about a girl with structural limits: appearance, family, attitude.
The media is stop motion, which brings its own structural limits. These are severe limits, because they straddle what we know as real and what we accept as fantasy. How to work with this? The choices a filmmaker makes in this medium are fascinating.
Jan Svankmajer presents the result as moving museum art, dynamic dioramas. He can be too precious in that Eastern European way that produces needlework that frightens.
Tim Burton, and Henry Selick ("Coraline," "James and the Giant Peach") pretend we are looking at illustrated books the way a child would.
Nick Park treats the medium the way Walt Disney would, as a simple extrapolation from Donald Duck via way of Pixar.
These guys decide not to tackle the simple fact that it is near impossible to elicit real emotion via this form.
Only the Quay Brothers and Christiane Cegavske ("Blood Tea and Red String") make the commitment to create worlds by allowing the characters to inhabit them in a way that inhabitants are worldcreators. They affect a bizarre Victorian metaphors but this is because Lewis Carroll is the genius of this technique and not because the era has any intrinsic advantage. There are powerful and worldchanging moments in these works. But the viewer is asked to make a commitment that few will.
All lucid stop-motion filmmakers face this set of decisions about how to overcome the limits of the medium. If you are writing a story while struggling with this, what is foremost in your mind? Especially if you are Australian, is a society that for some reason is introspective in art? You will produce a "folded" story: one where the subject of the story reflects the form of the story.
We have a girl in Australia who is obsessed with a successful TeeVee show, also stop motion. It is her fantasy world, the movie within the movie. She faces many challenges in simply surviving. She has a pen pal, and successfully writes her way out her limits, first by writing a book about her viewer's physiological limits. (More about this in a minute.) And then by getting a genuine expression of emotion from him in the form of a complete set of figures from the inner film. She triumphs, has child (all this is pretty overt folding) and finally visits the world of her pen pal to discover that she not only affected him, but was effectively his whole emotional life. The medium is mastered.
The two actors chosen are among our very few who understand folded characterization.
This half of the project is fascinating in the normal way that these nested, introspective things are, and is worthwhile. But it is the other half that is amazing.
Mary is our filmmaker, and Max our viewer. Us.
Half of the problem a filmmaker faces is the limits of her medium, and the other half the limits of the viewer. Most of us are emotional cripples, not inclined to work with an artist in a contract of world-building. We are afraid. Max is a citizen of the most urban and sophisticated city on the planet (in contrast to Mary's remote outpost). But he has Asberger Syndrome and is incapable of reading and processing emotion.
This characterizes us viewers pretty well; our movie experiences are often exercises in avoiding truth. I found it rare and thrilling to see it explicit in this nested work, which is superficially sweet but essentially damning.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
The story is about a girl with structural limits: appearance, family, attitude.
The media is stop motion, which brings its own structural limits. These are severe limits, because they straddle what we know as real and what we accept as fantasy. How to work with this? The choices a filmmaker makes in this medium are fascinating.
Jan Svankmajer presents the result as moving museum art, dynamic dioramas. He can be too precious in that Eastern European way that produces needlework that frightens.
Tim Burton, and Henry Selick ("Coraline," "James and the Giant Peach") pretend we are looking at illustrated books the way a child would.
Nick Park treats the medium the way Walt Disney would, as a simple extrapolation from Donald Duck via way of Pixar.
These guys decide not to tackle the simple fact that it is near impossible to elicit real emotion via this form.
Only the Quay Brothers and Christiane Cegavske ("Blood Tea and Red String") make the commitment to create worlds by allowing the characters to inhabit them in a way that inhabitants are worldcreators. They affect a bizarre Victorian metaphors but this is because Lewis Carroll is the genius of this technique and not because the era has any intrinsic advantage. There are powerful and worldchanging moments in these works. But the viewer is asked to make a commitment that few will.
All lucid stop-motion filmmakers face this set of decisions about how to overcome the limits of the medium. If you are writing a story while struggling with this, what is foremost in your mind? Especially if you are Australian, is a society that for some reason is introspective in art? You will produce a "folded" story: one where the subject of the story reflects the form of the story.
We have a girl in Australia who is obsessed with a successful TeeVee show, also stop motion. It is her fantasy world, the movie within the movie. She faces many challenges in simply surviving. She has a pen pal, and successfully writes her way out her limits, first by writing a book about her viewer's physiological limits. (More about this in a minute.) And then by getting a genuine expression of emotion from him in the form of a complete set of figures from the inner film. She triumphs, has child (all this is pretty overt folding) and finally visits the world of her pen pal to discover that she not only affected him, but was effectively his whole emotional life. The medium is mastered.
The two actors chosen are among our very few who understand folded characterization.
This half of the project is fascinating in the normal way that these nested, introspective things are, and is worthwhile. But it is the other half that is amazing.
Mary is our filmmaker, and Max our viewer. Us.
Half of the problem a filmmaker faces is the limits of her medium, and the other half the limits of the viewer. Most of us are emotional cripples, not inclined to work with an artist in a contract of world-building. We are afraid. Max is a citizen of the most urban and sophisticated city on the planet (in contrast to Mary's remote outpost). But he has Asberger Syndrome and is incapable of reading and processing emotion.
This characterizes us viewers pretty well; our movie experiences are often exercises in avoiding truth. I found it rare and thrilling to see it explicit in this nested work, which is superficially sweet but essentially damning.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
Sloppy clash of moods, but it's genuinely touching at times and certainly worth a watch
zetes7 February 2010
An Australian stop-motion animated film about a dumpy little girl (voiced by Toni Collette) who randomly chooses a name in a New York phone book and writes him a letter. The man on the other side (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an obese, middle-aged Jew with Asperger's Syndrome. Neither of these people have friends in real life, and they soon become each other's only friends. This is a rather sad story, filmed in a very muted color scheme. The New York sequences, in particular, are almost black and white. The Australian sequences have a lot of brown in them. Writer/director Elliot (claiming he based it on a true story) injects a lot of quirky humor into the picture, almost making it seem like an Aardman product at times. The big difference between this and Aardman: the animators of Mary & Max go out of their way to make everything hideously ugly. There's a big mental disconnect between all of these elements. It wants to be depressing, it wants to be charming, it wants to be hilarious, it wants to be freakish. Fortunately, it does succeed enough of the time where it's well worth watching. At its heart, there's a very touching story. I do not think this deserves to be mentioned alongside the slew of wonderful animated films of the year, except maybe for a footnote.
Sublime film of warmth, humour and power
StrayButlerReturns4 February 2010
In this cinematic era of computer animation, the art of claymation (for which hand-moulded figurines are painstakingly photographed one frame at a time) is slowly dissolving. Aardman Studios (the guys behind Wallace and Gromit) seem to be the only ones who still possess the patience required to continue the practise into the 21st Century. It's therefore refreshing to witness the Australian film Mary and Max (the feature film debut of Adam Elliot, who won an Oscar for his short film Harvie Krumpet), which was created using this claymation method to tell a bizarre, sweet and mature story. Tremendously inventive, clever, hilarious and wise, Mary and Max is a sublime movie of warmth and compassion about life's dissonances. The animation is superb, the characters are endearing, the humour is abundant, and it honestly and thoroughly explores several topical themes. If American Beauty director Sam Mendes collaborated with Aardman Animations, the product would be something like Mary and Max.
Based partly on Elliot's own life experiences, Mary and Max is a feature about two people leading a mundane existence on the fringe of society; finding solace only in their heartfelt pen-pal letters to each other. Mary Daisy Dinkle (voiced by Bethany Whitmore and Toni Collette) is a chubby, friendless 8-year-old living in the suburbs of Melbourne with her neglectful parents. One day, Mary randomly selects a name from the Manhattan phone book and writes a letter to him. She chooses Max Horovitz (Hoffman); a severely obese 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome living in the chaos of New York City. It turns out they have a lot in common - beyond loneliness and a complete lack of friends, they share a love of chocolate and a TV show called The Noblets. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence, with their friendship surviving more than the average diet of life's ups and downs.
There's plenty of playful narration (almost constant) courtesy of Aussie legend Barry Humphries which gives the film the feel of a children's tale, but Mary and Max is not for kids. The movie doesn't shy away from covering an array of mature, confronting issues, such as depression, sexuality, suicide, obesity and mental illness. Unlike most mainstream movies in which friendship saves the day and everybody is happy, Mary and Max is unmistakably dark - both physically dark, and dark in its depiction of reality. Max is never able to lose weight, and Mary can never escape the shadow of her parents. Mary eternally resides in her brown-tinged Melbourne suburb, while Max's New York City is depicted as a grey metropolis whose only bright colours are those that come from Mary (a red pompom, for instance). The predominantly colourless and ominous cityscape of NYC is clearly symbolic of Max's melancholy, mental distress and isolation. The ending in particular underlines the film's dark disposition; showing that in real life there may be happy middles, but happy endings are almost non-existent. But despite this, Mary and Max is by no means a highly depressing venture; it's a cinematic delight, with its downbeat content matched by constant laughs, a super- abundance of heart, and several deeply moving moments. Somehow, all of this is squeezed into an 85-minute timeframe, which at times feels longer due narrative simplicity and the occasional pacing issues. This is probably to be expected, however, as Elliot has only previously worked on shorts.
Even though a mere claymation short could take up to a year to create, old-school animators such as Adam Elliot and his team display a palpable affection for this approach. Mary and Max spent a total of five years in the making, with six dedicated animation teams working under Elliot's direction in a converted factory in Melbourne, and each team creating an average of 4 seconds of footage per day. A huge kudos to Adam Elliot and his claymation team for creating such a vivid, picturesque world here, with the grim landscape evoking a film-noir feel. Every one of the characters, created from plasticine, is intricately and lovingly detailed. The detail does generate the illusion that we're watching a computer-animated movie, yet the painstaking claymation process affords a look, feel and soul that has yet to be replicated through computers. One must have patience and passion to undertake a stop-motion feature of such scale, and these are two qualities Adam Elliot infinitely exerts.
Another tremendous pleasure of Mary and Max is the voice cast; a cornucopia of vocal talent from across the globe. Without a doubt, Philip Seymour Hoffman has proved one of the most versatile actors of recent years with his exceptional vocal work (Capote, anyone?), and he's virtually unrecognisable here. This is, of course, the true essence of voice acting - a viewer should not be given the chance to focus on the actor providing the voice, but instead the character they are voicing. Meanwhile Bethany Whitmore is effortlessly endearing as the young Mary, and Toni Collette is pitch-perfect as Mary in her later years.
Through an immense artistry as well as an evident maturity emanated by the makers, Mary and Max affirmatively and genuinely answers a potent question: is there someone for everyone? In adulthood, we understand that we're born into our families but choose our friends, and the 20- year friendship between these two vastly different yet curiously similar individuals proves the theory. Adam Elliot's ambitious first feature- length claymation movie is an absolute delight, merging witty laughs with heartfelt emotion to generate this genuinely moving slice of animation. Mary and Max is, at least for this reviewer's money, the best animated motion picture of 2009 (yes, better than Up). After the terrific Harvie Krumpet and now this, it's clear Elliot is a highly talented filmmaker one should keep an eye on in future years.
Based partly on Elliot's own life experiences, Mary and Max is a feature about two people leading a mundane existence on the fringe of society; finding solace only in their heartfelt pen-pal letters to each other. Mary Daisy Dinkle (voiced by Bethany Whitmore and Toni Collette) is a chubby, friendless 8-year-old living in the suburbs of Melbourne with her neglectful parents. One day, Mary randomly selects a name from the Manhattan phone book and writes a letter to him. She chooses Max Horovitz (Hoffman); a severely obese 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome living in the chaos of New York City. It turns out they have a lot in common - beyond loneliness and a complete lack of friends, they share a love of chocolate and a TV show called The Noblets. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence, with their friendship surviving more than the average diet of life's ups and downs.
There's plenty of playful narration (almost constant) courtesy of Aussie legend Barry Humphries which gives the film the feel of a children's tale, but Mary and Max is not for kids. The movie doesn't shy away from covering an array of mature, confronting issues, such as depression, sexuality, suicide, obesity and mental illness. Unlike most mainstream movies in which friendship saves the day and everybody is happy, Mary and Max is unmistakably dark - both physically dark, and dark in its depiction of reality. Max is never able to lose weight, and Mary can never escape the shadow of her parents. Mary eternally resides in her brown-tinged Melbourne suburb, while Max's New York City is depicted as a grey metropolis whose only bright colours are those that come from Mary (a red pompom, for instance). The predominantly colourless and ominous cityscape of NYC is clearly symbolic of Max's melancholy, mental distress and isolation. The ending in particular underlines the film's dark disposition; showing that in real life there may be happy middles, but happy endings are almost non-existent. But despite this, Mary and Max is by no means a highly depressing venture; it's a cinematic delight, with its downbeat content matched by constant laughs, a super- abundance of heart, and several deeply moving moments. Somehow, all of this is squeezed into an 85-minute timeframe, which at times feels longer due narrative simplicity and the occasional pacing issues. This is probably to be expected, however, as Elliot has only previously worked on shorts.
Even though a mere claymation short could take up to a year to create, old-school animators such as Adam Elliot and his team display a palpable affection for this approach. Mary and Max spent a total of five years in the making, with six dedicated animation teams working under Elliot's direction in a converted factory in Melbourne, and each team creating an average of 4 seconds of footage per day. A huge kudos to Adam Elliot and his claymation team for creating such a vivid, picturesque world here, with the grim landscape evoking a film-noir feel. Every one of the characters, created from plasticine, is intricately and lovingly detailed. The detail does generate the illusion that we're watching a computer-animated movie, yet the painstaking claymation process affords a look, feel and soul that has yet to be replicated through computers. One must have patience and passion to undertake a stop-motion feature of such scale, and these are two qualities Adam Elliot infinitely exerts.
Another tremendous pleasure of Mary and Max is the voice cast; a cornucopia of vocal talent from across the globe. Without a doubt, Philip Seymour Hoffman has proved one of the most versatile actors of recent years with his exceptional vocal work (Capote, anyone?), and he's virtually unrecognisable here. This is, of course, the true essence of voice acting - a viewer should not be given the chance to focus on the actor providing the voice, but instead the character they are voicing. Meanwhile Bethany Whitmore is effortlessly endearing as the young Mary, and Toni Collette is pitch-perfect as Mary in her later years.
Through an immense artistry as well as an evident maturity emanated by the makers, Mary and Max affirmatively and genuinely answers a potent question: is there someone for everyone? In adulthood, we understand that we're born into our families but choose our friends, and the 20- year friendship between these two vastly different yet curiously similar individuals proves the theory. Adam Elliot's ambitious first feature- length claymation movie is an absolute delight, merging witty laughs with heartfelt emotion to generate this genuinely moving slice of animation. Mary and Max is, at least for this reviewer's money, the best animated motion picture of 2009 (yes, better than Up). After the terrific Harvie Krumpet and now this, it's clear Elliot is a highly talented filmmaker one should keep an eye on in future years.
Woah
augurar15 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie, like most things, had good and bad aspects. I will first enumerate the bad things, then the good ones.
One of the more off-putting things about this movie, for me, was its art style. People and animals are depicted in grotesquely distorted forms. I'm not sure what the purpose was for doing this. Another problem with the film was its tendency towards crude humor, lame visual gags, and slapstick comedy. As with the distorted figures, this aspect of the film did not seem to contribute positively to the work as a whole and I'm not sure why these moments of silliness were included. Perhaps the filmmakers were trying to avoid idealizing their subjects, but I think they went too far in the other direction. In general, I thought the film's explicit attempts at humor tended to misfire. For me, the humor in the film came from the characters themselves and not from things like watching goldfish be killed in a series of unlikely accidents. Another problem with the film is that its secondary characters tended to be one- dimensional, and most of them were killed off by the end of the film, either to provide "humor", advance the plot, or both. It seemed contradictory to me that the film explored the main characters' lives with such understanding and sympathy, yet treated the secondary characters as little more than moving scenery pieces.
Despite the complaints I have listed above, this film moved me deeply and I was actually in tears by the end. That's not something that happens often. So what about this film was so powerful? Its main characters. The letters the two characters write are extremely believable and yield so much information about each character. In fact, it didn't take long before I stopped thinking about Mary and Max as characters, and started thinking of them as real people. I felt that I could personally relate to both of them, and that was why the film had such a strong emotional impact on me. But the movie goes further than just creating convincing characters. Through the lives of the characters and the evolving relationship between them, the movie touches delicately on topics like loneliness, friendship, depression, disability, and what it really means to be human. (I think the film also tried to capture something of the scope of life's journey and the passage of time, but it was less successful at addressing this.)
Overall, I think the movie tried to do many things, but it really only succeeded at one thing, which was depicting the evolution of the relationship between Max and Mary. But where it succeeded, it really succeeded. 7/10 stars.
One of the more off-putting things about this movie, for me, was its art style. People and animals are depicted in grotesquely distorted forms. I'm not sure what the purpose was for doing this. Another problem with the film was its tendency towards crude humor, lame visual gags, and slapstick comedy. As with the distorted figures, this aspect of the film did not seem to contribute positively to the work as a whole and I'm not sure why these moments of silliness were included. Perhaps the filmmakers were trying to avoid idealizing their subjects, but I think they went too far in the other direction. In general, I thought the film's explicit attempts at humor tended to misfire. For me, the humor in the film came from the characters themselves and not from things like watching goldfish be killed in a series of unlikely accidents. Another problem with the film is that its secondary characters tended to be one- dimensional, and most of them were killed off by the end of the film, either to provide "humor", advance the plot, or both. It seemed contradictory to me that the film explored the main characters' lives with such understanding and sympathy, yet treated the secondary characters as little more than moving scenery pieces.
Despite the complaints I have listed above, this film moved me deeply and I was actually in tears by the end. That's not something that happens often. So what about this film was so powerful? Its main characters. The letters the two characters write are extremely believable and yield so much information about each character. In fact, it didn't take long before I stopped thinking about Mary and Max as characters, and started thinking of them as real people. I felt that I could personally relate to both of them, and that was why the film had such a strong emotional impact on me. But the movie goes further than just creating convincing characters. Through the lives of the characters and the evolving relationship between them, the movie touches delicately on topics like loneliness, friendship, depression, disability, and what it really means to be human. (I think the film also tried to capture something of the scope of life's journey and the passage of time, but it was less successful at addressing this.)
Overall, I think the movie tried to do many things, but it really only succeeded at one thing, which was depicting the evolution of the relationship between Max and Mary. But where it succeeded, it really succeeded. 7/10 stars.
Disappointing
oecobius25 June 2011
Mary & Max sets out to be a thought-provoking film that inspires with its originality, but it is ultimately an unsatisfying production. The opening scenes establish the film's nonlinearity and its willingness to be blunt and grim with its protagonists' struggles--once you notice these features, you grasp the film's entire hook. The movie constantly maintains this tone but never leads it to a payoff or a twist; I appreciate the filmmakers' decision to make something so unconventional, but the fact remains that these few original elements cannot support an entire 90-minute movie. The creative animation is definitely the best part.
The film is in large part a dark comedy, but all the comedic elements are tepidly clever at best but never truly funny. The quirky concepts have potential, but they are intended to be funny in & of themselves, never building to any new surprising result. Max's descriptions of his jobs, for instance, aren't poignant or charming, they're just "zany" with some angst thrown in. The film relies obnoxiously on scatological humor--even though this is usually deadpan, the sheer number of butt jokes gets old very fast.
Through the events in Mary's life, the movie sets up what could have been a moving message about accepting your own flaws, but the impact is spoiled when they hit you over the head with the message, via narration by both Damien and Max. Towards the end, Max's lengthy letter about being happy with yourself is so heavy-handed that it eliminates any possibility of thought-provoking subtlety. The very end of the film was also cheesily melodramatic and unsubtle. I didn't feel moved by the characters' suffering along the way, either, because we meet Mary as a lonely, bullied kid... and then the movie describes over and over how she's lonely & bullied, which has no impact on us because we understood that from early on. The same goes for Max being lonely and awkward.
There is obviously great effort behind the animation, with impressive, detailed sets, and the art style is engaging. The "Que Sera Sera" sequence in which Mary reaches the depths of depression is artistic and very nicely-done, but the film's successes in terms of visual presentation do not compensate for its story or hamfisted theme, which fall flat in the end. If you just want something out of the ordinary, you can enjoy Mary & Max, but if you expect true depth (not phony depth where the filmmakers comment "oh, loneliness sure is sad!") or richness of writing, you will come away disappointed.
The film is in large part a dark comedy, but all the comedic elements are tepidly clever at best but never truly funny. The quirky concepts have potential, but they are intended to be funny in & of themselves, never building to any new surprising result. Max's descriptions of his jobs, for instance, aren't poignant or charming, they're just "zany" with some angst thrown in. The film relies obnoxiously on scatological humor--even though this is usually deadpan, the sheer number of butt jokes gets old very fast.
Through the events in Mary's life, the movie sets up what could have been a moving message about accepting your own flaws, but the impact is spoiled when they hit you over the head with the message, via narration by both Damien and Max. Towards the end, Max's lengthy letter about being happy with yourself is so heavy-handed that it eliminates any possibility of thought-provoking subtlety. The very end of the film was also cheesily melodramatic and unsubtle. I didn't feel moved by the characters' suffering along the way, either, because we meet Mary as a lonely, bullied kid... and then the movie describes over and over how she's lonely & bullied, which has no impact on us because we understood that from early on. The same goes for Max being lonely and awkward.
There is obviously great effort behind the animation, with impressive, detailed sets, and the art style is engaging. The "Que Sera Sera" sequence in which Mary reaches the depths of depression is artistic and very nicely-done, but the film's successes in terms of visual presentation do not compensate for its story or hamfisted theme, which fall flat in the end. If you just want something out of the ordinary, you can enjoy Mary & Max, but if you expect true depth (not phony depth where the filmmakers comment "oh, loneliness sure is sad!") or richness of writing, you will come away disappointed.
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