Her (2013)

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

Director:

Spike Jonze

Writer:

Spike Jonze

Stars:

Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson

Top 250 #231 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 81 wins & 98 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joaquin Phoenix	...	Theodore
Lynn Adrianna	...	Letter Writer #1
Lisa Renee Pitts	...	Letter Writer #2
Gabe Gomez	...	Letter Writer #3
Chris Pratt	...	Paul
Artt Butler	...	Text Voice (voice)
May Lindstrom	...	Sexy Pregnant TV Star
Rooney Mara	...	Catherine
Bill Hader	...	Chat Room Friend #2 (voice)
Kristen Wiig	...	SexyKitten (voice)
Brian Johnson	...	OS1 Commercial Lead
Scarlett Johansson	...	Samantha (voice)
Amy Adams	...	Amy
Matt Letscher	...	Charles
Spike Jonze	...	Alien Child (voice) (as Adam Spiegel)

Storyline

Theodore is a lonely man in the final stages of his divorce. When he's not working as a letter writer, his down time is spent playing video games and occasionally hanging out with friends. He decides to purchase the new OS1, which is advertised as the world's first artificially intelligent operating system, "It's not just an operating system, it's a consciousness," the ad states. Theodore quickly finds himself drawn in with Samantha, the voice behind his OS1. As they start spending time together they grow closer and closer and eventually find themselves in love. Having fallen in love with his OS, Theodore finds himself dealing with feelings of both great joy and doubt. As an OS, Samantha has powerful intelligence that she uses to help Theodore in ways others hadn't, but how does she help him deal with his inner conflict of being in love with an OS?

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Plot Keywords:

future | operating system | friend | computer | letter | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 2014 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Elle

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$260,382 (USA) (20 December 2013)

Gross:

$25,556,065 (USA) (11 April 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Annapurna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the city backgrounds, especially the ones featuring skyscrapers, are actually filmed in Shanghai. You can see many very identifiable skyscrapers such as the Shanghai World Financial Center. There are even Chinese signs if you look carefully.

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Goofs

When Theodore's ex-wife signs the divorce papers, the pen she uses changes between shots.

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Quotes

Amy: We are only here briefly, and in this moment I want to allow myself joy.

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Crazy Credits

"Steve Zissis....... New Sweet Boyfriend of Mother Who Dated Pricks"

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Connections

Spoofed in The Boondocks: I Dream of Siri (2014)

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Soundtracks

Off You
Written by Kim Deal
Performed by The Breeders
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group and 4AD
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing and Beggars Group Media Limited

User Reviews

Her- Spike Jonze's Prophetic Reflection on Social Isolation and the Dependency on Evolving Technologies is as Sweet as it is Disconcerting

At the heart of every truly great science-fiction film there is an emphasis on character that aims to reflect on some element of the human condition usually intended to open our minds to thought provoking predictions or eerily warn of an impending reality. We've seen numerous examples of these contemplative films throughout the very existence of cinema stemming all the way back to Fritz Lang's haunting futuristic piece Metropolis and has inspired countless others in its thoughtful wake as seen in memorable cinematic creations such as Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, and even Duncan Jones' Moon. Never to be a director to back away from experimental presentation or psychological study, Spike Jonze's Her fully embraces this reflective science-fiction quality by peering into the deep sociable aspects of the human psyche giving us more of a prophetical reality than a fictional reflection. In his latest film Jonze creates a disconcerting yet equally endearing romance between a secluded depressive and his female operating system with an evolving consciousness, basically a HAL-9000 homage from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, that brings to light a commentary on our dependency of programmed living and our need to maintain sociability when direct communication avenues have been stricken from life's normality. Rarely do ambitious films meet idyllically with their inquisitive potential, but Jonze has fashioned a delicately profound science-fiction contemplation that is depicted through the thoughtfulness of character alone that brims with wry humor, authentic pain, and charming revelation. Through the use of beautiful cinematography, impeccable production design, and subtle yet evocative performances, Her becomes a multilayered film experience where its character study of an isolated man afraid to become vulnerable again blends harmoniously with a truly unconventional yet naturally heartfelt romance. Jonze's affinity and ambition for presenting psychological challenges, as he has done before with Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and especially in Where the Wild Things Are, finally collides with emotionally piercing conveyance within Her making it as thought provoking and as it is undeniably sweet. If the sole purpose of the science-fiction genre is to expound on societal, moral, and deeply psychological aspects of our human condition than Her fits soundly within that genre's capabilities by capturing our condition's essential need for sociability and love uncomfortably linking it with our antisocial dependency on technology.