Her (2013)

In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

Director:

Spike Jonze

Writer:

Spike Jonze

Stars:

Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 82 wins & 180 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?

---

Plot Keywords:

loneliness | romance with artificial intelligence | future | artificial intelligence | relationship problems | 

---

Taglines:

A Spike Jonze love story.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual content and brief graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Her

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$260,382, 22 December 2013

Gross USA:

$25,568,251

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,351,251

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

Sofia Coppola won the 2003 Best Original Screenplay Oscar for "Lost in Translation," which was loosely inspired by her relationship with her then-husband Spike Jonze (played by Giovanni Ribisi in the film). Ten years later, Jonze would win the same award for "Her;" both films star Scarlett Johansson.

---

Goofs

During the divorce-paper-signing scene, Theodore's plate has only a sandwich, and in a subsequent shot, there is more food on the plate.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Theodore: [writing letter] "To my Chris. I've been thinking how I could possibly tell you how much you mean to me. I remember when I first started to fall in love with you like it was last night. Lying naked beside you in that tiny apartment - it suddenly hit me that I was part of this whole larger thing. Just like our parents - or our parents' parents. Before that, I was just living my life like I knew everything - and suddenly this bright light hit me and woke me up. That light was you. I ...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

"Leanne Shapton...... Armpit Sex Drawing"

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Academy Award Original Screenplays (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Magnesium
Written by Sam Spiegel and Rusty Logsdon
Performed by N.A.S.A.
Courtesy of Spectrophonic Sound

User Reviews

In a word, brilliant

Science fiction has been dominated by 'space westerns' for so long that the occasional concept- based story situation hits a big number on my personal richter scale.

What does it mean to be human? And if we create near-humans what is our responsibility to them and what is their relationship to us? These themes underpinned Blade Runner and Spielberg's A.I. And Sci Fi of the 50s and 60s dealt with machine self awareness. None of the films that touched on this subject in the past presented it so thoroughly, intimately and believably.

Her is in the near future, but everything we see is within reach now: the isolation and starkness of the "business district," the oppressive scale of the architecture (with thin, clumsy attempts to soften its sterility) and the need for continuous connection to remote voices.

A personal assistant that learns independently and takes initiative for its hapless user, "Her" is at once the ideal tool and — who knows — perhaps closer to the next level of evolution.

Pitch perfect performances and direction kept me in the story. As others have said, the locations, cinematography and even music shine in the fabric of this film. Spike Jonze is a master story weaver at the top of his game. Joaquin Phoenix is utterly credible as are all the other leads. Even Scarlett Johansson, who has not always seemed a strong actress to me performs utterly convincingly.

It's an adult-themed film in more ways than one, but especially in the best way: it makes you think about a reality that's right around the corner.