“There is no difference from childhood and adulthood.”  – Spike Jonze

Those simple words and understanding is why Where the Wild Things Are is such a whirlwind of delicate emotions: loneliness, jealousy, happiness, fright, love, and anger.  I can happily say with relief –  this film has lived up to all of the high expectations and beyond. This is the best film I’ve seen in a long time. And it is sure to be a classic for kids as years pass by.  It strikes emotions and lingers with you in unexpected ways. Simply put, go see this film!

In 1 hour and 35 minutes, Spike Jonze has maintained the soul of the original Sendak story while expanding it to something deep and remarkable. The question lingers in how parents and their children will respond. Will parents react to the film in anger, not wanting their kids to see the realistic complexities of kids? Or will they embrace this truth and go along with the imaginative journey of our protagonist Max? Sure, there are some dark and complex moments to the film. But I believe Jonze has successfully walked that tightrope of appeasing the kids while allowing adults to reembrace their own childhood.

At what point in your life did the child in you disappear? Where you could stare at a toy or stuffed animal or even a stick and share a world of adventure all alone with it for hours. To live life as a functioning adult, we are essentially told that we have to “grow up” and shed these childlike tendencies. As Jonze was recently quoted in GQ magazine, “I didn’t set out to make a movie they could put in the children’s section [in the video store]. I set out to make a movie that was about being 9 years old.”

Spike Jonze has accomplished something amazing here. He has captured the essence and complications of being a child. Where every cause has an effect. Where the possibilities are endless, yet seemingly, limited. Where fun and laughter quickly turns to tears and anger. Where the wild things are…inside your imaginative mind.

Last night, I was lucky enough to attend an advanced screening of Where The Wild Things Are along with a Q&A w/ Jonze and Catherine Keener.  It brought me back to my college days, specifically in ’99. I had the absurd idea in my LMU Screenwriting class that I could adapt the Where The Wild Things Are story into a feature length script. I failed miserably. The biggest sticking point was finding clarity and reason within the Wild Rumpus and The Wild Things themselves.  I looked at it from adult eyes trying to look from a child’s point of view instead of becoming the child’s point of view. At the Q&A, Jonze summed up his adaptation clearly. He wanted to explore the wild emotions within a child, which were all portrayed among the various Wild Things.

Some thoughts on the film (with very minor spoilers):

The Characters:

• Max (Max Records) – 9 year-old boy with wild emotions
• Max’s Mother (Catherine Keener) – Trying to date and live life as a single mother
• Carol (James Gandolfini) – The mirror image of Max; complicated emotions get the best of him
• Douglas (Chris Cooper) – Carol’s loyal right hand man
• KW (Lauren Ambrose) – The nurturing Wild Thing
• Ira (Forest Whitaker) – A shy follower, great at digging holes
• Judith (Catherine O’Hara) – Self proclaimed “downer”, very confrontational
• Alexander (Paul Dano) – The smallest, most emotional, and most insecure of the Wild Things

Overview:

Max (Max Records) is just like every 9 year-old boy.  He is full of energy, imagination, and hunger for attention. He has struggles with the absence of his father through divorce and his older sister who is more interested in boys than her pesky little brother.  There are sweet moments throughout the first 20 minutes of the film that subtly show Max not as a bratty little kid, but just being a kid. Confused at his actions he is consequently shocked by the reactions. His alone time is filled with building forts, causing havoc with the dog, again, just being a kid.  As we know from the book, his Mom (Catherine Keener) has had enough with his outbursts and Max slinks into his imagination.

When we meet the Wild Things, we learn that they are as complex as the inner workings of a child’s mind.  And in reality, they are Max’s mind. They question everything. They yearn for emotional protection (as Carol states “protection from the sadness.”).  They want to all be together as one family, although some want to explore, be independent and learn new things.  The Wild Things seem to be in disarray and in need of a leader when Max stumbles upon them. Carol, the walking ball of conflicting emotions, desperately wishes to have this leader the most. He needs something to trust. And mainly, he just wants everyone to be happy and together again.

The theme of loneliness, leadership and family runs throughout the film. It is the most rampant in the development of the Carol character. There has been some questions about the casting of James Gandolfini in this role.  People were concerned that the voice of Tony Soprano might be a bit off putting for a children’s movie.  Simply put, he is the perfect actor for this role. Carol has such a mix and range of emotions. One moment he is sweet and thoughtful.  The next he turns dark, violent, and unpredictable. Gandolfini struck the perfect chord throughout.

Newcomer Max Records (who plays Max) does a superb job. Not only is he in every scene of the film, but he acts brilliantly alongside giant puppets. He encompasses all of the wonder and curiosity that we expect from Max “King of the Wild Things”.

The rest of the Wild Thing characters should be discovered while watching the film. There are so many subtle brilliant one liners and random characters (wait until you meet the Owls, hilarious) that it needs to be experienced spoiler free. Did I mention the Owls?

Spike Jonze:

The idea to use live action puppet suits, shot within the real elements on location, and limited use of CGI (the mouths are the main exception) made this film a sight to behold. We’ve gotten so used to dead eyed CGI characters that it’s almost a formality to overlook the lack of humanity. The Wild Things are living breathing creatures. You believe they are and can be real. Over the past few months, stunning images have been released from the film. Surprisingly, the same emotional tone of the still images has transcended into the moving picture. This tone in the film could have struck the same nerve without any dialogue at all. The visuals tell the story on their own. The stunning cinematography, particularly the Wild Things snow and night scenes were beautiful snapshots at a world beyond our own.  Not only has Spike Jonze created a masterpiece to add to his critically acclaimed shelf of past accomplishments (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, etc.), but he managed to take the Maurice Sendak artwork from the book and make them come alive in ways unimaginable.

Jonze also managed to capture small, subtle shots of Max that told a whole story with one reaction. Anyone who has kids or been around kids, specifically 9 year-old boys, knows the delicate balance of laughter and crying. Jonze captures quick stinging looks from Max as he realizes he’s done something wrong or when he realizes people aren’t there for his best interests. They are both are subtle and necessary.

Karen O:

Much has been written about Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and the playful score/soundtrack she compiled for the film. You can actually listen to it HERE. The soundtrack balances the necessary roller coaster of tones throughout the film. Sometimes the Karen O screams can be off-putting, but mostly it strikes the right chord.  “Worried Shoes” is easily my favorite.

Dave Eggers:

After reading Eggers’ great The Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and watching Away We Go, I was very curious at what direction he would take (with Jonze) on this children’s story. His manic style of writing ends up setting the perfect balance (or lack thereof)  for the complexities of The Wild Things. They talk over each other. They all have their own agenda.  They love each other, yet don’t fully trust each other. They are complicated beings that deserve to be sympathized with. Eggers has managed to balance their emotions with humor and heartfelt debate.  Now that I’ve seen both cinematic pieces of literary work from Dave Eggers, it can be assured that I will be buying a ticket opening weekend for all of his future film work.  The scripts, for lack of a better word, are staggering.

Conclusion:

Emotion, tone, balance, repeat. I know this review is full of that. But the extreme balancing act that Spike Jonze and team had to maintain is crucial to keep this thin yet complex storyline intact. They have taken a 10 sentence book which themes are still open for debate.  Those 10 sentences have been imagined, reimagined, reconfigured, stayed true, and expanded into something Maurice Sendak himself is proud of. It’s an accomplishment to create a kid’s film that does not look down upon kids. It understands kids, it empowers kids, and the film itself IS a kid.

Let me know your thoughts when you see it!

-Corey @ Film Savior

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