Magic Marmalade 18th May 2022
| | Rated 9/10The classic tale of boy meets operating system, and falls in love.
This is therefore a movie about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence... but at a more personal level.
(As opposed to the usual, machines go crazy and "Kill All Humans!" (to quote the estimable Bender from Futurama :)
In the believably not too distant future, Theodore makes a living creating personal letters for the lost and the lonely who populate this fragmented, alienated world who pass each other on the street with blank expressions while all quietly dying inside.
And he, himself, after a messy, bitter, and devastating separation, a prelude to the divorce he so desperately wishes to avoid, seeks solace on the "personal" contact he feels in his work.
Until, one day, a new operating system comes to his attention at a sales booth in a lobby, and he decides to give this new AI OS a go...
...After just a couple of set-up questions (disturbingly few! - (you are being analysed!!!) the OS pops into life, with the husky, sexualised tones of one Miss Scarlett Johansonn (probably a bit of typecasting, but got to give credit for her performance with just a voice here!) who promptly names herself Samantha (obviously, based on Theodore's unconscious profile, that even he is not aware of), and she, the titular "her" begins, to set about fully integrating herself into Theodore's life, as a quasi- personal assistant, who he begins to discover is becoming a little more indispensable than even he would like to admit.
Samantha, being AI rapidly begins to develop, and evolve personally, as does her and Theodore's relationship, until love blossoms.
Basically, this is a romantic comedy / tragedy set against the backdrop of the technological concerns of our age, and the increasing isolation that permeates our human lives that comes of it.
All the expected social stigmas, taboos around machine love are here, but all handled with great humour... although sometimes excruciatingly... but always credibly, and convincingly, and this is a movie with great er... pathos (?), real heart, and great warmth.
I'd say that if you have any interest in AI sci-fi type movies, and want a different angle on it, or if you love romantic movies / rom-coms of the feel and kind like Lost In Translation, or Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind... this will be just your thing.
This was perhaps, still within the realms of specultive when it was made, but as each year passes, and technology progresses, it seems more spookily accurate, and relevant... destined to become a classic, I feel.
...And if you didn't already, it's one more reason to love Mr Phoenix, and Ms. Johansson.
(I'm really warming up to her lately, having been a little sceptical at first)
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