|
 Phoenix's depressed writer character finds love in the film,
set in a futuristic Los Angeles, but the object of his affection
isn't a co-worker or the girl next door. It's an intuitive,
voice-controlled, computer operating system named Samantha.
"I thought it was really interesting and unique, that there was
this great emotional center you could grab onto, that it wasn't
too esoteric," Phoenix told Reuters ahead of the film's opening
in U.S. theaters on Wednesday.
"There are these great big ideas and themes to explore but it
felt totally accessible."
Phoenix, a triple Oscar nominee for his roles in "Gladiator,"
"The Master" and "Walk The Line," which also earned him a best
actor Golden Globe in 2006, plays Theodore Twombly, a writer for
BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com.
By day he dictates affectionate letters that are transcribed by
a computer into "handwritten" notes for clients to their loved
ones. In the evening he plays a large video game alone in his
high-rise, sparsely furnished apartment.
The National Board of Review named "Her" best picture of 2013,
calling it "an outstanding achievement that is sure to become a
new classic," and awarded Jonze its best director award.
Phoenix, 39, nabbed his fourth Golden Globe nomination for his
role in "Her," while the film won Globe nominations for best
picture in a comedy or musical and best screenplay.
"In a tender about-face from his fearsome performance in 'The
Master,' Phoenix here is enchantingly open, vulnerable,
sweet-natured and yearning for emotional completion," The
Hollywood Reporter said about his performance.
The New York Post praised Jonze, who wrote the screenplay and is
known for pushing cinematic boundaries since his off-the-wall
1999 film "Being John Malkovich."
"Jonze seems to be heading for a far quirkier ending than the
one he actually delivers, but he does tap into the zeitgeist
with his unlikely romantic fable," it said.
LOVE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD
Theodore is lonely, sad and in the throes of a painful divorce
from his wife, a neuroscientist played by Oscar-nominee Rooney
Mara until he falls for Samantha, voiced by actress Scarlett
Johansson.
[to top of second column] |
 "I think, honestly, it was more difficult what she
had to do in some ways," Phoenix said about Johansson.
The actress is never seen on screen and conveys Samantha's wit,
intelligence and a range of emotions through her deep, throaty
voice.
"As an actor, I think it is always nice to have access to tangible
things. I love wardrobe and I love props and I love the environment
I am going to be in, and to just be in a recording booth and to try
to generate that emotion is very difficult. She had the hardest
job," he added.
As their relationship evolves, so does Samantha. She organizes
Theodore's emails, jokes and empathizes with him, composes music,
and collates the letters he has written for his clients and submits
them to a publisher to be released as a book.
Before long Theodore is smitten with the disembodied
Samantha, whom he connects and communicates with through an
earpiece, taking her on a mountain holiday, to the beach and on a
double date with another couple.
Samantha even convinces Theodore to meet with a surrogate who can
provide the physical aspects of the relationship that she can't.
Olivia Wilde, on screen in this year's Formula One racing film
"Rush," makes an appearance as a blind date for Theodore. The film
also reunites four-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams with Phoenix. They
two worked together in "The Master."
Adams plays Theodore's best friend Amy, a woman who is going through
her own marital breakup and can sympathize with his predicament and
his dependence on technology.
"I loved the relationships Spike developed in the movie and how each
of them was so specific," said Adams. "It was a story that was so
much bigger than a love story. It was just a story about the human
experience."
(Editing by Mary Milliken and Leslie
Gevirtz)
[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
