Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Directed by: Spike Jonze
Starring: Max Records

****1/2

The reality and the human nature of the wild things seems like it would have been something impossible to create. The subtle yet starch comparison between Max's relationship, experience and feelings for the wild things and those for his family is done so masterfully that you develop the appropriate feelings for every character even when they aren't involved.

Family's aren't perfect, things don't always go as planned and love is a feeling that's never easy to understand. While the ten page children's book may not have explored these themes in detail, they are what turned it into a brilliant feature film. Something as simple as getting sent to his room and imagining a world where he is king is just as powerful as the magic that ensues when Max runs just minutes from his own home to find a boat and a raging sea which he conquers before he arrives to where the wild things are.

My anticipation for the film sent me in wanting to feel like a kid again but that was far from necessary. I can't imagine it possible for one to avoid memories of building forts and having snowball fights, even the times when they had to be done alone. That loneliness that Max feels, even in the company of friends or family is the hardest emotion with which to deal and the wild things share that emotion with him. So they turn to their king... Max, to make everything right. They do this because Max promised to make things right all so they wouldn't eat him, but love him and play with him and be wild with him. Max and the wild things couldn't be any more different in one way but they deal with all the same things as he does.

There are movies based on books that need to be very specific in choosing their star. No movie wants to ruin the sanctity of iconic character with bad casting or a poor performance. Max Records has such a sympathetic look and captured the excitement over simple things that only a child that age could understand so perfectly that it seemed like he was pulled straight from the book. In contrast, his sympathetic and innocent look did on occasion make it difficult to get upset with him. Perhaps one of the few problems with this film is that he and even the wild things were all so cute and sympathetic that it was hard to take a side in an argument or be upset with a character for being arrogant or selfish. While this doesn't prevent conflicts, it does give a a sense that everything will be fine and that nothing bad will happen. At the same time, this works in the sense that we know deep down that all these characters are good. There doesn't need to be a villain to have a conflict. The conflicts in this film are internal. They only become external because the characters care about each other and bring out their inner most emotions. In doing so, we are forced to care for the characters... characters perhaps more fictional than any we've ever seen.

Something truly amazing about the film were the performances of James Gandolfini (most famous for playing mob boss Tony Saprano) who plays Carol... lovable, misunderstood and sensitive... Catherine O'Hara as Judith... lovable but kinda bitchy or "a downer", Forrest Whitaker, Paul Dano, Chris Cooper and Lauren Ambrose all made up a family of wild things so relatable that anyone could be dropped right in and feel like they belonged.

The simplicity of the film rivals that of the book. There aren't really many points for it to go wrong. There are times when the music was a bit of overkill. I didn't always need music to tell me that Max was running and jumping and having fun... I could see that happening. At times I did feel like I was being duped into feeling happy. That having been said, Where the Wild Things did make me happy and it did make me feel like a kid and even if I was occasionally duped, I did go into the film wanting that and that's what I got... so, a success.