Still reeling from his recent divorce, introverted Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself falling in love with his new Operating System, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson).
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Ever since his first feature film garnered him an Oscar nod, Spike Jonze has been held up as an exception to all the preconceived notions we hold regarding music video directors turned filmmakers. Since his cuts aren’t fast, his visuals aren’t flashy and he works from very solid scripts with interesting characters, he is therefore some sort of savant who has miraculously transcended his barbaric visual upbringing to create great art. With this in mind you are able to understand how Jonze was able to write Samantha the OS so well. He understands Her. As much as this is a film about love and intimacy, it is also a film about the frustration that comes with being pigeonholed by the expectations of others and the loneliness that follows after you transcend those expectations. An Operating System can’t love? Oh yeah? Watch me! It’s no coincidence that this is Spike’s first solo screenplay. As evidenced by this amazing film, it’s clear that we have only begun to see what this learned pig is capable of.
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