H[ot off the coat heels of a near flawless portrayal of a certain Batman nemesis, we take a wee trip back to 2013 for a look at another of Joaquin Phoenix’s epic leads with Spike Jonze’s, Her. Yes, there’s been so many movies about people having a relationship with their AI secretary (Gone with the Alexa, One Flew Over the Google Assistants Nest and also When Harry Met Siri) but this is by far the pick of the bunch. And to think that we nearly missed out on the sexy tones of Scarlett Johansson for some Samantha Morton Irish-ness.

What you get with Her is not some weird film where some dude who can’t get a real woman invests in a cyborg one (no offence, Weird Science) but a deeply-layered and thought-provoking gem that starts to resonate more and more as time goes on. Where loneliness increases in a world of further technology and even gifted word geniuses find it too awkward to talk to the opposite sex. Much like a Saturday night out in 2021!

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The Gist

Think the not-so-distant future, where tech is way better but life is still a bit of a mediocre existence, even if you’ve got a cushty job and a nice apartment. Theodore is a lonely old soul, is dealing with a divorce from “the one” and makes decent coin as a professional letter writer for those whom are too lazy to compose their own love letters but earn enough to not care.

Upgrading his operating system, he opts for a personal assistant whom has some snazzy AI to learn and grow with its user, and in a certainly-not-sexual way he decides for a woman’s voice (which is just what every guy wants in their earpiece, 24/7). It’s all roses until they start to fall for each other, and things get a little complicated when they remember she’s a computer program and he’s an actual human.

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So, what’s so good about it?

Jonze has had a decent crack at some random movies of the years but with Her, it’s like he’s nailed what the future could easily be like, but with a touch of metaphor for good luck. It’s not a rom-com, and there’s not an ounce of action, but to say it’s sci-fi would be a push too. It’s a movie with a healthy smattering of real-worldism, a real a breath of fresh air.

That smooth, sexy voice of Scarlett Johannson was so good in this movie that she even won a handful of awards, without appearing in the flesh. But it’s that sexual chemistry that her and Joaquin share that makes this a movie where you can actually believe that falling for an app could just happen.

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Worth a watch?

If you’ve not cast your eyes over this crazy, yet genius piece of cinematic history, you’re dangerously close to being like the guys that sold their Bitcoin for a couple of pizza’s. Or the people that couldn’t find the best payout online casino Canada has to offer (which you can read more here) and didn’t fill their pockets.

Yes, this is exactly the movie that 10 years after its launch date is even more in touch with reality than before, and for that it certainly gets our big tick of approval. Rotten Tomatoes even has it at a very respectable 94%, and they’re miserable. From one of the most exciting Directors/Writers of our generation and a cast to back it all up, Her will keep you talking around the water cooler for years to come.