These creatures adore Max and name him their king, and there is much wordless frolicking, before the boy starts missing his mum.Īmateur psychologists have for years had a field day with the idea that the creatures are embodiments of the child's inner emotions and that the wild things in life pretty much always live in the mind. He imagines that his bedroom turns into a forest where big, fluffy creatures live in a Wizard of Oz-type mélange of fantasy and fiction. The advantage of adapting Maurice Sendak's slim tome is that there is plenty of scope for interpretation however, for the first time in his career, Jonze comes up short in the imagination department.įor readers not familiar with the book, Max is a naughty boy who gets sent to bed without his supper. A rock-pop score by Karen O and Carter Burwell tries too hard and at too loud a pitch.Spike Jonze is known for his ability to mix genres and to surprise, but making an art-house film for children turns out to be over-ambitious, even for the creator of Being John Malkovich. Barrett’s design further enhances this “real” fantasy, a far cry from the studio-bound phantasms of old. Cinematographer Lance Acord, Jonze’s collaborator on “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation,” superbly integrates the imaginative with the real, and K.K. The Australian production takes huge advantage of the hills, sand dunes and shores of the outer Melbourne area to create the changeable landscapes of this other world. They don’t, causing him to realize that “it’s hard to be a family.” Virtually plotless escapades in monster land feature the building of a fort and a dirt-clod fight, all things that Max instigates without any thought about how these activities will fulfill his promises to the gang. Catherine O’Hara is the sardonic, pessimistic Judith, all mouth and one horn growing incongruously out of her nose Forest Whitaker is her patient and possibly adoring companion, Ira Paul Dano is a put-upon goat Chris Cooper plays the birdlike, kinetic Douglas and Lauren Ambrose is the aloof KW. James Gandolfini plays the pack leader, Carol, who looks avidly for purpose in life and thinks Max might provide the key. (Sendak reportedly based his monsters on family members studied intently as a child.) They rather like to bash things but are quick to realize that little gets accomplished by such actions. The Wild Things are overgrown dolls with expressive, feral faces and often lighter-than-air bodies. The large costume suits, courtesy of Jim Henson Co.’s Creature Shop, achieve a remarkable semblance to the witty illustrations of Sendak (who as one of the film’s producers was heavily involved in overseeing the page-to-screen transition). They wish to sleep in piles of furry bodies, think and behave with a child’s self-righteousness and are swift to perceive any slight. The monsters carry on like children themselves. Max is about to learn the first lesson of a politician: Be careful about what you promise a potential constituency. He readily accepts and promises to keep them happy and safe. Swallowing anything the wee lad says, the monsters nominate him to be their king, too. It is not long before he declares himself a Viking king. He discovers a sailboat that transports him to the faraway land of Wild Things, creatures that nurture childlike ambitions and grudges. Rather than being exiled to his room, the boy, clad in only a wolf costume, runs away into the night. And his adventures with the Wild Things never captivate a viewer. Nonetheless, the boy is too much of a brat to elicit much sympathy. His single mom (Catherine Keener) must juggle demanding work assignments and a new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) while perhaps neglecting her impressionable son.Īn older sister’s self-absorption and a science teacher’s declaration that one day the sun will die don’t help matters.
#Where the wild things are movie movie
Without a quest to propel the story, such as Dorothy’s journey in “The Wizard of Oz,” the movie turns into an afternoon-special with an easily digested moral that fails to grab youngsters by the collar and shake them up with an exciting adventure.Ī viewer is encouraged to see that Max’s (Max Records) rough play with the family dog and his snowball fights with neighborhood kids are angry reactions to a home life that disturbs him. In the end, the book probably was too slender to support a 102-minute movie. What's Next for 'Daily Show' Host Trevor NoahĬhildren might enjoy the goofy monsters and their fights and squabbles, but adults likely are to grow weary of the repetitiveness.
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