Film pick of the week: "Where the Wild Things Are"
By Brian McCumsey
Issue date: 10/23/09 Section: Focus
"Where the Wild Things Are" is a wonderful film -if you're an adult. As a PG-rated children's movie, it fails miserably.
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine after we attended a screening of the movie. He was saying how when something is rated PG, adults automatically assume it's a children's movie and therefore usually ignore it. I sure hope that people don't do that with this film.
Of course, it should be safe to assume that "Where the Wild Things Are" is a children's movie-as it's based on the beloved children's book of the same name. This assumption would be completely wrong.
Max (played by Max Records, "The Brothers Bloom") is an energetic boy without any idea how to harness his 9-year-old energy. One night, his mother (Catherine Keener, "The Soloist," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") is spending time with her new boyfriend and Max begins acting up. She yells at him, he bites her on the shoulder and then runs out of the house.
Max runs through the woods and eventually comes to a small boat. The boat takes him to a mysterious island where he meets the Wild Things. Max lies and tells them he is a king-so they make him King of the Wild Things. The rest of the movie is about Max interacting with them and trying to build a perfect family.
Many film critics have been praising this movie, calling it "brilliant" and "one of the year's best." I'm not sure I can give it that high of praise. This is a good film about what it's like to be a 9-year-old kid, but I can't see it appealing to anyone nine and younger. There were stretches during this film that felt really long to me-if a movie feels long to me, it must feel like torture to a 5 or 6-year-old.
A year or so before the movie was released, I heard rumblings that the studio wasn't happy with the movie Spike Jonze was making. In fact, one rumor stated that the studio wanted the entire movie reshot. After watching the finished product, I can certainly see why.
This isn't a movie to take a child to. It's dark, slow and, at times, violent. It also contains dull colors that will most likely be unappealing for children. It's definitely a film for adults.
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine after we attended a screening of the movie. He was saying how when something is rated PG, adults automatically assume it's a children's movie and therefore usually ignore it. I sure hope that people don't do that with this film.
Of course, it should be safe to assume that "Where the Wild Things Are" is a children's movie-as it's based on the beloved children's book of the same name. This assumption would be completely wrong.
Max (played by Max Records, "The Brothers Bloom") is an energetic boy without any idea how to harness his 9-year-old energy. One night, his mother (Catherine Keener, "The Soloist," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") is spending time with her new boyfriend and Max begins acting up. She yells at him, he bites her on the shoulder and then runs out of the house.
Max runs through the woods and eventually comes to a small boat. The boat takes him to a mysterious island where he meets the Wild Things. Max lies and tells them he is a king-so they make him King of the Wild Things. The rest of the movie is about Max interacting with them and trying to build a perfect family.
Many film critics have been praising this movie, calling it "brilliant" and "one of the year's best." I'm not sure I can give it that high of praise. This is a good film about what it's like to be a 9-year-old kid, but I can't see it appealing to anyone nine and younger. There were stretches during this film that felt really long to me-if a movie feels long to me, it must feel like torture to a 5 or 6-year-old.
A year or so before the movie was released, I heard rumblings that the studio wasn't happy with the movie Spike Jonze was making. In fact, one rumor stated that the studio wanted the entire movie reshot. After watching the finished product, I can certainly see why.
This isn't a movie to take a child to. It's dark, slow and, at times, violent. It also contains dull colors that will most likely be unappealing for children. It's definitely a film for adults.
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