There’s a genuine feeling of being transported to another world when
the beasts of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are show up
in Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the beloved children’s book. After four
years of filming and all kinds of delays, the gifted director has
managed to put something on screen that resembles nothing like I’ve
ever seen before. What he’s made here is something wonderful … just
wonderful.
Max (the amazing Max Records) is a bit of a rambunctious child. His
father is gone, and he lives with his sweet mother (Catherine Keener),
who is trying to raise two kids while working a stressful job and
dating a new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo, in a brief but affecting
appearance). After a particularly trying day where his igloo is
demolished, his sister ignores him and jealousy for the new boyfriend
boils over, Max acts up and runs away. Clad in his favorite wolf
costume, he somehow finds a sailboat, boards it and starts his
journey.
Max’s ability to tell a good story explains how his journey is
probably taking place in his own mind, but Jonze and co-screenwriter
Dave Eggers never establish whether the film’s happenings are
supernatural or just occurring in Max’s head. Things just sort of
happen, and that’s part of the film’s magic. In a child’s imagination,
the area behind some fence on your block could very well contain a
harbor with a boat that would transport you to a land of simultaneously
lovable and fierce beasts.
The beasts are giant furry creatures that possess many of Max’s own
emotional and behavioral characteristics. Carol (masterfully voiced by
James Gandolfini) is the group leader, a confused monster looking for
acceptance and prone to violent mood swings. When he and his band of
beasts encounter Max, they instantly declare him their king and follow
his orders to create forts and engage in dirt fights.
As with his real home life, the land of the beasts has its share of
troubles and turmoil. KW (voice of Lauren Ambrose) really likes Carol,
but still wants to make new friends. Alexander (hilariously voiced by
Paul Dano) is the smallest of the group, and constantly worries that
nobody hears him. Judith (voice of Catherine O’Hara) is prone to saying
and doing things that are a bit cruel, but really doesn’t want to hurt
anyone. When Max realizes that he’s just a kid, and probably not suited
for the job of king, he resolves to return home, where his loving mom
awaits with soup and cake.
On a technical level, the movie is a wondrous achievement. Jonze had
originally intended to film exclusively with animatronic puppets by Jim
Henson’s Creature Shop, but technical difficulties resulted in a
combination of puppetry and CGI. The results are seamless, and always
convincing. Karen O (of musical group Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Carter
Burwell have put together a lively, quirky soundtrack that deserves
award consideration. Many of the songs are major smile inducers.
Jonze combines naturalistic locations and handheld cameras that
contribute to a sense of realism, yet the film also maintains a
dreamlike quality. There’s nothing said in the beast world that
couldn’t be said by a 10-year-old (no “big” words), contributing to the
notion that the world is a product of Max’s storytelling. The movie is
told from the perspective of a young boy and we see and feel the way a
young boy would perceive the universe. At one moment, you’re on top of
the world laughing your head off, and the next you are crying, buried
beneath mounds of snow or worried that the sun might die.
It’s because Jonze doesn’t skimp on things such as despair and fear
that the film doesn’t qualify as your typical kids’ movie. It’s a movie
that will have your children asking questions about life, and it might
even freak the younger ones out. It’s more a film for adults about
being a kid than a movie for kids, so if you take the children be
prepared for a different kind of matinee experience.
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2009.