Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Spike Jonze
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson
Runtime: 126 minutes
Strength: Story, script, cast and Joaquin Phoenix's fantastic acting
Weakness: Too long, a bit slow at times
Showbiz Rating: 3.5/5
Plot: A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.
Review:  'Her' is the story of a very lonely protagonist (Joaquin Phoenix) and his computer's operating system (voiced superbly by Scarlett Johansson) and a surrogate sex partner the “couple” had previously agreed upon. Spike Jonze's fourth film is an astonishing piece of work from a filmmaker whose movies have all, in one way or another, served as outlandish examinations of the psyche and what it means to be human. In this film, Jonze – who also wrote the screenplay – tackles loneliness and the search for (human) connection in an increasingly-isolating digital age. Phoenix stars as Theodore Twombly, a sad sack of a man who ghostwrites “heartfelt” letters for other people by day and spends his nights holed up in his apartment playing video games. Currently in the process of a prolonged divorce from his wife (Rooney Mara) of many years, Theodore has withdrawn from social interaction.
Things begin to change for Theodore when he purchases a new operating system for his digital devices. Touted as the world's first artificially-aware program, the operating system is designed to continuously evolve based on its user's needs. It isn't long before Theodore and the operating system, having dubbed itself Samantha (played to perfection by Johansson), enter into what can only be described as a relationship. This is a film populated by broken people, be it in the form of a commitment-craving blind date (Olivia Wilde) or game designer Amy's inability to save her marriage.
Ultimately, the conflict here isn't whether or not Theodore and Samantha will live happily ever after, but whether Theodore will ever grow up and admit to anyone (including himself) his almost pathological tendency to push people away. When the film ends in the only possible way it can, we aren't anywhere near as shocked as the characters involved, but we do somewhat understand their states of mind. After all, at one point or another, everyone needs a shoulder to cry on, even if that shoulder is just a voice in your earpiece.