Into Max's Wild
Written: Nov 07 '09 (Updated Nov 08 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good performances, especially Records and Gandolfini, good story
Cons: Not as wild as advertised
The Bottom Line: What in the world is with Max?
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Where the Wild Things Are |
Max is a kid who loves to play and daydream. He doesn't understand why his mother and his sister don't participate in kid activities with him more often. One night, when he grows tired of their inattention, Max runs away from home. He takes a boat and rows to a land far away from his. There he meets a group of creatures, and convinces them to crown him king. With that, Max starts his reign in the land "Where The Wild Things Are."
Max (Max Records) thinks he has found a place where life is a wild rumpus from the moment he wakes until the moment he sleeps. The creatures, though, have other ideas. Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini) has plans to make the land safe. Even though he is friends with a huge bird named Douglas (Chris Cooper), Carol misses KW (Lauren Ambrose), who wants to be around other creatures. The land's most devoted couple is the gentle beast Ira (Forest Whitaker) and his beloved, the vociferous Judith (Catherine O'Hara). A goat named Alexander (Paul Dano) has his doubts that Max is telling the truth, but doesn't openly dispute Max.
For awhile, Max does bring them together to work on the project of Carol's. KW returns to help, but her efforts are met with resistance. Max, as a leader, starts to garner some skepticism for his handling of issues in his kingdom. He made promises to his subjects, but he finds delivering on his words is harder than speaking them. When the creatures start to bicker with one another, Max starts to miss his mother (Catherine Keener), her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo), and sister, Claire (Pepita Emmerichs), even though Max often finds them irritating.
"Where The Wild Things Are" is a pleasant adaptation of the short children's work by Maurice Sendak. While Max may be a rough-and-tumble kid, he becomes more curious as the film progresses, and less wild. His adventure becomes more of a look at an adult world with adult problems. The creatures in Max's kingdom can be a bit rough themselves, as they punch holes in trees and throw rocks with more force than Max. He also learns a lesson about the kingdom's previous rulers. The creatures may let Max rule, but they show they have minds of their own. The adaptation by novelist Dave Eggers and director Spike Jonze is good, but it's clear that stretching the source material to feature film length makes the film short on characterization.
The parts that work the best after a solid start are the parts between Max and Carol. They share a bond that reaches across their worlds. Both want to create a place where their needs and wants are front and center, and their creations remain safe from damage. Both learn that such a place can never exist. They are a pair who care about each other, but become very tempramental when things don't go their way. Ultimately, both have to try and repair the hurt they have caused. The rest of the cast does what they can in limited roles. Keener and, especially, Ruffalo have virtually have no screen time.
"Where The Wild Things Are" is an entertaining look at life through the eyes of a child. Life, Max learns, is not dictated by the whims of one person. Many creatures desire to be the center of attention, just like Max has wanted. Everyone would like to play raucously from time to time. Unfortunately for Max and those like him, nobody I know has unlimited time for a wild rumpus.
This is an entry in the Lean-N-Mean Write-Off hosted by jurgrace and jenniferkateab. Entries can be found here: http://www.epinions.com/content_5357215876
Thanks Grace and Jennifer.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Family Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Duration
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pmills1210
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Member: Pat Mills
Location: East Chicago, In.
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"Nothing in moderation." - Ernie Kovacs. Read and enjoy!
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