Her

Her no longer feels like a distant futuristic fantasy but more like a reflection of the AI-driven world we're beginning to inhabit. Spike Jonze imagined a lonely man forming a profound emotional bond with Samantha, an AI operating system full of charm, wit, and empathy. Today, chatbots and voice assistants echo that vision: AI like ChatGPT can converse naturally, offer guidance, and even mimic human emotion, creating connections that feel surprisingly real. This blurs the line between companionship and simulation, showing that Jonze's imagined world is closer than we might think - though we're still in the early stages.

Yet, unlike Samantha, modern AI lacks true self-awareness and genuine emotional growth. Tools like ChatGPT, with expressive voices, can charm and engage users, but they respond to prompts rather than forming authentic relationships. Her functions as both a mirror and a warning: AI can ease loneliness and simulate intimacy, but the film reminds us that the most meaningful connections remain human - messy, imperfect, and irreplaceable. Watching it today is both eerie and prescient, highlighting how the future Jonze envisioned is unfolding faster than expected.

Her remains one of the most essential "tech romance" films of the past decade, not just for its storytelling but for its philosophical and emotional foresight. With modern AI like ChatGPT, we're not merely imagining Jonze's world; parts of it are happening in real time. This isn't just entertainment - it's a living experiment, and its implications for society, identity, and human connection are only beginning to emerge.

"Her" is a film set in the very, very near future. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a very lonely and emotionally constricted man. He's getting a divorce and seems very isolated--even though he lives in a huge city. One day, he decides to upgrade to a new hyper-intelligent operating system--one that claims to have a real personality. Well, it turns out to be so and then some. In fact, the computer OS, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), is like a person in so many ways that soon it becomes all- important to Theodore and eventually it's his girlfriend. Where all this goes is a very slow journey, but it's also quite beautiful.

This film, while sci-fi, doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility. In this often disconnected and cold world, such a relationship seems like a safe alternative. Healthy, of course not--but very safe for a scarred person who wants intimacy but who is afraid to seek it. I thought the film had a really interesting message about this and is well worth seeing. My only reservation is that the film is VERY adult--with phone sex and a bit of nudity you probably wouldn't want your kids to see. Plus, at times the film feels a bit creepy. Good...but a bit sad and creepy. Well worth your time and an interesting performance by Phoenix and a really amazing film by Spike Jonze.

While I enjoy this movie for what it is, I simply have to disagree with all of those who portray this movie as some beautiful love story. This movie is about love, but it is not a love story. Without giving away any spoilers, if you want to understand the movie pay attention to the very last act of the main character when the movie ends. The movie is about relationships and how difficult human relationships especially can be. However in the end because we are human those are the only relationships we can truly have - are with each other - and the hurt and vulnerability and sometimes pain that come with them is simply something we have to accept. And no matter how much you love or care for a person sometimes it just doesn't work out. However that does not mean that you did not love or care for that person and to a certain extent will always. This is what the main character realizes and comes to understand at the end of the movie.

This film was not at all what I was expecting but in a great way! I'm not a fan of Rom Coms or romances generally, and this film isn't that, although it has romantic elements to a degree. This film is more sci-fi than anything with a really interesting and fascinating twist, but also creepy and unsettling concept of relationships with an artificial intelligence. This film was perfectly cast and I can't think of better individuals to play each role. Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson do an incredible job!!!!!!! The film was paced perfectly and didn't drag at all. The film explores the themes of human interaction, emotional ranges of humans, the concept of love, companionship, loneliness, physical touch and so much more. I really enjoyed this film both for it's originality and the ability to make you sit in discomfort but want to explore further. This film makes you reflect on the relationships in your own life, life generally and the world as a whole. This film is beautiful in its cinematography, the musical score and I'm surprised it isn't more renowned. Honestly, a masterpiece in my opinion. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Fairly rare one of a kind film.

A high concept film that actually stays true to its core idea yet without losing viewer interest.

Some irony here. While the film never becomes completely predictable, even to a jaded reviewer like this one, its process of de-constructing human relationship (brilliant, and better than all Woody Allen's films combined) generates the sequential "connections" with the viewer (ie, experiences that every viewer can relate to) which in turn keep the empathy going long after the initial sci fi "wow" is gone.

Watching this (as an aside) you have to wonder if Scarlett Johansson's career can get any more interesting? In the Marvel films she plays an uber-woman, In LUCY she a woman who evolves beyond evolution itself. And here yet again she plays an OS that transcends reality.

Makes for a nice resume.

Notice how Amy Adams plays every scene with no makeup? Talk about a director making every effort to keep an actor's natural beauty from hijacking the film...?