Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • January 29, 2014 Joaquin Phoenix stars in odd romantic comedy by Dennis Seuling “Her” is an odd romantic comedy set in Los Angeles in the near future. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) works for a company called beautifulhandwrittenletters.com composing intimate letters and notes of love, desire, loss, and other heartfelt emotions for people who are too busy to express their thoughts themselves. Ironically, no hand ever touches a pen. The letters are composed on the computer in script. Though he is very good at pouring out Hallmark card- style expressions at work, Theodore has trouble with his own relationships. His wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara), has left him and Theodore is pretty much alone until he buys a new operating system for his computer with built- in artificial intelligence: a disembodied voice (Scarlett Johansson) called Samantha. Samantha initially helps organize Theodore’s online files and reminds him of appointments, but soon picks up emotions in Theodore’s voice and senses his moods. Turning into a sort of in-home therapist, she begins to have conversations with him. She offers opinions, asks questions, and takes a personal interest in Theodore. Director Spike Jonze has combined romantic comedy/ drama with science fiction to come up with one of the most original and strangest movies in a long time. Visu- ally, he provides an ultra-modern Los Angeles (Shanghai stands in for L.A.) where people walk around with their heads buried in portable tech devices -- an apt metaphor for a detached society. Phoenix is an interesting choice as the lead. Were he an A-list star, he might have trouble selling his character. Audiences know his face from his body of work, but he comes off as one of the crowd -- a guy who does his job each day, then has to face an evening with little to do and no one with whom to share his life. Because his life is devoid of any real relationship, he bonds with Samantha, surprised at her ability to learn quickly, access informa- tion in milliseconds, and display a sense of humor. Theo- dore becomes so obsessed with Samantha that he carries a small camera so she can see moment to moment what he is doing. In this future, a simple earpiece is all it takes to get online, so Samantha is there whenever he wants her. Phoenix plays the reclusive Theodore with just the right amount of awkwardness, so viewers understand when he opens up to Samantha. Once the film’s setting is established and viewers see Theodore’s sad life, it’s easy to accept that he responds to Samantha’s human-like qualities. He is in a “relation- ship” without the responsibilities a human-to-human bond entails. Samantha is there at his convenience and for his convenience. He likes this arrangement and the relationship develops in odd ways. Johansson does an amazing job with only a vocal performance, and listening to her throaty, warm voice, one can see why Theodore regards Samantha as more than a mere operating system. Her delicate performance makes believable the intimacy of the relationship that develops. Amy Adams appears as Amy, Theodore’s neighbor. They meet in the elevator on the way to or from work and exchange pleasantries. This is the only real human- to-human relationship Theodore has. Eventually, the two become arm’s-length confidantes and discuss their lives with cool objectivity. Only when a crisis arises do they connect in more than a superficial manner. Science fiction movies often underplay ideas in favor of special effects. In “Her,” director Jonze makes his Los Angeles look just different enough that one accepts it as the future. He avoids gadgetry, even though the premise of the movie relies on technology. His theme of human detachment is what keeps the audience involved. Once Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore, a man who has difficulty making human connections, in ‘Her.’ the story kicks in, viewers become immersed in its quirkiness and unpredictability. Rated R, “Her” is an audacious, brave romantic comedy that defies whatever one might think a movie romance should be. Jonze points his lens at human frailty, the need for connection, and one’s desperation to achieve it. Not since HAL stole the film in “2001: A Space Odyssey” has a computer been a full-fledged character with a vocal performance so perfect, so mem- orable, and ultimately so unsettling.