'Where Wild Things Are' captures child's perspective on life
Music video maestro Spike Jonze was the perfect choice to adapt the children’s classic, "Where the Wild Things Are" to the big screen.
His wacky and highly inventive feature films include "Adaptation" and the surreal "Being John Malkovic." But when you are dealing with a beloved book that comprises only 10 sentences, illustrated by its author, we did wonder what else would be in a 90-minute movie. Not to worry: Jonze and co-screenwriter Dave Eggers ("Away We Go") got it mostly right.
"Where the Wild Things Are" is one of those books that transcends age. Jonze’s film appeals to the 9-year-old in all of us. But parents beware: Some of the scenes may be too intense for children under 8. Otherwise, let the wild rumpus start!
The story is about a lonely, alienated young boy, Max (played with great finesse by Max Records ("The Brothers Bloom"), who feels betrayed by his sister, Claire (Pepita Emmerichs), is scared by his teacher – who says the sun is dying – and feels ignored by his busy, single parent mother (the great Catherine Keener, "Into the Wild").
Carol (l., voiced by James Gandolfini) and Max (Max Record) spend some time together in Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the children’s classic, "Where the Wild Things Are."
When he’s had enough. Max puts on his wolf suit, jumps on the table and demands to be fed, bites his mother and runs away to a fantasy land where he becomes the king of the Wild Things.
Jonze’s first approach to visually translating the 1963 Maurice Sendak book was to find an awesome film location (Australia) that had a variety of forest, ocean, and island settings. The second was the inspired decision to use live-action puppets, to go along with the real child actor, that look just like the ‘wild things’ in the book but with a bit of computer movie effect to give expression to their faces. The result is magical.
Jonze also decided to give the "wild things" names and different personalities and neuroses. He chose a cast of wonderful actors who add their own special charisma to their roles, including Carol, the sort of leader of the pack – James Gandolfini (TV’s "The Sopranos"); KW – Lauren Ambrose ("Starting Out in the Evening"); Douglas – Chris Cooper ("Breach"); The Bull – Michael Berry Jr. ("Star Trek"); Ira – Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland"); Alexander – Paul Dano ("There Will Be Blood"); and Judith – Catherine O’Hara ("A Mighty Wind").
One other interesting thing that Jonze did was to talk regularly with author Sendak, who was also a producer, so he felt he was going the right way with additions to the story.
Although I liked the "wild things" I wondered if they had to be so downbeat and depressed even though it seemed that their personalities reflected people in Max’s life. I had to constantly remind myself that the movie should be viewed from a child’s perspective and with a child’s capacity to forget or just move on from heartfelt or hard things. I did get scared at several points in the movie when Max was in danger.
Further, the wonderful ending of the book – the transcendence and recognition that Max needed love and to be in his own tribe – was a bit muffed in the movie.
All in all, though, as a movie adaptation, this is successful and true to the original.
We recommend the film for children over age 9. We went to see it with a 10-year-old boy and an 85-year-old boy; we all loved it.