WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE FILM REVIEW: 10/30/09

As seen with Transformers 1 and 2 and G.I. Joe, taking a childhood icon and producing it into a full-length feature film carries an array of risks these days. Directors face the pressure of interpreting their own version of the toy, TV show, or book as well as keeping and promoting the original theme in order to satisfy audiences. The latest film in this category is Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are.

Viewers have swayed mainly between two positions; either the film impressed them or severely disappointed them. I’ve heard a variety of descriptions from my peers such as “hipster movie of the year,” “Where the Wild Things Angst,” “brilliant,” and “iconic.” I side with the ones who thoroughly enjoyed the film and walked out of the theatre with a smile.

For those of you who don’t know why the film has been so highly so anticipated, I’ll give you a bit of background. In 1963, writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak wrote an award-winning children’s picture book called Where the Wild Things Are. The 9-sentence, 338-word book follows the journey of a boy named Max. A wild thing himself, Max dresses up in a wolf costume, threatens to eat his mother, and is sent to bed without supper. In his room, he imagines that he travels to a far off land full of wild monsters, who eventually make Max “King of the Wild Things.” After a chaotic “wild rumpus” through the woods, Max begins to feel homesick. He leaves the Wild Things and returns home to find his hot supper waiting in his room.

After several animated adaptations of the book, Jonze (Adaptation and Being John Malchovich) and author Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and You Shall Know Our Velocity!) penned the screenplay for the live action version. Jonze directed and Maurice Sendak took on the role of producer. The cast includes an ensemble of new and veteran actors, including Max Records as Max, Catherine Keener as the mother, and James Galdofini, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose, Forrest Whittaker, Catherine O’Hara, and Chris Cooper as the Wild Things.

The movie follows the book fairly well, with some much needed additions to make it 102 minutes. Eggers and Jonze add several scenes in the beginning to reveal Max’s turbulent home life and to express his need for escape. Instead of going to his room, Max runs through the woods until he reaches the land of the wild things, who were made through a combination of puppetry and digital effects. He captures the loyalty of the creatures by threatening to reveal his magical powers and they crown him King. The main wild thing, Gandolfini’s Carol, entrusts Max with his vision to create the perfect dwelling, where all the wild things can sleep together in a pile and live together in peace

Bringing and keeping happiness seems to Max’s main objective as king, a task he finds very easy through events such “the wild rumpus” and a dirt clod war. These are the moments when the movie really comes alive, with the soundtrack (written by Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) pulsating in the background. Most people, including myself, probably wished for an extended rumpus, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

The screenplay adds an interesting psychological twist to the original story. Each wild thing’s personality possesses some element of Max’s emotions, including rage, insecurity, happiness, and loyalty. By seeing his feelings manifested in this way allows Max to reconcile his turmoil and come to a point where he can return home to the “place where he is loved the most.” Viewers will also be intrigued by the way Jonze presents one of the book’s most famous lines: “Please don’t go. We’ll eat you up. We love you so.”

Lovers of the book are now middle-aged and college-aged and personally I think these groups are the audiences with whom the film will most resonate. Not to say you shouldn’t take your kids or younger siblings, but be aware that Jonze wrote the film for both kids and adults, so some of the themes require some level of maturity; Eggers’ dark humor comes through several times throughout the movie. Overall, however, the film is a moving, heartfelt journey and allows us to see a childhood tale come to life in an unforge