"Where the Wild Things Are" - REVIEW

Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" has certainly had quite the rollercoaster ride through development hell. First there were reports of difficulties during shooting, then rumors of the studio taking over the project, and THEN rumors that Jonze wanted to re-shoot the entire film. And then the trailer was released, and interest soared, as did expectations. So where does the final product land? Oddly enough, it lands somewhere in-between. While Jonze certainly makes a satisfying film, and one that has its brilliant elements, the overall film feels a bit slight, in spite of being somewhat enchanting.
Adapting a 10 sentence book into a compelling feature film was always going to be a challenge, despite the book's status as a children's classic. But to my great surprise, Jonze and crew manage to turn Maurice Sendak's book into a film that may not have a great deal of forward momentum, but doesn't feel sluggish or empty either. After behaving badly for a variety of reasons, Max (Max Records) is scolded by his mother, after which he runs away and discovers a small boat that takes him to a strange island. Once there, he meets the titular wild things, strange creatures resembling everything from bulls to birds.
From their introduction, the wild things are impressive. Rendered almost entirely in the form of large puppet-costumes (courtesy of the Jim Henson company) instead of CGI, they're quite striking to look at, and blend with the environments beautifully (kudos to Jonze and crew for shooting mostly on location instead of in a studio). The wild things are certainly quirky in both appearance and personality, but at times there are hints of something darker and nastier. And this is where the film will surprise many: though based on a children's book and given a PG rating, Jonze's film is not exactly a "kid's movie". It is a movie about being a kid and learning to grow up, as opposed to escaping into fantasy every time things don't go one's way. Max may be king in this strange new world, but even that fantasy of having complete control starts to crack and break down.
Performance-wise, Jonze's feature is first rate, particularly from young Mr. Records, on whose credibility the film rests. With a perfect sense of child naivete, and a look of wide-eyed hope that never becomes over-bearing or obnoxious, Records' energy and restraint are one of the film's highlights. Aiding Records is the superb voice cast, bolstered by strong turns from James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Dano. Sadly, Chris Cooper and Forrest Whitaker get shortchanged, and their characters at times border on extraneous, because they're never given a chance to leave an impression. Whitaker's character Ira in particular seems to be there only as the "boyfriend" of O'Hara's character Judith, while Cooper role as Douglas borders on insignificance. There's also the matter of a large bull/ox-like wild thing, who never speaks, and never does anything terribly meaningful. He gives a brief, mask-like stare to Max near the film's end, but given his general lack of activity throughout the film, it feels empty. Bit roles from Catherine Keener as Max's mother and Mark Ruffalo as her new boyfriend have virtually no screen time at all, though Keener does well with establishing a genuine mother-son connection with Records, which makes the final scenes gently affecting.
On the production front, however, the film couldn't be stronger. The cinematography beautifully highlights the natural and artificial elements of Australia, which is the setting for the wild things' world. Cinematography and the limited but important art direction are lovely, though occasionally the camera-work does make the fun-and-games scenes a bit hard to decipher. The real winner however, is the score from Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O and the wonderfully talented Carter Burwell (who has never been nominated for an Oscar...why is this?). Their music, a mix of alternative indie-folk and gentle piano captures the overall adult tone of Jonze's film, infusing a sense of child-like wildness with somber elegance.
But in the end, what causes Jonze's film to never reach its full potential is in fact, the source material. In keeping with the book, Jonze's "expanded" story is slight. If Jonze had wanted to expand upon Sendak's original narrative, he would have risked breaking thematically with the book, and creating a movie that wasn't true to the source material. So while Jonze's film is by no means a failure, it's somewhat ironic to see that one thing holding it back isn't studio interference or creative control issues, but rather the very source material from which the movie comes from.

Grade: B/B-