No, Theodore's job is to write letters -- deeply personal and meaningful letters -- for other people. He works at a company that provides this service to an apparently broad and diverse clientele. It's in these opening moments that we learn the central question the movie will be asking: How will human beings connect with one another in a future that has us growing ever apart?
This is an ambitious undertaking. And, to be honest, I'm not sure that the movie does it adequate justice. But, even if it falls short of its goals -- and I'm not saying it does -- the movie takes us an wonderful philosophical ride.
Theodore's story takes place in the not-too-distant future, when, among other things, people outsource their most personal interactions. That is what keeps him employed. And, despite his apparent gift for simulating connections for other human beings, Theodore Twombly has a difficult time making and sustaining connections with other human beings. This, we learn, is what ended his marriage to Catherine (played by Rooney Mara). And, it's what keeps him isolated in his lonely apartment night after night.
This all begins to change when he meets someone new. That someone is a new operating system (OS) for his computer and cell phone. After answering a few preliminary questions, Theodore calls his OS into existence and, immediately, she (it?) begins to evolve. Her first order of business: naming herself Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
You buy Samantha as a real character right away. As she goes about organizing Theodore's life, she expresses support and empathy all along the way. It's easy to see why he takes comfort in her company, even though she's not there with him physically. After a few weeks a late-night conversations about life and trips around a futuristic Los Angeles where Samantha sees the world through the camera on Theodore's phone, the two begin to fall in love.
I won't go into too much detail beyond the boy-meets-OS premise. Instead, I'll just say that what follows is a meditation on the complexity of all human relationships, how relationships change as people change and how one person's expectations can set another person up for failure. In the movie, these complexities exist -- and are in many cases amplified -- even when one of the "people" in the relationship doesn't have a body.
The movie doesn't prescribe answers to the questions it poses. In a late night conversation with his best friend (played by Amy Adams), Theodore asks, "Am I just in this because I'm not strong enough for a real relationship?" To which she responds, "Is it not a real relationship?" There's never a full and complete answer to that question. All you know is that it feels real to those involved and you see how it impacts them.
Yes, there are distinct elements of classic science fiction in here. There are computers that become self-aware and begin to expand their views and desires beyond their original programming. But, this is all just backdrop for the central love story and the exploration of human nature that the movie is trying to undertake.
It may all sound gimmicky and a little creepy, but that's not the way it plays on screen. Jonze has created a space where these two characters develop without judgment or irony. And, it works -- one hundred percent. You don't feel sorry for Theodore and his relationship with his computer. You don't laugh at their interactions, except in those moments where you actually relate to what they're going through. Instead, you watch this relationship develop with wonder and curiosity, just as you would any other relationship between two movie characters.
It's a testament to great writing and filmmaking. Spike Jonze is the man.
Of course, it helps that he has Joaquin Phoenix playing the lead. With this role, he lets go of his trademark intensity and machismo. What's left is a natural vulnerability that I don't think he's ever displayed before. He's in virtually every shot of the movie. And, his sensitive, sympathetic portrayal of the main character is what drives the movie forward. I won't say that he was robbed of an Oscar nomination...but he, like many other actors last year, gives an awards-worthy performance in this film.
Scarlett Johansson's performance is almost just as extraordinary. Though you never see her, she fully inhabits Samantha, giving her life and dimension that doesn't really seem possible. I don't believe in handing out awards for voice acting. But, if a voice-only performance ever deserved awards consideration, it's this one.
Long story short, this is just a fantastic film. I've seen it twice, and it holds up beautifully. In almost any other year, this film would likely be at the very top of my list. But...2013 wasn't just any year.
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