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Despite producing a poignant film, "Where the Wild Things Are" doesn't accurately portray Sendak's vision
By Sam Littman
Posted: 10/22/09, 2:46 AM EST Section: Splice
"Where the Wild Things Are"
Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini
Grade: C+
Maurice Sendak's sublime distillation of childhood fears and wonderment is so beloved and revered, that even the most accomplished, visually virtuosic filmmaker would cower at the very notion of adapting "Where the Wild Things Are" for the screen. The director, Spike Jonze, surely recognized the gravity of his task, as he compounds from a rich, though short, text in his most conservative film yet.
The result is a poetic fantasy ignorant of its medium.
Rambunctious but winsome, Max (Max Records) is introduced in a fittingly chaotic opening scene where he chases his pooch down a flight of stairs, howling and grunting like the titular beasts he will soon encounter. His temper soon overwhelms his better instincts, though, as a series of tumultuous run-ins with his sister (Pepita Emmerichs) and mother (Catherine Keener) lead him to be sent to bed without dinner.
Before he can be quarantined, however, Max escapes to his flimsy rowboat on the nearby river, sailing to wherever the winds elect to guide him. The island on which Max docks is populated not by humans or animals but a raucous, initially frightening band of monsters, variously defined by jagged teeth and baneful horns.
When he first comes face to face with the creatures, Carol (James Gandolfini), the most commanding of the lot, is ferociously burning and wrecking the wild things' huts, a rebellious act that Max is all too eager to join in on. His audacity and valor immediately impress the beasts, leading them to crown him king. Ruling comes naturally to Max, but the wild things prove to be as testy as the boy himself.
The wild things all have their own insecurities. Judith (Catherine O'Hara), the ugliest of the bunch, constantly challenges Max's authority while her partner, Ira (Forest Whitaker), stands solemnly by her side. Goat-like Alexander (Paul Dano) has a debilitating inferiority complex, Douglas (Chris Cooper), the wisest of the wild things, is virtually ignored and KW (Lauren Ambrose) struggles with her motherly instincts toward Max. Immediately untamable and fun loving, the wild things mirror Max's approach to the world, but the union is not eternal.
Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini
Grade: C+
Maurice Sendak's sublime distillation of childhood fears and wonderment is so beloved and revered, that even the most accomplished, visually virtuosic filmmaker would cower at the very notion of adapting "Where the Wild Things Are" for the screen. The director, Spike Jonze, surely recognized the gravity of his task, as he compounds from a rich, though short, text in his most conservative film yet.
The result is a poetic fantasy ignorant of its medium.
Rambunctious but winsome, Max (Max Records) is introduced in a fittingly chaotic opening scene where he chases his pooch down a flight of stairs, howling and grunting like the titular beasts he will soon encounter. His temper soon overwhelms his better instincts, though, as a series of tumultuous run-ins with his sister (Pepita Emmerichs) and mother (Catherine Keener) lead him to be sent to bed without dinner.
Before he can be quarantined, however, Max escapes to his flimsy rowboat on the nearby river, sailing to wherever the winds elect to guide him. The island on which Max docks is populated not by humans or animals but a raucous, initially frightening band of monsters, variously defined by jagged teeth and baneful horns.
When he first comes face to face with the creatures, Carol (James Gandolfini), the most commanding of the lot, is ferociously burning and wrecking the wild things' huts, a rebellious act that Max is all too eager to join in on. His audacity and valor immediately impress the beasts, leading them to crown him king. Ruling comes naturally to Max, but the wild things prove to be as testy as the boy himself.
The wild things all have their own insecurities. Judith (Catherine O'Hara), the ugliest of the bunch, constantly challenges Max's authority while her partner, Ira (Forest Whitaker), stands solemnly by her side. Goat-like Alexander (Paul Dano) has a debilitating inferiority complex, Douglas (Chris Cooper), the wisest of the wild things, is virtually ignored and KW (Lauren Ambrose) struggles with her motherly instincts toward Max. Immediately untamable and fun loving, the wild things mirror Max's approach to the world, but the union is not eternal.
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