Where the Wild Things Are Review

A rough day. Disappointment. Some shouting. Going too far. Slamming doors. Desperate escape from life. Sometimes, it's really hard to face how alike childhood and adulthood are.

As parents, we here at MamaPop have been anxiously awaiting the release of Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are and finally, finally on Friday I went to see it with my husband and my 7-year-old son, who is right around the age (and behavior) that Max is.

As a mom and a fan of the book, will admit to being a little apprehensive. Spike Jonze is one of my favorite directors and the last few movies that I had seen by favorite directors had sucked. Add in the weight of adapting a beloved children's book and I was damn near apoplectic.

But I relaxed (mostly because I was able to re-focus my rage at the fact that we had to sit through the same Sprint commercials over and over for 20 minutes) soon after the movie started.

Max is a lonely kid. His sister is getting older and wants to hang out with her friends and even though they briefly engage in a snowball fight with Max, their unwarranted destruction of his snow fort (and his sister's lack of defense) leaves him heartbroken and furious. The wild thing in Max erupts and he unleashes on his sister's room, making sure to destroy the trinket that he made for her.

Max's mom, a single, over-worked woman who is trying to balance her family and her career and a budding relationship, feels bad that Max is upset, but obviously can't tolerate his ragey behavior. Max's refusal to behave as a result of his mom's boyfriend being over for dinner sends him over the edge. They scream and fight and Max bites his mom. Startled by what he's done, he takes off and makes his way to the land of the wild things.

Max's retreat to where the wild things are and coronation as King of the Wild Things are, he thinks, his opportunities to do exactly what he wants and have people (or, in this case, monsters) give him their undivided attention, to defend him when he's been wronged, to help him create the most awesome world that he can imagine. Max kind of ignores the strife that already exists among the monsters when he arrives. But eventually he realizes that not even the greatest forts or wars or sleeping piles will take your problems away and the people who love you have their own worlds of problems, too.

I think that I expected the movie to be a little heavier for me. To be more thought-provoking about what it means to be a kid, about what it means to grow up, about what it means to look at your child and see yourself and realize that you never really finished being a kid. But looking back, I think that it's good that the movie just sort of presented these thoughts, played out some action, and left us to think. I didn't leave knowing anything more about being a kid or a grown-up or a kid in a grown-up's body than I did going in. But I respect that. There are no real answers. There is no real clarity to attain. The sun, after all, will eventually burn out and consume us.

My son loved the movie and I kept glancing at him and wondering what he was thinking about, if he saw himself as the slump-shouldered kid getting yelled at by his frazzled mom (gut punch). I don't know if he is able yet to think about how a movie like this applies to him and to all kids who feel misunderstood and ignored, who feel the monster within them yearning to howl.

The next day, while we were going through my son's books, we pulled out Where the Wild Things Are and I asked him to read it to me, since it had been awhile since we had read it. He's only just beginning to be able to read aloud in a way that isn't halting and tentative. But when he got to the part where Max commands, "Let the wild rumpus start!" I had him re-read it until he was gleefully shouting, invoking wild things everywhere, just the way Max would have.

Comments

[jodifur]

love, love, loved it. Made me sad. Reminded me of how sad Michael has been lately. Beautiful movie.

[Renee]

So happy to hear what people are saying about this one. Planning on using it as a pregnancy test. If I cry, I'll be making an appt with the ob/gyn after the credits roll.

[Sweetney]

This made me tear up a little. Thanks, Kelly.

[Beth Albert]

I might have to re-watch it sometime much later. I hate being in a theater so I was already cranky. But the movie just seemed so stressful to me, not whimsical at all. There were no resolutions, no realizations that Max came to in regards to needing to grow up a little. My stepson (10) was not impressed. I think he said, "Meh..." but this is the same kid that never like Sesame Street, which to me is like blasphemy or something!

You've made me re-evaluate my thoughts on it and I'm willing to give it another try, just not soon.

[Karen]

I can't wait to see this movie and I'm thrilled to hear it's a keeper. My 3yo is dying to see it too, but I'm worried it's still to BIG a movie for her. The book is short. The movie maybe to heady and long to hold her attention... I'll indulge myself now and rent it for her later maybe?

[JAR]

We loved the movie. My son, aged 5, was able to understand and even empathize with most of the characters. It was heavier and more intense than a lot of his kid movies but I am glad that he enjoyed a movie that made him think. It's a keeper.

[tom]

"There were no resolutions, no realizations that Max came to in regards to needing to grow up a little."

um, you don't think that he felt toward Carol exactly the same way his mom felt towards him in the beginning?!?!?! and that's what sent him home. i think you missed the movie, you should definitely watch it again.

[Anya]

This was one of my favorite books growing up. I even acted as Max in a student play (I know - how cool was my kindergarden teacher casting a girl as Max?). Can't wait to see this movie. Sounds like there might be mixed reviews???

[amber]

Probably my favorite thing about this movie was that it offered no resolution. The wild things in this movie are perfect representations of all the messy, confusing aspects of relationships and emotions that are so scary when you are a kid. Even as adults, these things aren't really less scary. The world can be a big, wild, ugly place no matter how old you get.

And what matters is that maybe you don't find resolution for those feelings, but you can find a harbor and comfort when you accept it. In this movie, it's mom.

To me, the whole movie is a giant metaphor. Everything about it. And the whole mom = comfort in a scary, confusing world was so poignant.

And I loved it.

Sorry to go on. Apparently I have strong feelings about this movie!

[BaltimoreGal]

Well put.

[Zakary]

I LOVED it.

Great review.

I do wish he would have told his mother he was sorry, but that's just me. :)

[Samantha K]

I thought that Spike Jonze missed out on a great opportunity to make something that would be meaningful to adults and children alike; this movie just seemed like nonsense to me