Bored and disappointed at the end of Alice In Wonderland, I decided to give Mary and Max a whirl. Where I'd heard of the movie and why it was at the top of my Netflix queue is lost in time. I know I read something about it being great, it's animated, and it's less than 100 minutes, so I figured why not.
It's the best movie I've seen in the last month and a half, maybe all year. I haven't stopped thinking about it since it ended.
Mary is a young, lonely girl in Australia with negligent parents and no friends, other than a rooster. She decides to write to a random person in New York, asking lots of questions and looking for friendship. The random person is Max, an overweight, mid-40s, single male shut-in with social anxiety problems. We see their friendship develop then go through ups and downs as they age.
Ninety percent of the events in the movie should be incredibly depressing. Almost every character we meet dies. Mary's mother is a terrible person. Max has no one and frequently freaks out after reading Mary's letters, leading to massive consumption of chocolate hot dogs and being sent to an asylum.
But for me, everything is bitter-sweet. Events are presented in such a way that it doesn't depress me. It's sad, and your heart goes out to the characters as you identify with their loneliness. The emotional swings are similar in Pixar movies. I can't think of a better compliment for a movie.
I really enjoyed it and want to watch it again. That said, I had some problems with the story. There's a point when Mary grows up, becomes a psychologist, and writes a book about Max's Asbergers. He does not take the news well. My immediate thought is she should have known and expected him to not be happy. They are friends, and she's been studying psychology for years, so it seems like she should have a level of expectation for his emotional response. The other problem I have is the very end, which just felt a little unnecessary. It does work in context of the mood of the entire film, I just was hoping for something a tad more upbeat.
Another thing I found odd is that Max repeatedly says Mary is his only friend. But he has a neighbor, Ivy (I think), who he has dinner with, she takes care of his pets while he's in an asylum, then he gives her millions of dollars after he wins the lottery. I think she would qualify as a friend.
Final note, I still don't believe that's Philip Seymour Hoffman's voice. Can a guy get some awards for voice work?
First Viewing: 3+3+3+2+3 = 14