 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Where the Wild Things Are
- Review Date: October 5, 2009
- PG
- Genre: Fantasy
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
Sometimes-dark adaptation focuses on friendship, loneliness.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that director Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are isn't appropriate for younger kids, even those who adore the book (there's a big difference between looking at a beautifully illustrated children's story and watching a live-action movie full of sights and sounds that will probably scare the average 4-year-old). The movie explores mature themes of loneliness, insecurity, and fear of change, both within Max's human family and the one he finds on his adventure. The island that Max lands on can be a scary and dark place, and the Wild Things themselves aren't above threatening (repeatedly) to eat Max, as well as becoming hot-headed and destructive (and when a Wild Thing gets destructive, it can be quite intense). The movie also has a slower, dreamier feel than many other kids' movies, and relationships and storylines aren't always neatly resolved. There's some mild language ("damn," "stupid") and a quick glimpse of Max's mom and her boyfriend drinking wine and kissing, but otherwise the PG rating is due mostly to Max's occasionally frightful time with the mysterious Wild Things.
What's the story?
Director Spike Jonze and co-writer Dave Eggers' adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are fleshes out Maurice Sendak's protagonist Max (Max Records) to provide a reason behind his wolf suit-wearing mischief. He's an imaginative kid with boundless energy. But when his mom (Catherine Keener) doesn't seem to have time for him, he snaps, tries to bite her, and runs away. Suburban woods lead him to a sailboat that heads straight to a mysterious island inhabited by Wild Things. Unlike in the book, each movie Wild Thing has a distinct name and personality: There's insecure Carol (James Gandolfini), sarcastic Judith (Catherine O'Hara), sweet Ira (Forest Whitaker), misunderstood Alexander (Paul Dano), wise Douglas (Chris Cooper), and loving KW (Lauren Ambrose). Max persuades the Wild Things not to eat him by claiming he's a king with special powers. At first ruling the island a joy -- "let the wild rumpus start!" -- but as time passes, Max begins to disappoint the dysfunctional monsters, and he eventually grows fearful that they'll realize he's just a boy pretending to be a wolf pretending to be a king.
Is it any good?
Usually, beloved children's books are adapted with a kiddie audience in mind, but Where the Wild Things Are isn't for the Happy Meal set. It's a leisurely paced, literary film that makes you reflect on the exuberance and sadness of being a child. The Wild Things are indeed a wild bunch -- they smash things and claim to have eaten all of their other kings -- but they're also a broody, sarcastic, touchy clan wrestling with jealousy (Carol hates that KW is friends with two owls, Terry and Bob), isolation (Alex feels ignored), and misunderstandings (KW wants everyone to get along). It's not all rumpus-making, sleeping in a pile, and dirt-clot fights for King Max.
Visually, the film is beautifully simple, whether it's a heartbreaking close-up of a teary-eyed Max or an expansive shot of the Wild Things' island. It's amazing how perfectly Sendak's monsters come to life and how perfectly newcomer Records plays the spirited and vulnerable Max. He truly shines, especially acting opposite Keener, Gandolfini, and Ambrose. And the excellent voice cast, who actually rehearsed together, makes you forget you're watching CGI-enhanced 9-foot puppets. The movie's evocative soundtrack, composed by Carter Burrell and Karen O. (frontwoman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) switches from playful to eerie to jubilant to frightening, and it's a spot-on accompaniment to Max's journey. This isn't a movie you cuddle with the kids over, the way you do with the book. It is, however, an artful, touching text on the magical but at times lonely nature of childhood.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what makes Max scared and angry. Why does he get mad at his sister and his mom? What does he want from them? What does he learn about families from his time among the Wild Things?
Each of the Wild Things has a personality, opinions, and concerns. Are the Wild Things symbolic of different character traits? Kids: Which Wild Thing was the most relatable?
How does the movie compare to the book? How did the filmmakers change the story? Does an adaptation have to to translate exactly what's in a book to be faithful? How do you think the movie might be different if it were meant for younger kids?
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AGE
Zero Stars- Don't Even LOOK At It!
Went to see it on my birthday. Worst. Movie. Ever. By far. It was pointless. The book was better. But, the worst movie by far! It was so bad that I wanted to throw up, bury myself in a hole and die. Can you PLEASE let me rate it zero stars. Believe me, I would! It's like a black hole! I wasted my life. Its so depressing and just plain horrible! Don't take kids to see it, don't even LOOK at it, don't rent, buy it, nothing!
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AGE
I don't understand all the negative reaction to this movie. It is a good movie--even though it is not the typical shiny, happy movie for kids--we have enough of those. I've seen many comments on what a violent movie it was. There was only one iffy scene (the arm scene). I thought the interaction between the characters was wonderful. The movie didn't wrap everything up in a nice tidy package at the end either. It made you think. And, different people can have different ideas of what the movie meant to them. I enjoyed taking my kids to a movie that made them question and think about things afterwards. While I wouldn't say that my 9 & 12 year old kids loved it, they did say that they liked it and thought it was different. And, I think different is a good thing.
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AGE
Should remain unseen
**** Mild spoilers ahead****
This was one of my favorite books as a child and one of my least favorite movies as college student.
To those who know Jonze, it's not surprise the way the film ended up. It's angst-ridden and filled with light easy-listening indie pop music. I'm not one for nostalgia but this film utterly failed to capture the spirit of the book. It seems like Maurice Sendak, who was involved in the making of the film, forgot what he wrote more than 35 years ago.
The book had a story of adventure and freedom, while the film is overly-dramatic, filled with almost constant sadness. There's nothing wrong with a film departing from the book its based on, but this film is a poor one even in a vacuum. The constant sorrow in the film takes away from what could be a very touching scene of Max leaving the island. Because the characters are so sad throughout the film, there's no real change in emotion in the final scene.
Jonze puts the monsters in constant conflict with each other, back and forth between love and hate and it gets tiresome very quickly.
However it is incredibly beautiful and the animation/puppetry is stunning.
Children will likely be frightened by the violent interactions and probably turned off by the slow pace and dialogue that will likely be over their heads.
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AGE
DISTURBING
I went and watched it with my four year old brother and dad, and I CRIED. It was an amazing movie, I have to say, but very, very violent and disturbing. I had nightmares. First of all, the opening scenes made me tear up a little bit. Max is making a snowfort and her sister and her friends (some boys) come over and the guys start tearing it apart, and they jump on top of him, causing him to cry and his lip to bleed. Then, they just leave. The mother swears at him later and is emotionally abusive to him, which was horrible. He then runs away and finds a little boat and goes through the ocean to get to a tiny island, where he finds the "Wild Things". In short form, they have fun together, but there are some extremely disturbing and scenes. They can also be very gruesome, such as when someone's arm is torn off, and also one of the characters goes on a rant and tears after Max, proclaiming he's going to eat him, so another character hides Max in her sticky, gooey, dark MOUTH. Ew. Horrible messages throughout the movie except at the end when Max comes home and the family bonds (sort of). All in all, it's a fantastic movie, very well put together, but NOT AT ALL like the popular's children's book. Not for anyone under ten, and even that's pushing it. Gruesome, disturbing, violent, but in the end ... amazing. :)
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AGE
Bleak & Depressing
We are usually a pretty laid back movie family -- not much gets to us. We just loaded up the boys and took them to see this movie. They've been so excited because Daddy reads this book to them all the time, just as his Dad did for him. We are so disappointed we are almost as angry and miserable as the characters. Dark, Depressing, Bleak,Angry, Miserable, Destructive, Lonely ... those are the words that come to mind when attempting to describe the message and tone of this film. How could Zemeckis do THAT to such a beloved children's story? I have always read that book as the story of one little boy's wildly active imagination, never as the monsters that are coming from the dark recesses of his troubled mind. We have spent the last hour discussing the reality that we do not find a single thing in that movie acceptable and the boys are asking why everybody in the movie is so mad and sad. Tickets for Family of 5 + Snack Packs for the Kids = $50 down the drain and a family deflated by the whole experience.
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Kid, 12 years old
December 6, 2010
AGE
boring, dark, and the worst movie ever
I really HATE this movie. Don't buy it, Don't rent it, Don't think about buying it, and worst of all, Don't even LOOK at it.
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AGE
about children, not necessarily for children
Not sure why people are upset that they can't take their small children; wait for Astroboy, or see Chance of Meatballs still in theaters. It may be that the age appropriateness of the book needs re-evaluation. In the book and film the boy is threatening a dog with a fork after all.
Get a babysitter and go see this movie, or take your older child if you must. It is excellently directed, will have you laughing, and your heart palpitating. The rumpus is fun, but there is always an edge of peril.
The film deals with loneliness, and fear, and trying to cope with those things in a healthy way, rather than acting out (sometimes violently) and alienating the very people (or monsters) you love.
The photography is gorgeous, and the monsters are incredible replicas. I think Jonze does a fair reading of the book, and interprets it into film beautifully.
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AGE
Now there's two hours I'll never get back...
In a child's book made into a full length movie, I expect plot events to be, you know, added. (Think, Polar Express, etc.) Here, it's just the events from the very short book, spread over time mixed with sleeping in a pile, throwing dirt, and many violent and petty arguments.
Some have said it's all metaphorical, that each wild thing represents parts of Max or his family. However, I don't believe we know enough about his family to make any informed connections. We only see them at the very beginning, centered mostly around truly disturbing behavior in Max. Honestly, he needs evaluation and probably medication. Max looks to be about age 10 or 11, and my 3-year-old would be in trouble for behaving as immaturely as he does.
So, if you are in a Child Psych 101 class, analyze it in your thesis paper, include which wild thing is who and why...knock yourself out. However, as a movie experience: dark, depressing, and so boring, even the mother character falls asleep at the end.
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AGE
OK for families who prepare their kids
I took my three boys, ages 3, 8, and 10 to see it. They all liked it and my husband and I were very happy with how the book had been turned into a movie. I had read an article interviewing Spike Jonze and Maurice Sendak, so I knew that it was a "real movie" with "real kids" discussing difficult emotions and not just a feel-good happy movie. I talked with my kids ahead of time and that helped prepare them.
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AGE
I took my 8 yr old step-son to this movie for his birthday. We had been reading about it and knew that it wasn't really a "kids" movie but we still wanted to see what it was about. I personally loved it, with a 8 yr old that has been through many issues with his mother and some anger problems this move was perfect! It showed him that he was not alone when he felt certain ways. I also loved the way that dialogue was meant for kids, it helped him to get into it more. I think this is a great movie.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters, misfits and underdogs |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Spike Jonze |
| Cast: | Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Max Records |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Run time: | 100 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 16, 2009 |
| DVD release date: | March 2, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language |
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