Let the Wild Rumpus Start

Where the Wild Things Are is Spike Jonze's near perfect adaptation of Maurice Sendak's dark children's book. Jonze has created a work beautifully inspired by Sendak's book and yet uniquely his own vision. The film is an emotional rollercoaster that is breathtaking in its beauty and yet grounded in the realities of childhood.

From the frenetic opening scenes in which Max (Max Records) is a bundle of energy bounding around the house, Jonze captures the energy and loneliness of Max's life. These brief scenes of a regular dysfunctional every-family become the references for Max's adventure on the island of the Wild Things.

The film transcends the sum of its parts, and what incredible parts Jonze has assembled. In Max, Jonze has found the perfect lead. Records has such a range of emotion and expressiveness, he seduces you within the first moments of the film. It's an expression of such nuance that he barely moves a muscle when his teacher says the sun is going to die, and yet the horror he's feeling is devastatingly shared. Records is supported by great voice work from James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose, Forest Whitaker, and, particularly, Paul Dano and Catherine O'Hara. Catherine Keener is also fine as Max's mom.

The creative elements are equally important and equally fine. The cinematography and art directions are simply breathtaking. Max's home is 20009-real, and the island seems to flow perfectly from Max's mind, or the mind of any lonely child relying on his imagination to combat that loneliness.

Karen O and Carter Burwell provide a score that also supports the film. The music is essential to the effectiveness of the film. Jonze always foregrounds the score, giving it a dramatic level of importance.

This is not an uplifting children's tale. Where the Wild Things Are is dark, haunting and glorious. Max is "exercising" his demons. We experience the film through the wide eyes of a child but with the knowing perspective of an adult. That makes for a serious, layered experience in which not a frame, a note or a line is wasted.

Oh, how I loved this film. Let the wild rumpus start!