Wild Things Refresh

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Those who see Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are without knowing how skimpy the narrative is in the original Maurice Sendak pictutre book "are excused for feeling a little let down," writes The Gothamist's John Del Signore.

From Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are.

"But is there anyone who didn't fall for Where the Wild Things Are as a child? The book casts a hell of a spell, and Jonze and screenwriter Dave Eggers miraculously succeed in recreating its elusive essence. This is a movie that makes you want to call your mother, and that's not something you can say about most studio pictures. Not even Dr. Dolittle 2.

"Ultimately, Where the Wild Things Are stays interesting, despite its subdued narrative arc, because it's an unabashedly heartfelt meditation on the primal emotions that overwhelm us in childhood. It floats along on the strength of its raw sincerity and sharp wits, and if at times it verges on sentimentality, the sentiment is not unearned. It's rare for a big-budget movie to dare to be this melancholy without any bullshit, cloying contrivances."

Wes Responds<< previous | next >>Full Fox Press

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 14, 2009 at 2:24 AM

comment #1

LexG says ...

"But is there anyone who didn't fall for Where the Wild Things Are as a child?"

Er... I'm almost 37, and honestly I'd never heard of this, ever, until the last six months or so when I knew the movie was coming out, because I read film blogs.

When did the book come out? Without consulting Wikipedia, I have no idea, know nothing about this story, at all.

Is this something from the last 10 or 15 years... or just one of those gaps in my childhood like Sid and Marty Krofft that I always hear referenced but damn sure never saw when I was a kid?

Other than Peanuts, Sesame Street, Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker, I never seem to have been aware of ANY of these supposed youthful signposts that everyone else my age shares.

Posted by LexG at October 14, 2009 3:20 AM

comment #2

DeeZee says ...

Lex: It came out about a decade before you were born. If it makes you feel better. I was a child of the 80s, and didn't know shit about The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

Posted by DeeZee at October 14, 2009 3:48 AM

comment #3

bridgeman says ...

Go to your local bookstore and, if said local bookstore has the book, then read it there. It only takes a few minutes.

Posted by bridgeman at October 14, 2009 4:21 AM

comment #4

dggunz says ...

Okay, saw a free screening last night, and the film was excellent. The audience applauded at the end. A very nicely textured movie with a very natural and appealing performance by Max Records.

Posted by dggunz at October 14, 2009 4:36 AM

comment #5

Krazy Eyes says ...

This is currently my 2-year-old favorite book. He's seen the trailer a bunch of times and loves it and he even starts to rock out whenever he hears Arcade Fire now.

I think the film looks fantastic and I really want to see this in the theater -- but the kid's still too young for a full-length film and I'll feel like I'm cheating on him if I see it without him. Hmmm.

Posted by Krazy Eyes at October 14, 2009 5:23 AM

comment #6

corey3rd says ...

Being older than you, LexG, I grew up with the book next to my bed. It's been popular for quite sometime. Like all of the days you've been alive. What a bubble to have somehow not merely avoided it as part of your childhood, but for a generation and a half around you who didn't ask you to read that book to them before bedtime and make the monster noises sound right. It's like Winnie the Pooh with teeth.

There is a short animated version read by PDQ Bach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSkHA6IjrlY

Posted by corey3rd at October 14, 2009 6:17 AM

comment #7

Ulysses says ...

I guess that I'm a child of the 70s, which is why I like classic animation, the Beatles and am very conversant with the Krofft universe. I came "of age" in the 80s, which is probably why I have never understood why a lot of peoples pillory the music of that decade. I love it. NOT the big hair bands, but the so-called "new wave" music. I had never heard of Where the Wild Things Are, though I did know who Maurice Sendak was/is.

Posted by Ulysses at October 14, 2009 6:24 AM

comment #8

Alex Stroup says ...

Though I must have read it when I was a kid (because I read everything within reach) I have absolutely no recollection of the book or any feelings about it either way.

But my wife cries when she sees the trailer and I'll give Jonze the benefit of the doubt. So I'm glad to see positive response since so far the only critical view I'd run into so far was Dana Stevens on a Slate podcast, she and her two co-talkers savaged it pretty thoroughly.

Posted by Alex Stroup at October 14, 2009 6:50 AM

comment #9

Ryansi51 says ...

LexG, you may be a douche, but i actually feel really sorry for you lately. NEVER traveling or even THINKING it was an option and then never even hearing about WTWTA?

did your parents just lock you in your room with porn or something?

Posted by Ryansi51 at October 14, 2009 6:54 AM

comment #10

Chase Kahn says ...

Lex: Bow to WTWTA...I'm 21 and I remember reading this book vividly as a kid...

Posted by Chase Kahn at October 14, 2009 6:58 AM

comment #11

Sabina E says ...

Um... I'm a child of the 80s (born in '82) and I grew up with this book. What planet are you guys from? Almost every 20something years old adult I know, is excited for the movie 'cos we all grew up with the book.

I re-read the book again about 3 months ago and I was actually surprised how simple and short the story was, so I'm curious how the hell they managed to make a feature length movie out of this. Can't wait to see it.

Posted by Sabina E at October 14, 2009 7:19 AM

comment #12

bluefugue says ...

I'm 34. Sendak was around when I grew up and I am pretty sure I read Wild Things at some point in my childhood. To the best of my recollection, I liked it fine, but it didn't make a super-strong impact.

On the other hand -- Peanuts, Tintin, Richard Scarry, King Aroo, the Hobbit (reading "Riddles in the Dark" at age 6-7 -- frightening!) -- this is the stuff of which my childhood was made. Yes, Richard Scarry, whose happy little dogs and cats from "What Do People Do All Day?" made the world seem like an orderly, good-natured place, and made adulthood seem both comfortingly banal and an adventure to look forward to. Scarry may have been the anti-Sendak, now I think about it, but I liked him all the same.

Posted by bluefugue at October 14, 2009 7:26 AM

comment #13

Monument says ...

I'm sure I read it but I don't have any emotional attachment. I learned to read at a young age and remember feeling ripped off by these one sentence per page kind of books.

Posted by Monument at October 14, 2009 7:44 AM

comment #14

Dance Commander says ...

Wells is wise to keep posting to others responses because when and if his own materializes, we can't trust it. I think I remember a certain decree whereby he refused and swore to never watch a movie about children again. So if he sees it and hates it his view is useless because he hates/dismisses outright all films about kids by default. And if he sees it and likes it then he's caught with a big foot in his mouth. The thought of which I think will futz with his judgement big time. So pretty much no matter what, he has to dislike, belittle, smirk at or attempt to put in its place the final product.

Posted by Dance Commander at October 14, 2009 7:44 AM

comment #15

Eloi Manning says ...

WTWTA (the book) is very overrated. It's a nice enough picture book, but it's hardly earth-shattering. It's on about the same level as The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Tiger Who Came For Tea. Simplistic story, nice pictures, great for very young kids. But it's hardly on a par with Roald Dahl's books, for example. Which is why Jonze and Eggers probably had a much more difficult task adapting it than Anderson did with Mr. Fox.

I'm looking forward to them both.

Posted by Eloi Manning at October 14, 2009 7:55 AM

comment #16

Eloi Manning says ...

It's a shame Dr. Seuss got shafted by Hollywood.

Posted by Eloi Manning at October 14, 2009 7:55 AM

comment #17

EdHavens says ...

I call bullshit on Lex. I can understanding not having read Wild Things as a child, but not ever hearing of it until now? Bullshit.

As for the film, I found it to be nothing short of miraculous.

Posted by EdHavens at October 14, 2009 8:04 AM

comment #18

Alex Stroup says ...

Doesn't seem so horribly unlikely to me. Like I said, I must have read it as a kid. And I was certainly aware of it from my days working in a public library.

But until it was announced that this movie was underway I think I can safely say it had never come up for me even once between the age of, say, 12 and 35. If you don't have kids or hang out with them at some point, there's no reason it would come up.

Posted by Alex Stroup at October 14, 2009 8:29 AM

comment #19

Ryansi51 says ...

Eloi Manning, you make an awesome point. But there are some great Dr. Seuss properties yet to be made, here's hoping they take as good care as Jonze and Anderson seem to have.

Posted by Ryansi51 at October 14, 2009 9:09 AM

comment #20

buckzollo says ...

Lex you should call your mother and find out what gives? When is Brown Bear going into development?

Posted by buckzollo at October 14, 2009 9:10 AM

comment #21

George Prager says ...

LexG was probably a latch-key kid. As for "Where the Wild Tihngs Are"... yes I read it as a kid. Then I moved on.

Posted by George Prager at October 14, 2009 9:13 AM

comment #22

George Prager says ...

I eagerly await Paul Thomas Anderson's GOOD NIGHT GORILLA.

Posted by George Prager at October 14, 2009 9:14 AM

comment #23

Eloi Manning says ...

Ken Loach's THE JOLLY POSTMAN.

Posted by Eloi Manning at October 14, 2009 11:14 AM

comment #24

TL says ...

WTWTA (the book) is very overrated. It's a nice enough picture book, but it's hardly earth-shattering. It's on about the same level as The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Tiger Who Came For Tea.

WTWTA has a surprisingly sophisticated (for a children's story) take on the resolution of anger; it's not just a story about a boy who romps around with some imaginary monsters. "Hungry Caterpillar" isn't even in the same league (I read both to my kids frequently).

Posted by TL at October 14, 2009 12:11 PM

comment #25

Rich S. says ...

Todd Solondz's HOP ON POP.

Posted by Rich S. at October 14, 2009 12:17 PM

comment #26

Carl LaFong says ...

James Cameron's epic 3-D IMAX CGI-fest ONE FISH TWO FISH RED FISH BLUE FISH....

Posted by Carl LaFong at October 14, 2009 12:57 PM

comment #27

George Prager says ...

Werner Herzog's ARE YOU MY MOTHER?

Posted by George Prager at October 14, 2009 1:15 PM

comment #28

matt cousens says ...

Born in 1983. Favorite childhood book, by far. Lex, you're a sad, bizarre man. And you don't even travel.

Posted by matt cousens at October 14, 2009 1:18 PM

comment #29

DeeZee says ...

Ulysses: People hated 80s music, because they thought it should have to say something, and now they've made it so it says even less than before. I found it particularly sad and pathetic that Alanis had to mock a one-hit wonder to maintain her facade of relevance.

Deafbrown: I'm not excited about the movie, even though I loved the book, because I have a feeling it'll be another wank-fest for hipsters and will totally leave the rest of us out of the equation.

Ed: I can buy Lex's story. I never heard of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or James and Giant Peach until the early 90s.

Posted by DeeZee at October 14, 2009 1:40 PM

comment #30

Rich S. says ...

Lars von Trier's HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON.

Posted by Rich S. at October 14, 2009 1:56 PM

comment #31

corey3rd says ...

Spike was supposed to make Harold and the Purple Crayon

Posted by corey3rd at October 14, 2009 3:27 PM

comment #32

The Winchester says ...

Lars Von Trier's Goodnight Moon.

didn't he actually just announce this?

Posted by The Winchester at October 14, 2009 5:26 PM

comment #33

Krillian says ...

I'm 36. I loved the book as a kid but I agree I loved it around the range of The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Hand Hand Fingers Thumb or There's A Monster at the End of This Book.

As for Seuss, my faves were Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now? (written for Nixon) and There's A Wocket in My Pocket. I have no desire to see these turned into movies. Horton Hears a Who may have been pretty good, but Cat in the Hat was beyond terrible.

But Spike seems to have hit something really special here and I'm looking forward to taking my kids to it.

Posted by Krillian at October 14, 2009 5:44 PM

comment #34

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

"Ulysses: People hated 80s music, because they thought it should have to say something, and now they've made it so it says even less than before. I found it particularly sad and pathetic that Alanis had to mock a one-hit wonder to maintain her facade of relevance."

People hate Fake D.Z., because they thought he should have to say something, and now he's made it so he says even less than before. Seriously -- what on earth do Alanis and the Black Eyed Peas have to do with 80s music??

"I'm not excited about the movie, even though I loved the book, because I have a feeling it'll be another wank-fest for hipsters and will totally leave the rest of us out of the equation."

But then you're always left out of the equation, because you troll on a serious movie discussion board, and you don't even like film. Also, you're not really human. And honestly -- a "wank-fest for hipsters?" Have you even seen a Spike Jonze movie before in your life ("No...")?

"I can buy Lex's story. I never heard of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or James and Giant Peach until the early 90s."

This is about the least surprising thing you've written. Ever.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at October 14, 2009 5:51 PM

comment #35

crazynine says ...

Eli Roth's Everybody Poops.

Posted by crazynine at October 14, 2009 5:57 PM

comment #36

DeeZee says ...

Kane: "Seriously -- what on earth do Alanis and the Black Eyed Peas have to do with 80s music??"

Well, the point is that they don't have anything to do with music, period, and the 80s was the last time that bands cared about that.

"Have you even seen a Spike Jonze movie before in your life"

i've seen some of his music videos, and they clearly show a need for social validation.

Posted by DeeZee at October 14, 2009 7:31 PM

comment #37

DeeZee says ...

But if you need to see Christopher Walken tap-dance that badly, have a blast. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Ky5R-vxns

Posted by DeeZee at October 14, 2009 7:48 PM

comment #38

bluefugue says ...

>and the 80s was the last time that bands cared about that.

Plenty of bands in the last 25 years have cared about music (i.e. the business of sticking notes together to form a harmonious whole). I love New Wave, though. Was just listening to the Cars this afternoon. Drive, Since You're Gone... pop masterpieces, simple as that.

Best Seuss for me would be the 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and the Sneeches.

Also great for kids: The Little Prince and D'Aullaire's Book of Greek Myths.

Posted by bluefugue at October 14, 2009 9:10 PM

comment #39

raph says ...

Jane Campion's Dick and Jane trilogy: We Look and See, We Work and Play, We Come and Go.

Posted by raph at October 15, 2009 7:13 AM

comment #40

George Prager says ...

I see that DeeZee has been working on the autism thing. It's going well. Assigning morality and logic to things that have neither. Well done.

Posted by George Prager at October 15, 2009 8:21 AM

comment #41

Krillian says ...

Darren Aronofsky's The Giving Tree.

Posted by Krillian at October 15, 2009 10:28 PM

comment #42

Bob Violence says ...

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