Friday, February 20

Movie Review: Mary and Max (2009)

Length: 1 hr & 32 mins
Released: 2009
Genre: Drama, Comedy, & animation
Rating: G
Where I Got It: Netflix

SUMMARY:
Spanning 20 years and two continents, "Mary and Max" tells of a pen-pal relationship between two very different people: Mary Dinkle, a chubby, lonely eight-year-old living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia; and Max Horovitz, a severely obese, 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome living in the chaos of New York City. As "Mary and Max" chronicles Mary's trip from adolescence to adulthood, and Max's passage from middle to old age, it explores a bond that survives much more than the average friendship's ups-and-downs.

TRAILER: 



REVIEW:
My friend recommended that I watch this movie. It took me a bit to get motivated to actually do it, because I can be lazy and skeptical. This movie certainly surprised me...it was way better then I imagined. 

The premise seems simple, but there was so much going on in the story. It begins with poor Mary randomly picking an American to write a letter to. Little did she know the person she wrote to was a 40 year old man who's name is Max and he is a New Yorker who has Asperger's Syndrome. A weird relationship and I can why Mary's drunk mother was not pleased. She was a drunk and totally forgot about it and it continued on. However, it is a simple friendship that changed both of their lives for the better. Some parts made me shake my head, but I enjoyed it. I totally would not let my 8 year old talk to someone like Max, not only because he is old, but because there is a lot wrong with him mentally...but oh well.

The animation was creepy...cool...but creepy. It didn't help that the colors are dark, but the animations they used were awesome, but creepy. 

It was a little slow at one point, but I couldn't stop watching. It's one of those movies you can't keep your eyes from. Maybe it's the creepy animations, but maybe it's the story, maybe its both. It got a little dark near the end, but there was a shimmer of hope at the end and it made me smile.

I totally recommend this to those that need a weird and different movie in their lives. It has creepy animations, but the story is amazing. It was sad, but funny as heck. Poor Mary...poor Max. Both had poopy lives before they found each other through letters. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 5 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Mary, the rooster, and Max (even tho he had a lot of issues).
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Damien and Mary's mom