One of the first things that struck me when I saw the official movie poster for this movie was Joaquin Phoenix's eyes. Yes, there is the odd combo of a red shirt and a kind of purple and pink backgrounds that is a bit unsettling, but the eyes just seemed to stand out. I think the reason they stand out is that I've seen him in so many movies before and never really took notice of them. This is probably because blue is not his actual eye color. His actual eyes are hazel, and I'm not sure why Spike Jonze decided to highlight the fake color of his eyes in the poster. I suppose it is something for art people to debate for a few years.
This movie takes place in the near future. Joaquin Phoenix is a writer (insert my usual rant about the fact that hollywood writers don't actually know how to write for anyone who has a pursuit in their life other than writing and consequently seem to love to put writers in their movies as main characters). He is socially awkward and is still recovering from a relationship when the movie starts, and he is going through the process of dealing with other people. We learn that he is more subdued and somber now then he was before.
The big turn in the movie is when he decides to upgrade his OS. For some reason, an OS in this movie is not what you or I would think it is. Instead, it is Siri on steroids. Now, I know there are a lot of technical people who will need to explain that Siri is an application that uses APIs to connect to the different other applications to try to be a layer that you can logically either put on top or underneath, depending on how you are architecting it. And the OS is actually a lower level code base that actually talks directly to the hardware and allows applications to operate without needing to reinvent the wheel.
So, the voice of the OS is Scarlett Johansson. She's breathy and sexy through the whole thing. Even though she's just a voice, she is convincing throughout the movie. This is partially due to a very well written role and partially due to her ability to act. Fact is, she's good, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows it. Sometimes, it's hard for even a sexy woman to seem sexy when you never see her body, but she can do it easy.
The world that they're in is very well depicted. The street scenes rarely show people walking as couples or as a group, as the world is supposed to have more people who are more isolated as a result of technology. Even interpersonal experiences are mostly done over email or something similar. Joaquin's neighbor played by Amy Adams is one of the few exceptions to his world that happens entirely in his head. She does a very good job, as you might expect, and she brings a more intimate side of his character out.
Here's the thing. I think the writers didn't actually understand the underlying technology, and they really didn't have to in order to write the movie. Don't go in with the idea that any of it will be technically accurate. Also, expect a whole heap of uncomfortable sex talk. Imagine listening to some couple having phone sex - and do that like three or four times. I didn't expect that, and I'm not sure I appreciated it as it was intended.
Direction was very good
Acting was excellent
Effects were very good
Story was very good
Dialog was generally good
4/5