Genre: Comedy, Drama, Claymation
Director: Adam Elliot
Starring (voices): Toni Collette, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Humphries, Bethany Whitmore, Eric Bana
Running Time: 80 minutes (plus trailers)
I’m not going to lie to you: I was at the end of my tether. I love movies (hence the blog), but my recent theatrical experiences were taking a drastic toll. The combined effect of Knowing and Dragonball Evolution took me to a dark place from which I thought there may be no escape. I needed a miracle. I needed a film that was funny, touching and well crafted, a film that would remind me why I enjoyed going to the cinema every week (and sometimes three or four times). Mary and Max proved to be just that. Sweet, quirky and beautiful in every respect of the word, this movie was my saving grace and I cannot recommend it enough. From the gorgeous animation to the amazing voicework to the simple but powerful story, Mary and Max is a timeless tale about friendship, and is perhaps one of my favourite Australian films of all time (not that that’s saying a whole lot.)
Mary and Max was written, directed and designed by Adam Elliot, whose claymated (is that a word?) short film Harvey Krumpet won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. This film shares many similarities with Krumpet: the animation, the bizarre and at times grizzly sense of humour as well as the ultimately optimistic messages about life. Mary is an lonely eight year old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Her family consists of an alcoholic mother, an introverted father and a pet rooster named Ethel. Max is a 44 year old man living in New York City. He is morbidly obese, and suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. They become pen-pals after Mary picks his name at random out of a phonebook, and from there, their unusual friendship blossoms, spanning over twenty years.
This simple premise is executed almost flawlessly by Elliot and his cast and crew; the film took five years to make, and their passion and dedication is apparent in every frame. The look of this film is absolutely superb. The animation style makes it feel hand crafted, and you get the sense that it was a true labour of love. From the opening sequence to the end credits, the attention to detail in each shot will blow you away. Residents of Melbourne will take enormous pleasure in the authenticity of Elliot’s recreation of Mount Waverley, reflecting Australian suburban life perfectly – from the Sherrin football on a rooftop to a lone sausage on a backyard barbecue. This film is filled with hundreds of Easter eggs that promise to reveal themselves on repeat viewing (something I certainly intend to do.) However, even those who have never been to Melbourne can appreciate the amount of work that went into every single shot, as well as the atmosphere that those details help create.
On top of the animation, every other production element in this film is equally well suited. The voicework is terrific without exception: Phillip Seymour Hoffman captures Max’s anxiety and loneliness with incredible subtlety, Barry Humphries is brilliantly cast as the narrator, and the highlight is newcomer Bethany Whitmore as the voice of young Mary. Elliot’s direction is ambitious, and he never allows the animation to cause him to take shortcuts with the camera work. The use of music is great, and I have been humming the films infectious main theme all day.
But as wonderful as design and detail are, they are nothing without a good story and interesting characters. And thankfully, Mary and Max has that as well. The friendship between these two loners is so moving and feels so genuine that you will forget that you are watching a movie, let alone an animated one. It is not the most original or most compelling story, and perhaps one would expect more from a live action film, but it works. Additionally, this movie had me laughing out loud many times in the theatre, and the humour ranges from simple and subtle to sick and twisted. One gets the feeling that Elliot is something of a cynic, and this is reflected in some of the darker and more morbid jokes. However, he wisely keeps this separate from his characters, and so even when we are laughing at the various and ridiculous ways in which supporting characters kick the bucket, Max and Mary always remain innocent, kind and fundamentally good.
As much as the nerdish fanboy in me is protesting, Mary and Max is officially overtaking Watchmen as my favourite film of the year so far. I loved this film: it made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me think. Beautiful in both it’s style and it’s substance, it is touching, it is funny, it is authentic and it is a must see for people young and old, for those recovering from Dragonball fever, and for those who simply love going to the movies.
Mary and Max is in cinemas in Australia now. It will be available in the US on demand from October 14th. You can watch Elliot's award winning short film Harvey Krumpet here.
Starring (voices): Toni Collette, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Humphries, Bethany Whitmore, Eric Bana
Running Time: 80 minutes (plus trailers)
I’m not going to lie to you: I was at the end of my tether. I love movies (hence the blog), but my recent theatrical experiences were taking a drastic toll. The combined effect of Knowing and Dragonball Evolution took me to a dark place from which I thought there may be no escape. I needed a miracle. I needed a film that was funny, touching and well crafted, a film that would remind me why I enjoyed going to the cinema every week (and sometimes three or four times). Mary and Max proved to be just that. Sweet, quirky and beautiful in every respect of the word, this movie was my saving grace and I cannot recommend it enough. From the gorgeous animation to the amazing voicework to the simple but powerful story, Mary and Max is a timeless tale about friendship, and is perhaps one of my favourite Australian films of all time (not that that’s saying a whole lot.)Mary and Max was written, directed and designed by Adam Elliot, whose claymated (is that a word?) short film Harvey Krumpet won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. This film shares many similarities with Krumpet: the animation, the bizarre and at times grizzly sense of humour as well as the ultimately optimistic messages about life. Mary is an lonely eight year old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Her family consists of an alcoholic mother, an introverted father and a pet rooster named Ethel. Max is a 44 year old man living in New York City. He is morbidly obese, and suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. They become pen-pals after Mary picks his name at random out of a phonebook, and from there, their unusual friendship blossoms, spanning over twenty years.
This simple premise is executed almost flawlessly by Elliot and his cast and crew; the film took five years to make, and their passion and dedication is apparent in every frame. The look of this film is absolutely superb. The animation style makes it feel hand crafted, and you get the sense that it was a true labour of love. From the opening sequence to the end credits, the attention to detail in each shot will blow you away. Residents of Melbourne will take enormous pleasure in the authenticity of Elliot’s recreation of Mount Waverley, reflecting Australian suburban life perfectly – from the Sherrin football on a rooftop to a lone sausage on a backyard barbecue. This film is filled with hundreds of Easter eggs that promise to reveal themselves on repeat viewing (something I certainly intend to do.) However, even those who have never been to Melbourne can appreciate the amount of work that went into every single shot, as well as the atmosphere that those details help create.
On top of the animation, every other production element in this film is equally well suited. The voicework is terrific without exception: Phillip Seymour Hoffman captures Max’s anxiety and loneliness with incredible subtlety, Barry Humphries is brilliantly cast as the narrator, and the highlight is newcomer Bethany Whitmore as the voice of young Mary. Elliot’s direction is ambitious, and he never allows the animation to cause him to take shortcuts with the camera work. The use of music is great, and I have been humming the films infectious main theme all day.But as wonderful as design and detail are, they are nothing without a good story and interesting characters. And thankfully, Mary and Max has that as well. The friendship between these two loners is so moving and feels so genuine that you will forget that you are watching a movie, let alone an animated one. It is not the most original or most compelling story, and perhaps one would expect more from a live action film, but it works. Additionally, this movie had me laughing out loud many times in the theatre, and the humour ranges from simple and subtle to sick and twisted. One gets the feeling that Elliot is something of a cynic, and this is reflected in some of the darker and more morbid jokes. However, he wisely keeps this separate from his characters, and so even when we are laughing at the various and ridiculous ways in which supporting characters kick the bucket, Max and Mary always remain innocent, kind and fundamentally good.
As much as the nerdish fanboy in me is protesting, Mary and Max is officially overtaking Watchmen as my favourite film of the year so far. I loved this film: it made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me think. Beautiful in both it’s style and it’s substance, it is touching, it is funny, it is authentic and it is a must see for people young and old, for those recovering from Dragonball fever, and for those who simply love going to the movies.Mary and Max is in cinemas in Australia now. It will be available in the US on demand from October 14th. You can watch Elliot's award winning short film Harvey Krumpet here.
