ANOMALISA
Directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman
Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman
Starring David Thewlis; Jennifer Jason Leigh; and Tom Noonan
Michael Stone, an author that specializes in customer service, is a man who is unable to interact deeply with other people. But, when he went on a business trip, he meets a stranger - an extraordinary stranger, which slowly became a cure for his negative view on life.
Often you hear people describe a film by saying "You have never seen anything like it". Well I am here to tell you without a doubt, with Anomalisa, you have never seen anything like it.
Charlie Kaufman is a master of odd films and this is surly one. We follow a cranky Michael Stone and his mundane life into a hotel for a conference. How mundane? Every single person he interacts with has the same voice. Be it female or male. They are all voiced by Tom Noonan. It is very odd and takes awhile to get used to. Note the hotel is called The Fregoli. The Fregoli Delusion is an actual condition where a person thinks everyone is the same in disguise. Then he meets Lisa who takes his heart and brings out life in him. She is voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh. From there....no spoilers.
For me there was a disconnect. Maybe it was because I was distracted by the whole puppet thing (including the puppet sex). Maybe it was he was married but in a hotel maybe falsely leading on a young lonely woman. Maybe it was that Michael Stone is not that likable and he was the lead.
The trailer felt happy and full of hope but the film felt sad. The ending felt like there was a celebration of hope but I felt it was just false.
Positives? The trailer is correct that it really captures life and the day to day survival of it. So the screenplay is very good and real. There is one great and funny and lovely scene involving GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN. Just adorable.
3 out of 5 stars for Anomalisa. Well they took a chance and did something different. I just was not as taken with it as the national critics.
Charlie Kaufman is a master of odd films and this is surly one. We follow a cranky Michael Stone and his mundane life into a hotel for a conference. How mundane? Every single person he interacts with has the same voice. Be it female or male. They are all voiced by Tom Noonan. It is very odd and takes awhile to get used to. Note the hotel is called The Fregoli. The Fregoli Delusion is an actual condition where a person thinks everyone is the same in disguise. Then he meets Lisa who takes his heart and brings out life in him. She is voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh. From there....no spoilers.
For me there was a disconnect. Maybe it was because I was distracted by the whole puppet thing (including the puppet sex). Maybe it was he was married but in a hotel maybe falsely leading on a young lonely woman. Maybe it was that Michael Stone is not that likable and he was the lead.
The trailer felt happy and full of hope but the film felt sad. The ending felt like there was a celebration of hope but I felt it was just false.
Positives? The trailer is correct that it really captures life and the day to day survival of it. So the screenplay is very good and real. There is one great and funny and lovely scene involving GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN. Just adorable.
3 out of 5 stars for Anomalisa. Well they took a chance and did something different. I just was not as taken with it as the national critics.
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