Where the Wild Things Are

3.00
    Where the Wild Things Are
    2009

    Synopsis

    Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.

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    Cast

    • Max RecordsMax
    • Catherine KeenerMom
    • James GandolfiniCarol (voice)
    • Lauren AmbroseKW (voice)
    • Catherine O'HaraJudith (voice)
    • Forest WhitakerIra (voice)
    • Chris CooperDouglas (voice)
    • Paul DanoAlexander (voice)
    • Spike JonzeBob (voice) / Terry (voice)
    • Pepita EmmerichsClaire

    Recommendations

    • 100

      Entertainment Weekly

      This is one of the year's best. To paraphrase the Wild Thing named KW, I could eat it up, I love it so.
    • 80

      New York Magazine (Vulture)

      For all the artfulness, the feel of the film is rough-hewn, almost primitive. It’s a fabulous tree house of a movie.
    • 75

      Chicago Sun-Times

      The movie felt long to me, and there were some stretches during which I was less than riveted. Is it possible that there wasn't enough Sendak story to justify a feature-length film?
    • 75

      ReelViews

      The result is an involving experience for all but the most fidgety children and an opportunity for parents to enjoy (rather than endure) a motion picture with their offspring.
    • 63

      St. Louis Post-Dispatch

      To their credit, the creative team has retained the handmade look and unruly spirit of Maurice Sendak's bedtime fable; to their discredit, they haven't added enough narrative or emotional dimension to make it an effective movie.
    • 60

      The Hollywood Reporter

      Where the film falters is Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers' adaptation, which fails to invest this world with strong emotions.
    • 60

      Variety

      Director Spike Jonze's sharp instincts and vibrant visual style can't quite compensate for the lack of narrative eventfulness that increasingly bogs down this bright-minded picture.
    • 50

      The New Yorker

      I have a vision of eight-year-olds leaving the movie in bewilderment. Why are the creatures so unhappy? That question doesn’t return a child to safety or anywhere else. Of one thing I am sure: children will be relieved when Max gets away from this anxious crew.

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