Where the Wild Things Are

Judith: Happiness isn't always the best way to be happy.

This wasn't a book I really read as a child and normally a film adaptation of a 300 word picture book wouldn't be something I'd pay attention to (considering the outcome of numerous Seuss adaptations), but after seeing the trailer for this live-action Spike Jonze's film, I knew it would be different. One thing that was obvious after seeing it was that this isn't a kids' film (unfortunately for the adorable little boy dressed as Max that we met outside the theater) and that may have cost it theatrical success, but for adults, it's an interesting look at what it means to be a child and what it means to grow up.

Max, a rambunctious, imaginative little boy, feels ignored and helpless. His sister is too busy with her friends to pay any attention to him and his mother is preoccupied with work and her new boyfriend. After throwing a tantrum, Max runs away from home, sailing across the sea to the land where the wild things are. He becomes their king and immediately gets all the friends and attention he wants. But when real problems start to interrupt his eternal playtime, Max begins to see that the world is more complicated than he thought.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Where the Wild Things Are is a beautifully shot film with wonderful sets and landscapes. The acting, especially by the star Max Records, brings the whole thing to life with the actors playing the wild things (James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, and Lauren Ambrose) doing a great job of emulating the childish behavior that script draws upon. And the childishness isn't always the idealized, joyful innocence we prefer to remember but also the stubbornness, pettiness, and selfishness. Max, angry at his mother, runs away from home and finds the wild things who are trying to calm down Carol, who's having his own tantrum and destroying their houses. And even though Max and Carol become friends, Carol's initial tantrum looms over the rest of the story as a threat to any sort of peace and happiness Max tries to establish. As king, Max concerns himself with the superficial needs of his subjects, but he is unable to take care of their emotional needs. Many of them are unsure of their place in the group, in constant need of love and reassurance, feeling that the others are treating them unfairly or that they are being replace by the ones they love most. All of them are children with none of the perspective that time brings. They're all so concerned with being hurt that they are heedless of who they hurt. Max, now in the role of a parent, is forced to look beyond himself and finally realizes how his own behavior has affected his mother. And so, he returns home to find his worried mother waiting for him with a bowl of soup.

But as viewers, this glimpse into the bittersweet memories of our childhood reminds us not only of the mentality children are struggling with but also shows us the immaturity of our own selfishness. Even when we're grown it can be difficult to see beyond ourselves and recognize that one friend doesn't preclude the other and just because we want something now doesn't mean we are owed it. This is certainly not a film for children but rather a film about children. A reminder of where we have been and where we are going.