Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: www.dearcalliope.files.wordpress.com

Media Credit: www.ncj.files.wordpress.com

Based on the book by Maurice Sendak, "Where the Wild Things Are" could obviously not surpass the splendor and joy and art of the original children's book, which by itself is highly praised for its richness. What is possible, however, is the expansion of the original tale into a more mature version, which alludes to the book only in part but instead relies on the feeling of being a child. And although it falls short in a few places, the film makes a valiant attempt at being great.

Max (Max Records) is a troubled kid. His life is full of shots of divorce, a distanced sister, and a helpless mother (Catherine Keener) who is attempting to enter a relationship with a man that is very much not Max's father.

One awful thing after another leads to Max lashing out at his mother ("I hate frozen corn," he cries, but what he really hates is all that frozen corn represents for his broken family), and after biting her on the shoulder he bolts from the house and rides a small boat to the island of the wild things.

Because this is a film about childhood rather than one for children, it is no surprise that the wild things have their own troubles, strange squabbling connections between one another that seem only to be Max reliving his parent's terrible divorce. The monsters are complicated individuals, another element in Max's life that is outside of his ability to understand.

"Will you keep the sadness away?" one monster asks, desperately, as if sadness were an invader that has already overtaken them all. And Max tries, with all his might, but still disappoints them. This is because Max's version of happiness, which includes building giant forts and sleeping "in a real pile" with all the monsters, is not satisfying for Carol (James Gandolfini) and KW (Lauren Ambrose), who have relationship problems well beyond Max's control.

There is real danger here, too, and we feel it. Max is so small compared to these creatures, and he's under constant threat of being squished or eaten. This is a frightening place, and Max knows it.

Another stunning feature of the film is its clearly adult soundtrack. With bands like Arcade Fire and singers from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the soundtrack in all its festive romps is geared toward an audience that might be familiar with these bands - and it works fiercely well.

Director Spike Jonze worked closely with Sendak on this film, but still manages to fall short in a few key places. The relationship between Max and Carol, which is a very important one to the film, could've been built stronger ("This is all yours. You're the owner of this world," says Carol, echoing the plaque on a gift given to Max by his father - this seems to be the extent of their intimacy) before it falls apart.

There is also a transition that seems blurry, the transition between Max's leadership and his demise. It's as if one day he's on top of this monster kingdom, and the next day he's simply not. Perhaps this is an intentional move by Jonze - childhood seems to work this way, doesn't it? - but it still leaves something to be desired.

Even through these holes, the film still carries some serious weight that most adults would be hard-pressed to miss. This is not a film for children - the youngest ones will find it too frightening - but it is most definitely a film about childhood, and the many trials that face young kids as they discover the unfairness of the world. It's a beautiful film, and worth seeing.

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