Column:

'Where the Wild Things Are' brings back childhood

By Thomas Leonard

Published Oct. 20, 2009

It's easy for adults to forget the simple pleasures of childhood, such as the instant entertainment of a ball or the countless re-readings of favorite books, such as Maurice Sendak's adored 1963 classic, "Where the Wild Things Are."

Well, director Spike Jonze is doing everything in his power to make you feel like a kid again. His ode to childhood is a "wild rumpus" of dizzying visual effects, colorful characters and honest writing.

Naysayers want to argue the film strays too far from the beloved book or the overall presentation is too dark and depressing. Let me tell you, naysayers, it's an uphill battle not to fall under the "Wild Things" spell.

Adapting a picture book that contains all of 10 sentences into a full-length feature film means there will inevitably be some modifications to the story, but Jonze and his screenwriter Dave Eggers take this challenge head-on and find a way to expand Sendak's story while staying true to the source material.

We meet the delightful Max Records, a little boy with a big imagination who feels invisible to his teenage sister and single mom (Catherine Keener). After a fight with his mother, Max imagines his escape to a far-away island populated by a group of friendly beasts, who name Max their king.

Each creature characterizes a childlike quality shared by Max — one is friendly and curious, another is eager to please but often overlooked. Jonze, who directed the cerebral "Being John Malkovich," has never been afraid of full frontal lobe exploration and despite its kid-friendly source material. "Wild Things" is no exception.

Still, this Freudian exercise, though likely to go over most kiddies' heads, does not completely alienate the younger set.

Max takes an immediate liking to Carol (voiced by a snarly but sensitive James Gandolfini), whose quick temper but deep loyalty is instantly reminiscent of our young protagonist. He also befriends loner KW (the fabulous Lauren Ambrose), whose struggle with growing up and out of the wild things' family clearly clashes with Carol's naïve complacency. Max teaches her to let her hair down, and the shared moments between the two are some of the most honest and lovely in the movie.

Almost every frame is a visual feast of irresistible landscapes and masterful camera work. "Wild Things" becomes much like Sendak's 10-sentence picture book, with each sublime image silently speaking volumes about Max's childhood wonderment. Watching the wild things at play in this lush scenery is pure movie magic and sure to dazzle kids of all ages.

Under all the meticulous glitz and imaginative directing, "Where the Wild Things Are" has a lot of heart. Jonze has thrust us into a childhood most of us have forgotten — the pain and anger, the wonderment and adventure and the growing pains of finding our place in the world.

Par the course, it can be angry, wonderful, heartbreaking and a lot of fun. It's a complex work of magic that might not be for everyone but can be enjoyed by anyone. If it does strike a chord with your inner-child, then it's just like Sendak's beloved book — you'll want to hear it again and again.