Among the small group of filmmakers who successfully built their careers from the world of music videos to feature films, Spike Jonze is someone that hasn’t just successfully put his own stamp into the world of films from his experience in music videos. He is also someone that is able to create stories that are very weird and strange yet manage to find them appealing to a wide audience. From his collaboration with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman to the more personal films he had been creating that ranges from the world of skateboard culture to mediations on loneliness. Jonze has managed to find a sense of innocence in a world that is often misunderstood or to complicated to some.
Born Adam Spiegel on October 22, 1969 in Rockville, Maryland, Jonze was the son of Arthur H. Spielgel III who was related to the famed Spiegel family who were famous for Spiegel clothing brand and its catalog. While the family would earn money from the brand, Jonze’s family that would include his brother Sam and sister Julia would forge their own paths like their parents did as their father was a consultant manager and their mother Sandra L. Granzow was a communications consultant for developing countries as one of many jobs she had. At the age of 18, Jonze moved to San Francisco to attend its art institute where he immersed himself into the world of skating and BMX culture serving as a photographer. It was around that time he was given the name Spike Jonze as a pun of sorts to the famed bandleader Spike Jones.
Jonze started making music videos in the early 1990s for bands like Wax and Sonic Youth. His approach to the videos he directed were different from a lot of the mainstream music videos of the time. His style quickly gained a following and he found himself working with The Beastie Boys, The Breeders, Weezer, Dinosaur Jr., R.E.M., Bjork, Fatboy Slim, Elastica, the Pharcyde, and Daft Punk, to name a few.
How They Get There/Amarillo Morning/Torrance Rises
While honing his craft with music videos, Jonze made three distinct short films. where he spent much of the late 90s creating a trio of different shorts. The first one, How They Get There, was a simple comedy about a man who begins to mimic the movements of the woman he sees across the street. As the pair copies each other, the film evolves into something that is both tragic and funny. The other two short film saw Spike Jonze try his hand at documentary filmmaking. One film was Amarillo Morning, which followed two teenagers, who wanted to be cowboys, around for the afternoon. Shot on video, the film showed how the teens’ desire to be cowboys was not always reflected in the music they listened to.
The third short, Torrance Rises found the director collaborating with Lance Bangs on a mockumentary about the dance troupe who appeared in the Fatboy Slim video Praise You, which Jonze also directed with his then brother-in-law Roman Coppola. The humorous film focused on the group’s rehearsals for their appearance at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. Torrance Rises ended up being a cult hit and helped Jonze to get noticed by many prominent figures within the film industry.
Around the time Spike Jonze was making short films, he received the script for Being John Malkovich from his then father-in-law, and renowned filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola that was written by a TV writer named Charlie Kaufman. The odd script revolved around a puppeteer who takes a job on a mysterious floor of a building only to discover a portal that leads into the mind of actor John Malkovich. Jonze worked closely with Kaufman to develop the film, and brought in a couple of collaborators, cinematographer Lance Acord and editor Eric Zumbrunnen, who had worked on his music videos and short films. Aided by David Fincher’s production company, Propaganda Films, and a production company co-founded by R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe, Jonze received the funding he needed for the quirky film.
With Malkovich on board to play himself, the primary cast included John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener along with supporting roles from Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, and Charlie Sheen as himself. With a $10 million budget, shooting began in July 1998. With K.K. Barrett handling the production design duties, Jonze also brought in Philip Huber to provide some crucial puppetry work. The puppetry was key to the film as it emphasized the power struggle the magical realism in the film.
Being John Malkovich premiered in the U.S. in late October of 1999 and was given a limited release by USA Films (later Focus Features). The film received rave reviews from critics for its originality and did modestly well at the box office in the U.S. before eventually getting a worldwide release. Receiving three Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay to Kaufman, Best Supporting Actress to Keener, and a Best Director nod to Jonze, the film’s success surprised some as many studios had not realized the film’s potential when they passed on it years earlier.
Having struck up a friendship with Charlie Kaufman, Jonze next film, Adaptation, explored Kaufman’s own troubled experience while trying to adapt Susan Orleans’ The Orchid Thief into a film for Jonathan Demme. Kaufman’s script not only touched on his writing process, but also in how he had written himself and his fictional twin brother Donald into the story. With Nicolas Cage playing both Charlie and Donald Kaufman, rest of the principle cast included Meryl Streep, playing Susan Orleans, and Chris Cooper, as the horticulturalist John Laroche. The supporting roles were filled out by Tilda Swinton, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cara Seymour, and Brian Cox.
The film itself took place during the production of Being John Malkovich, with members of that film’s cast making cameo appearances, which gave Adaptation a unique sense of surrealism to the proceedings. Jonze further added to this by bringing in filmmakers Curtis Hanson and David O. Russell to play fictional characters. These moments helped to emphasize the struggles that come when attempting to make art. Frequently blurring the lines between fiction and reality, Adaptation, once again showed that Jonze could masterfully create films that were both inventive and playful, while still connecting with audiences on an emotional level.
Though originally scheduled for a late 2001 release, Adaptation was delayed due to the amount of post-production work need. The film finally came out in late 2002 to excellent reviews and a healthy showing at the box office. Chris Cooper won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film, while Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep received Oscar nods for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Charlie Kaufman also received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, which he shared with his fictional twin brother. While the film was a success, Jonze’s personal was unraveling as he split with wife Sofia Coppola in December of 2003. Taking time to get his personal life in order, Jonze spent the next several years producing projects including the MTV show Jackass.
During his long hiatus from films, where made music videos, commercials, skateboard videos, and shot a concert film for the post-punk band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jonze produced films for director Tarsem Singh and Charlie Kaufman’s debut film Synedoche, New York. It was in this time, he was approached by writer Maurice Sendak about helming a live-action adaptation of his famed children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. The story focused on a boy who retreats into an imaginary world where he becomes king. Receiving support from actor Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman, Jonze was able to raise the funds needed to get the film into production.
Working with budget of $100 million, Where the Wild Things Are was Jonze’s most expensive film to date. Shooting began in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia with production designer K.K. Barrett and cinematographer Lance Acord helping to bring the fantastical world to life. Max Records was cast to play the lead role of Max with Catherine Keener playing Max’s mother. The supporting cast was a who’s who of talent. Mark Ruffalo had in a small role as the boyfriend to Keener’s character, while Lauren Ambrose, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, and James Gandolfini all provided the voices for the monsters Max encounters.
During the post production, while Jonze worked on the film’s score music with Carter Burwell, he asked Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ vocalist Karen O to contribute some originals for the film. Where the Wild Things Are was finally released in the fall of 2009, where it was well-received by critics, but just barely recovered its $100 million budget. Despite its disappointing commercial reaction, Jonze felt proud of the excellent response he received from children who were able to connect with the film.
While trying to get Where the Wild Things Are developed, Jonze’s frequent meetings with Sendak prompted him to make a documentary with the aid of friend Lance Bangs. Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak was shot sporadically over the course of five years, and featured Spike Jonze and Catherine Keener interviewing Sendak about his work and views on the world. In the conversations Sendak opened up about his own personal life as well as memories he had as a child. Memories that were very influential work, and explained why he refused to cater to trends in the world of children’s literature.
I’m Here/To Die By Your Side
After the release of Where the Wild Things Are, Jonze once again embarked into a series of small projects, including a few music videos and a short film called Once We Were a Fairytale with rapper/producer Kanye West. Another short Jonze made, I’m Here, was funded by Absolut Vodka and told the of about two robots in a futuristic Los Angeles society where humans and robots co-exists. Featuring the voice work of Andrew Garfield and Sienna Guillory, the short film featured costume work from Alterian Inc. who were famous for designing the suits worn by the French electronic duo Daft Punk. The short was well-received when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2010. The short can be seen here.
Taking time to create a short film for the band Arcade Fire, which served as a promotional clip for the group’s album The Suburbs, Jonze made another short co-director with Simon Cahn. The six-minute film, To Die By Your Side, offered a mixture of live-action and animation and was set largely in a French bookstore. The premise involved characters from different book covers falling in love and going on a strange adventure. The short can be seen here.
Inspired by his recent shorts, Spike Jonze wrote Her, a story about a man who falls in love with an artificial intelligent operating system named Samantha. The film explored the themes of loneliness and love in an age where technology governs connections. To bring his $23 million budget bring his sci-fi romance to life, Jonze casted Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role of Theodore Twombly and filled out the ensemble with Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde, and Rooney Mara.
Samantha Morton was initially cast as the voice of Samantha, and was brought in to interact with Phoenix in certain scenes. However, Morton was replaced in post-production by Scarlett Johansson whose voice and performance was more in tune with what Jonze had envisioned for the character. Jonze also brought in the Dutch-Swedish cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema to shoot the film, which aided in the film’s futuristic feel.
Another key aspect to the film was the music. Jonze asked the Canadian art-rock band Arcade Fire and experimental artist/occasional Arcade Fire contributor Owen Pallett to create a score. Karen O also helped out by writing the original song Twombly and Samantha sing. Her made its premiere at the 2013 New York Film Festival and was a smash hit. The film went on to gross $47 million worldwide and drew rave reviews from critics. Her ended up receiving Oscar nominations for its score, original song, K.K. Barrett’s production design, and Best Picture. The film also garnered Spike Jonze his first Academy Award as he won for Best Original Screenplay.
With four films, a handful of shorts, and several acclaimed music videos under his belt, Spike Jonze is a figure in cinema that consistently thinks outside of the box. Whether it’s about exploring the world of oddballs, artists, or children, Jonze manages to find something in them that audiences can relate to. Spike Jonze is a unique individual in American cinema who is not afraid to find the beauty and emotion in the oddities of life.
Directed and shot by Spike Jonze and Lance Bang, Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak is a forty-minute documentary short that chronicles the life of the children’s author through a series of interviews. The film has Jonze and Bangs talk to Sendak about his work including some of the controversy that he unknowingly created through his books that are meant for children. The result is a fascinating and touching film from Spike Jonze and Lance Bang.
Shot in the span of nearly five years beginning in 2003, the film is a look into the life and career of children’s author Maurice Sendak as he is interviewed by Spike Jonze about his work and views on life. With an appearance from actress Catherine Keener during a visit and conversation with Sendak, the author discusses some of his work and some of the experiences he had in his own life that would translate into his work as a writer. Some of which such as the widely-regarded Where the Wild Things Are have received some criticism as did another book called In the Night Kitchen as the latter featured a boy showing his genitals. Sendak also talks about his own sexuality where he admitted to struggling in coming out for many years as he wouldn’t put into his work but much of the darkness and anguish that he feels as a gay man would be the source for much of his writing.
The film also has Sendak talk about his own experiences in his family including a memory he had about the case that involved the death of Charles Lindbergh’s baby where he claimed to have seen a picture of the baby’s deceased corpse and some years later. He was talking to a man and tell him practically everything about the case where the man revealed the picture from that newspaper which proved that what Sendak saw as a child was true. With the aid of co-cinematographer and editor Jeff Buchanan and sound mixer Paul Hsu, Jonze and Lance Bangs maintain an intimacy into the film while providing different stages of Sendak’s numerous comments of his work from certain points in his life. Even as Sendak would showcases images of his book and how they would relate to bits of his life as well as guess into why his work is so revered though he spent many years trying not to take himself so seriously. What Jonze and Bangs would eventually unveil is a witty yet compelling portrait of a man that is just trying to capture a sense of realism that isn’t seen in a lot of children’s books.
Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak is a brilliant film from Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs. It’s a documentary short that manages to say a lot about the life and work of a fascinating individual while doing it with so little time that it leaves the viewer wanting for more. In the end, Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak is a fantastic film from Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs.
Spike Jonze Films: Being John Malkovich - Adaptation - Where the Wild Things Are - Her - My Mutant Brain
Written and directed by Spike Jonze, Her is the story of a recently-divorced man who falls in love with a female voice produced by an intelligent computer operating system that gets him out of his funk. The film is an exploration into the world of loneliness and longing where a man deals with himself as he falls for this machine who has the personalities and feelings of a human being. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, and the voice of Scarlett Johansson as Samantha. Her is a ravishing and evocative film from Spike Jonze.
Set in a futuristic Los Angeles that isn’t totally removed from present time, the film is an exploration into an introverted man not just dealing with divorce but finding a connection with an operating system who calls herself Samantha. It’s a film that is a very unlikely romantic comedy where Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with this OS as she has all of the emotions of a human being even though she is only a machine who organizes his emails, proofreads the letters he writes for people in his job, and deal with other things that he couldn’t do. She’s also a great communicator which adds to the complexity of her character and her relationship with Theodore who starts to go out more and become even happier. Especially as Theodore is still struggling with his divorce from his wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) while the only friend he talks to is his neighbor/college friend Amy (Amy Adams).
Spike Jonze’s screenplay not only explores Theodore’s loneliness as he struggles to re-enter the world until Samantha comes into his life. It also showcases Samantha’s own desire to be human as she wants to touch Theodore as their love becomes immensely powerful. While Amy would discover this as she would embark on her own relationship with an OS after her marriage falls apart in the second act. Things do get complicated when the operating systems start to go beyond their capabilities as they begin to ask big questions about themselves which would play into the film’s third act. Even as it would affect Theodore who becomes so attached to Samantha as he tries to resolve what went wrong in his marriage as he would also big questions about himself.
Jonze’s direction is truly entrancing in the images he creates where he shoots the film in both Los Angeles and in Shanghai as if it’s set in a city of the future where many machines are voice-activated as people carry small devices with an earplug to listen to the voices of the operating systems. Still, it’s a world that isn’t too far removed from modern times as they’re still cars, planes, and such while people still talk to each other and do all sorts of things. The direction that Jonze presents is very unique in not just the world that Theodore lives in but also the sense of isolation that he’s in where he often looks at the city skyline from his apartment as if he is yearning to connect with someone or something.
The direction has Jonze not just use a lot of wide and medium shots but also close-ups such as the first shot of the film where Theodore is writing a letter on his computer. The use of tracking and some handheld camera shots play into not just some of Theodore’s world but also the enthusiasm he has with Samantha where she looks through a camera lens of what she is seeing in Theodore’s device. It would add to the weight of this relationship where it’s quite funny at times that includes a few scenes of Theodore interacting with a video game character along with some comments that Samantha says during the moments she has with some friends of Theodore. The overall result is truly a rapturous and extremely touching film about love between a man and a machine with human feelings.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does some absolutely tremendous work with the film‘s lush and colorful cinematography from the look of the skylines in Los Angeles and Shanghai to the use of sunny colors for some of the exteriors as well as the use of lights as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. Editors Jeff Buchanan and Eric Zumbrunnen do amazing work with the film‘s editing with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s romantic evolution. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Austin Gorg, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the background of trees in the elevator at the apartment building Theodore and Amy live in to the place that Theodore works at as it‘s filled with gorgeous colors and such.
Costume designer Casey Storm does excellent work with the costumes from the colored shirts that Theodore wears to reflect his personality as well as some of the clothes of the people that he meets. Visual effects supervisor Janelle Croshaw does superb work with the visual effects such as the video game Theodore plays to some of the minimal backdrops in the city that he lives in. Sound designer/music supervisor Ren Klyce does fantastic work with the film’s sound to play into the atmosphere of the locations and the sounds that come out in the computer while compiling the film’s wonderful music soundtrack which includes pieces by the Breeders, Will Collins, Nickodemus, Entrance, Little Willie John, Philip Guyler, and the Chantels. The rest of the music features some ambient and plaintive piano pieces by Owen Pallett as well as original music by Arcade Fire which plays to the film’s emotional tone as well as an original song by Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist Karen O that Theodore and Samantha sings.
The casting by Cassandra Kulukundis and Ellen Lewis is incredible as it features some voice work from Spike Jonze as the video game character Theodore deals with as well as the voices of Brian Cox, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as other small characters. Other notable small roles include May Lindstrom as a pregnant TV star Theodore fantasizes about, Portia Doubleday as a woman Samantha hires to pretend to be her, Laura Kai Chen as the girlfriend of Theodore’s receptionist Paul, and Matt Letscher as Amy’s husband Charles who only appears in the first act. Chris Pratt is terrific in a funny performance as Theodore’s receptionist Paul while Olivia Wilde is wonderful as a blind date that Theodore meets which adds to his fear of commitment.
Rooney Mara is excellent in the role of Theodore’s ex-wife Catherine as she mostly appears in flashbacks as this unique presence while she does have an amazing scene where she expresses her frustrations to Theodore over their marriage. Amy Adams is fantastic as Theodore’s friend Amy who is concerned about his loneliness as she later deals with a divorce where she embarks on a friendship with a OS that would help her in her work as a filmmaker and game designer.
The film’s best performances definitely go to Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson in their respective roles as Theodore and Samantha. Phoenix showcases a sense of restraint as well as tenderness in his role as a man lost and in despair over his divorce as he falls for the voice of a machine which just adds to the complexity of his character as it’s Phoenix at his most charming and his most vulnerable. Though she doesn’t appear in the film, Johansson provides a lot of depth and weight to the voice of Samantha as it’s one that is pretty funny as well as very dramatic in her search for meaning and wanting to have a body. Phoenix and Johansson have this chemistry that is indescribable as they put a lot of heart and soul into these characters and this relationship as they really are a huge highlight of the film.
Her is a magnificent film from Spike Jonze that features outstanding performances from Joaquin Phoenix and the voice of Scarlett Johansson. The film is definitely a romantic-comedy that is unlike anything that is expected in the genre while infusing it with a sci-fi setting that makes it unique to express a man’s loneliness. Along with its amazing technical work and the supporting cast that includes Amy Adams, Olivia Wilde, Rooney Mara, and Chris Pratt. It’s a film that also manages to find a soul in the machine that is just as human as humanity itself. In the end, Her is a spectacular film from Spike Jonze.
Spike Jonze Films: Being John Malkovich - Adaptation - Where the Wild Things Are - Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak - My Mutant Brain
