Claymation at its finest. This dark masterpiece explores all the emotions. Loved it!
Too simplistic. Felt like a waste of good animation. Not awful as a whole, but I didn't take to the story telling style. It felt like Cbeebies trying to be serious and with bad jokes. Just because it's about lonely and odd people reaching out whilst being completely grim, I don't think that magically makes it engaging or serious. To me ideas, social exploration and real characters are engaging and have depth, and this is more a contrived outsider animation to get certain artistic tags and to force some kind of emotion on susceptible people. It's very unsubtle and seems to be in love with it's own sadness like a sad teen glamorising a condition. You don't use your brain watching this.
A very special movie that somehow manages to capture your attention although it is neither overly fun nor intriguing nor especially well made. One cannot describe this movie, one has to watch it to make up one's own mind about it: from me it gets 6 stars because I think a lot of potential was left unused.
I just finished watching the movie and I AM STILL CRYING!!!! This is a wonderful film. I love it!
Depressingly perfect.
My fav animated movie of all the time.
This is a fantastic movie. Clever, quirky, hilarious, witty - this movie was severely underrated! It's a beautiful story and it's told very well. Plus - it's claymation!
‘Mary and Max’ is an animated film about a little 8-year-old girl, Mary, from Australia becoming pen pals with a 44-year-old man, Max, from New York with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. Both lead bleak, troubling lives for different reasons, but they become best friends over 20 years of writing back and forth. Neither had any friends until they found one another. They find lots in common even though their communications are wholly through physical letters, from across the world and generational differences. They have some misunderstandings along the way and ups and downs like any friends, but they hang in there. It’s a humorous story of friendship as they share their sorrows and isolation and build each other’s confidence in a chaotic world that keeps bringing them down.
‘Mary and Max’ is a beautiful, humorous, heartbreaking film that makes you think. It’s such a unique film, unlike any other animated (or non-animated) film I have seen before. The ending will have you fighting back tears. The writing, animation, direction, soundtrack, and voice acting are well done. I don’t think it’s a kid film because it covers dark themes like depression, mental health, pessimism, suicide, and loneliness. I felt the pacing was a bit of a letdown, and it didn’t hold my attention all the way through, unfortunately. Parts of it were easy to drift off into other thoughts. The narrator’s monotone didn’t help matters.
Would I recommend this? I am a bit on the fence about this film. The characters are likable. The story is relatable to probably everyone, but there is also a disconnect somewhere. I believe it’s worth a watch. Even if it doesn’t leave you with a smile, there is something magical and poignant about it.
7.5/10
Well, it sure is unique, it’ll get that from me. I don’t really like the animation style and it’s definitely not funny. Some of the jokes are just cringey. I don’t think this is for me. Made me more uncomfortable, than that I actually enjoyed it. For me, this falls in the category:
“People like this because it’s artsy and different and it makes them feel intellectual. Which is not the case, of course.”
I would argue: if you like this so much that you’re giving it an 8+, than you’re probably an enormous fucking loser like the main characters. Or is that too harsh? Oh well…
Absolutely wonderful film, hilarious and touching in equal measure. Beautifully done. Now one of my favourite stop~motion movies.
Intensely emotional. The theme of acceptance and the characters' battles with loneliness, depression, and substance abuse is handled really well and I found that I could relate pretty well to Max, considering that I'm an aspie in the big city.
A very odd movie to watch, but still made to be very good.
Now this is a well done movie.
I loved the the dialogues, the 70s style narration, the pacing, the overall directing.
This is a movie made out of inspiration and it shows.
The plot is so heavy and depressing in general that the heartwarming moments of positivity brought tears to my eyes.
Maybe i could start knit picking on too many tragic events that at some point made me say 'wow, it is so SO dark and sad, ' but that's an arguable issue.
A beautiful and unique animation style with an interesting story make this worth watching.
A cute movie about an inappropriate relationship between a little girl and a man who struggles with mental illness.
Not for kids
"The reason I forgive you is because you are not perfect. You are imperfect. And so am I. All humans are imperfect."
Four years later. A true inspiration to me. Shame he tragically died during his prime.
definitely it's sophisticating and is a masterpiece
sweet and sour of lonely people
“I find the world very confusing and chaotic, because my mind is very literal and logical” -
I love this movie because of.... read the review of CatyAlexandre.
I wonder why people are so reluctant to give a 10 if they really enjoyed a movie. Is it so because they don't want to accept that a non popular movie is so amazing?
More than Incredible !
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2014-06-07T15:39:23Z
Absolutely brilliant! I wasn't expecting nothing like this! Mary and Max is one of the best, and now, one my favorite animated films. Really, it's hard to even say how great this film is!
Just because it is an animated film, don't expect it to be a film for children because it's definitely not. It tells the story about Mary a 8 year old girl who lives in Australia and her pen pal Max a 40 year old man who lives in New York. Both are sad and lonely people. By writing to one another they follow each other advices to try to survive to the cruel world that is constantly laying their confidence down.
This movie can be very depressing at times, showing us how painful life can be to the ones that are not accepted by society just because they have something different from most of the people. It also has very funny parts that balance the heaviness that the story might have.
The animation is very well done, the colors used, the set design, the soundtrack, everything combined and even the littlest detail were absolutely perfect. What also helped to create this unique and beautiful friendship tale were the voices of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette and the wonderful narration of Barry Humphries.
Mary and Max is an absolutely beautiful and honest story that will break your heart but will also put a smile on your face. I loved it.