'Mary and Max' Movie review

Introduction

Though the stop-motion animation field has cranked out such exemplary efforts as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Chicken Run, the genre has never quite been able to produce a masterpiece on the level of, say, The Lion King, WALL-E, or Up – until now.  Mary and Max effortlessly matches (and sporadically exceeds) the level of quality that’s been established by the best that animation has to offer, and it’s impossible not to view the movie as a clear turning point for the stop-motion genre.

The film, which marks the directorial debut of acclaimed (and Oscar-winning) Harvie Krumpet filmmaker Adam Elliot, features a consistently surprising and engaging animation style that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of its ample pleasures, with the relationship between the title characters ultimately standing as Mary and Max’s most engrossing and downright satisfying aspect. Elliot has created a pair of compelling and surprisingly three-dimensional characters that we can’t help but sympathize with and root for, which cements the film’s place as both an authentic look at friendship and as an instant classic within the animation field.

The Story

Mary Dinkle (Bethany Williams) is a lonely eight-year-old living in the suburbs of Australia with her indifferent father and alcoholic mother. Though she has a crush on the boy across the street, Mary has never quite worked up the courage to speak to him and her shyness has also prevented her from making any real friends. One day, curious about where babies come from, Mary impulsively decides to write to a random stranger in America – with her inquisitive letter eventually landing in the hands of one Max Jerry Horovitz (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Max is an overweight 44-year-old man living in a rundown apartment in New York City. Max, who is afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome, rarely leaves his home and seems to spend most of his time inventing new and unusual meals (his specialty is a chocolate hot dog). Although he is surprised to receive a letter from Australia, Max diligently writes Mary back using an old typewriter – filling his response with various details of his life.

This sets into motion a correspondence that continues for the next 20 years, as Mary (voiced by Toni Collette as an adult) grows up to become a confident and self-assured young woman with a keen interest in mental disorders (especially Asperger’s). Max, meanwhile, undergoes changes of his own, including a lengthy stay at a mental hospital. Through it all, Mary and Max help one another with their respective problems and prove that true friendship can easily transcend physical barriers.

The Voice Cast

Perhaps due to the success of his 2003 short Harvie Krumpet, Elliot has managed to assemble an impressive cast for what is only his first full-length feature. Newcomer Bethany Whitmore does a superb job of capturing Mary’s free-spirited innocence, while Toni Collette is equally affecting as the grown-up (yet no less endearing) version of the character.  And although he possesses one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood, Philip Seymour Hoffman disappears into his role to an extent that’s nothing short of astonishing.

It’s worth noting that although it’s not rated, Mary and Max isn’t really intended to be viewed by very small children. There’s nothing in the movie that will scar them for life, yet it’s clear that the emphasis on decidedly grown-up themes like suicide and mental illness will leave the little ones more perplexed than anything else. It’s just as obvious, however, that Mary and Max owes a great deal of its success to its unflinching emphasis on issues that are often off-limits in animated movies, as Elliot places a very real (and very poignant) story within the context of an imaginative and gloriously vivid stop-motion universe.

And despite its serious subject matter, Mary and Max never quite becomes the depressing, dour piece of work that one might’ve expected – as filmmaker Elliot’s captivating animation style, coupled with an emphasis on light-hearted instances of humor, ensures that the film is, finally, an uplifting portrait of friendship. It is, ultimately, impossible to recall a more touching and authentic depiction of the platonic bond between two cinematic characters, animated or otherwise.

Grade: A

Mary and Max was directed by Adam Elliot and is not rated.

DVD Release Date: June 15, 2010

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